Whiskey Treaty Roadshow to kick off album release at Barrington Stage
Pittsfield — Barrington Stage Company will present an album release kick-off for Whiskey Treaty Roadshow’s first full-length studio album “Band Together” Saturday, June 1, at 8 p.m. on the Boyd-Quinson Mainstage, 30 Union St.
A collaborative band made up of Massachusetts singer-songwriters Greg Smith, David Tanklefsky, Billy Keane, Chris Merenda and Tory Hanna, Whiskey Treaty Roadshow has played over 100 shows since 2016. In 2016, a short music documentary was made of the band’s creation and was accepted into 17 film festivals across the country; it became a five-time winner in the category of Best Musical Short Documentary in film festivals across the country in 2016. The documentary has propelled the band into regional tours and showcases including supporting acts such as the Indigo Girls, the Felice Brothers, Deer Tick and many more.
Tickets are $18 in advance, and $20 at the door. Advance VIP tickets for those 21 years of age or older are $75 and include prime seating, two cocktails curated by Hudson Whiskey, a meet and greet with the band, and a signed limited edition poster. For tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or contact Barrington Stage Company box office at (413) 236-8888.
–E.E.
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Cantilena Chamber Choir to present 15th anniversary gala concert
Lenox — The Cantilena Chamber Choir will present a gala concert in celebration of its singers and alumni Saturday, June 1, at 7:30 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church.
Recognizing the contributions of present and past chorus members, the program will look back on the highlights of 15 seasons of repertoire, guest artists and collaborations. To celebrate the choir’s significant milestone, the featured work on the program will be the Mass by Igor Stravinsky for chorus and orchestra; and favorite music from past seasons including “Sing Joyfully” by Byrd, Psalm 100 with brass by Schütz, “Silence and Music” by Vaughan Williams, and Requiem selections by Pizzetti.
Admission is $35 per person, and $25 for students with ID and seniors age 65 and older. For tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or contact the Cantilena Chamber Choir at (518) 791-0185 or satbchoir@yahoo.com.
–E.E.
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Berkshire Botanical Garden to host ‘Shimmering Flowers’ art exhibit
Stockbridge — Berkshire Botanical Garden will host an opening reception for the exhibit “Shimmering Flowers: Nancy Lorenz’s Lacquer and Bronze Landscapes” Friday, May 31, from 5 to 7 p.m. in its Leonhardt Galleries.
Based in New York City, Nancy Lorenz incorporates techniques from traditional Asian crafts, drawing on her years spent living in Japan and a 35-year career as a contemporary abstract painter. For “Shimmering Flowers,” Lorenz has created gilt and mother-of-pearl paintings that complement the Garden’s collection of flora and will also present tabletop landscape vessels in cast bronze, creating a dialogue with the galleries and their surrounding gardens. Throughout the summer, the vessels will display arrangements created by a rotating group of floral designers whose interpretations of the art will be reflected in displays of flowers and other natural materials.
The opening reception is free and open to the public, and will feature a demonstration by floral designer and ikebana master Kan Asakura. The exhibit will be on display through Monday, Sept. 30. For more information, contact Berkshire Botanical Garden at (413) 298-3926 or info@berkshirebotanical.org.
–E.E.
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Herman Melville’s Arrowhead to host historical ballroom dancing presentation
Pittsfield — On Sunday, June 2, at 7 p.m., Herman Melville’s Arrowhead will host the Victorian Quadrille Orchestra and the Small Planet Dancers for “The Civil War Ballroom,” an evening devoted to the Civil War-era ballroom experience. Attendees will be treated to polkas, waltzes, galops, lancers, hornpipes, reels, mazurkas and quadrilles by dancers in period costumes with a lively music ensemble playing additional marches and other period music.
Like Mrs. Morewood’s home Broadhall (now the Country Club of Pittsfield) where dance parties were often held, Melville’s historic 1836 barn would have been used for such a purpose. As a poet, Melville wrote some of the most interesting poems of his career about people and conditions during the war period, published in “Battle Pieces and Aspects of the War”: “When ocean-clouds over inland hills / Sweep storming in late autumn brown / And horror the sodden valley fills, / And the spire fall crashing in the town / I muse upon my country’s ills … (“Misgivings,” 1860).
With open-air lawn seating, the performance is free and open to the public as well as part of a celebration of the 200th anniversary of Melville’s birth. For more information, contact the Berkshire County Historical Society at (413) 442-1793 x14.
–E.E.
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Forum to introduce voters to local politicians
Pittsfield — 1Berkshire and the Dulye Leadership Experience will present the “Local Politics Distilled” open forum on Monday, June 10, at 5:30 p.m. in the Shire Hall at Hotel on North.
A diverse group of active and former political leaders from Berkshire County will share personal experiences, offer advice and answer questions in an interactive program. Participating guest leaders include:
- Adam Hinds, D-Pittsfield;
- Tricia Farley-Bouvier, D-Pittsfield;
- Pittsfield Mayor Linda Tyer;
- North Adams City Councilor Ben Lamb;
- Former Adams town administrator Jonathan Butler;
- Former state representative candidate Stephanie Bosley;
- Lee School Committee chair and former Lee Board of Selectmen candidate Andrea Wadsworth;
- Pittsfield City Council President Pete Marchetti; and
- Great Barrington Selectboard Member Kate Burke.
The cost of the event is $10. Advance registration required by Friday, May 31. Registration and networking will begin at 5:30 p.m. followed by the open forum discussion from 6 to 7:45 p.m. Seating is on a first-reserved/first-served basis. Hors d’oeuvres will be served, and a cash bar will be available. For more information or to register, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or contact 1Berkshire at (413) 499-1600 or info@1berkshire.com.
–E.E.
