Americana music at Chesterwood
Stockbridge – A range of contemporary American musicians are scheduled to perform this summer at Chesterfest, a new Americana music series at Chesterwood. Chesterfest will kick off on July 19 at 5:30 p.m. and run on Sunday evenings, rain or shine, through August 30.
The line-up of concerts is as follows: July 19: Dan Blakeslee, Jonah Tolchin; July 26: AJ MAC from Thunderosa, Swisch Wagon; August 2: GABI, Elison Jackson; August 9: Lys Guillorn, the Meadows Brothers; August 16: Niall Connolly, the Rambling Kind; August 23: Hack Monet, Sunlea; August 30: Lexi Weege, Bernice Lewis.
The grounds will open at 5 p.m. with music beginning at 5:30 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets for lawn seating. Tickets are $15 per person and children under 18 are free. Tickets may be purchased in cash at each performance or online in advance.
–E.E.
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Broadway in the Berkshires benefit; Dick Cavett to host
Great Barrington – Shakespeare & Company proudly announces a special one-night-only performance of Broadway in the Berkshires on Monday, August 3 at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center. Proceeds from the event will benefit Shakespeare & Company’s education and training programs.
Broadway in the Berkshires features Broadway’s brightest stars in a dazzling affair which includes a delicious walk-around dinner reception, a live auction, and an exclusive VIP after-party with the artists.
Space is limited and the event is expected to sell out; patrons are encouraged to purchase tickets early. More information about the event, including a list of participating Broadway performers, can be found on the Berkshire Edge calendar. Tickets for this benefit event can be purchased through the Shakespeare and Company Development Office by calling (413) 637-1199 x105.
–E.E.
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Nature program for preschoolers
Lenox – Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary presents ‘Knee-High Naturalists,’ a summer program featuring fun with nature activities and crafts. The program runs 10 a.m. to noon in three installments: July 20-23, July 27-30, and August 3-6. Parents are welcome to leave their 3- to 5-year-old children, who should be dressed for the outdoors, for the program or stay with them. A snack will be provided.
Registration for Knee-High Naturalists is required. For more information contact the wildlife sanctuary at 413-637-0320 or berkshires@massaudubon.org
–E.E.
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Fran Forman’s “Escape Artist” exhibition and book signing
Lenox – Sohn Fine Art Gallery is pleased to present the solo exhibition Escape Artist, featuring photographic collage work by Fran Forman. The show debuts work from Forman’s recently published, award-winning book Escape Artist: The Art of Fran Forman. The exhibition is on view through July 27th, with a book signing and reception on Sunday, July 26 from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Forman received an MFA in Photography and Graphic Design from Boston University’s School of Fine Arts. She has worked in illustration and design creating books, museum installations, illustrations, animations, multimedia, and web designs. Contact the gallery at (413) 551-7353 for more information.
–E.E.
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‘Master Thieves’ at Ventfort Hall
Lenox – Former Boston Globe investigative reporter Stephen Kurkjian will give his audience the low down on “Master Thieves: The Boston Gangsters Who Robbed the Gardner Museum,” the subject and title of his new book. He will be at Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum to present his story and sign copies of his book on Tuesday, July 21 at 4 p.m. A Victorian tea is included.
Kurkjian’s subject is the 1990 theft of 13 works of art worth half a billion dollars from Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, a crime he began to cover in 1997 after the FBI failed to solve the case. Kurkjian was the senior metropolitan editor for The Boston Globe, and one of three founding members of the newspaper’s investigative Spotlight Team. In addition to receiving three Pulitzer Prizes, his reporting won him and the Globe more than two dozen other national and regional journalism awards.
Tickets for the Tea & Talk are $22 in advance and $27 at the door. Reservations are recommended as seating is limited. For information or reservations contact Ventfort Hall at 413-637-3206 or email info@gildedage.org
–E.E.
