Kaatsbaan Cultural Park and Chamber Music America presents an evening of jazz with the Aimée Allen Jazz Quartet
Tivoli, N.Y.— On Saturday, December 6th at 7 p.m., Kaatsbaan Cultural Park and Chamber Music America presents an evening of jazz with the Aimée Allen Jazz Quartet.
Vocalist Aimée Allen’s intimate connection with music began with a childhood scored with classic jazz on the family turntable. She grew up and moved to Paris where she performed regularly in jazz clubs and festivals. The deep relationship between the francophone audiences and Brazilian bossa nova led Allen to form Les Bossa Novices, a Paris-based group dedicated to bossa and jazz. These days, she performs regularly in the New York City area and frequently tours abroad. Her original music has been licensed for feature film and network television. She has sung with renowned jazz musicians and her latest album, “Love & the Catalyst,” was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Jazz Vocal Album. The rising star will appear with François Moutin on bass, Tony Romano on guitar, and Kenn Salters on drums.
The concert is on Saturday, December 6th at 7 p.m. at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park, located at 120 Broadway in Tivoli, N.Y. Tickets and more information can be found online.
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Close Encounters With Music presents the Vivace Chamber Orchestra at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center
Great Barrington— On Sunday, December 7th at 4 p.m., Close Encounters With Music presents the Vivace Chamber Orchestra at The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center.
The Vivace Chamber Orchestra, an elite conductor-less chamber collective, is renowned for precision, color, and expressive unanimity. “Performing without a conductor heightens our listening—we have to breathe and phrase as one,” says Luke Fleming, Artistic Director of The Vivace Chamber Orchestra.
Curated to showcase the ensemble’s rare, one-mind musicianship, the program looks back and leaps forward. Mozart’s “Adagio” and “Fugue in C minor,” an homage to Bach’s contrapuntal craft, ventures into daring harmonies that feel a century ahead of their time, with the drama of an Italian overture. Britten’s “Simple Symphony” sparkles with wit and buoyant good spirits. Max Bruch’s “Kol Nidrei” for cello and strings unfolds as an extraordinarily expressive arc, from supplication and contrition to promise and redemption. And nothing less than a miracle, Mendelssohn’s “String Octet in E-flat Major,” written at sixteen and marked to be played “in symphonic orchestral style,” remains a beloved touchstone for its youthful verve, brilliance, and perfection.
The concert is on Sunday, December 7th at 4 p.m. at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, located at 14 Castle Street in Great Barrington. There will be a post-show “Afterglow” reception with the artists. Tickets and more information can be found online.
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Berkshire Music School and Adams Theater present Samirah Evans and Nate Martel in concert
Adams— On Friday, December 5th at 6 p.m., Berkshire Music School and Adams Theater present Samirah Evans and Nate Martel in concert.
Samirah Evans is an Artist Associate in Jazz Voice at Williams College. She is known for her dynamic, soulful approach to jazz and blues, among other genres. Her musical style is heavily influenced by the New Orleans sound where she was one of the city’s most popular and in-demand singers. She has toured worldwide, sharing stages with a multitude of New Orleans notables and legendary artists, including James Brown, B.B. King, Charles Neville, and many more.
Rock ‘n Soul singer and guitarist Nate Martel has a powerful and dynamic sound that is distinct and versatile. Nate performs with a stellar cast of musicians to display his captivating original music and unique cover selection. Along with his solo project, Nate is also the singer and guitarist of Outer Stylie, Beast Mode, and Llama Lasagna. Having played all over the country with a variety of national acts, he has opened for Ghost Face Killer, Black Joe Lewis, The Revivalists, Ryan Montbleau, and Dopapod to name a few.
The soulful and joyous performance with Samirah Evans and Nate Martel to support the Berkshire Music School’s mission of providing high quality musical experiences for Berkshire County residents of all ages. The concert will also feature a performance by Berkshire Music School student Dennis Hermanski who will be leading Dennis and the Radicals with Berkshire Music School faculty members Jim Wojtaszek, Andrew Smith, and Executive Director Luis Granda.
The concert is on Friday, December 5th at 6 p.m. at Adams Theater, located at 30 Park Street in Adams. Tickets and more information can be found online.
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Future Lab(s) Gallery presents ‘Birds, Bricks, and Bozos,’ an exhibit of work by Stacey Dreher, Jeff Faerber, and Eric Wallen
North Adams— From December 5th though the 28th, Future Lab(s) Gallery presents “Birds, Bricks, and Bozos,” an exhibit of work by North Adams residents Stacey Dreher, Jeff Faerber, and Eric Wallen.
Jeff Faerber presents a small series of cityscapes from North Adams and its vicinity. The old architecture and rolling hills are what originally drew him to the area, and he enjoys capturing small glimpses as the light and shadows move across the structures. Stacey Dreher creates intricate mosaics inspired by natural formation, animals, and imaginative dimensions. They are both striking and delicate, the artist having a singular and unique approach to the medium. Eric Wallen takes forever to go anywhere. Every tree requires hugging. His two cats demand constant attention. It’s safer to just eat pastries and play with paint.
The exhibit is view from December 5th though the 28th at Future Lab(s) Gallery, located at 43 Eagle Street in North Adams. There is an opening reception on Friday, December 5th from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and a closing reception on Sunday, December 28th from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. More information can be found online.
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MASS MoCA presents ‘Zora J Murff: RACE/HUSTLE,’ illuminating difficult truths in the pursuit of raising consciousness
North Adams— From December 6th through winter 2026, MASS MoCA presents “Zora J Murff: RACE/HUSTLE,” curated by Terence Washington and the next exhibition to premiere as part of MASS MoCA’s Curatorial Exchange Initiative. The exhibit aims to demonstrate, through photographs, collages, and, for the first time, installation works, that the pursuit of liberation is, in part, a struggle against a desire for what merely mimics it.
Murff makes photographs, assemblages, videos, and text works that examine physical, psychic, and political violence, the rhythms and resonances of oppression throughout history and into the present, and the harmful desires that our visual culture cultivates. Murff is particularly attentive to the structures of state violence. Viewers are invited to examine how systems of domination interlock and how their injurious effects are normalized and made invisible in everyday life.
“Zora specializes in photo-based works that confront viewers with sometimes difficult truths about Black life in the United States,” says CEI fellow and guest curator Terence Washington. “Increasingly, he assembles found imagery and text in knotty, associative collages, and ‘RACE/HUSTLE’ will feature these hallmarks as well as sculpture and the artist’s first foray into participatory art. The confrontation remains.”
On Wednesday, December 3rd at 5:30 p.m., political philosopher Joy James will appear in conversation with Lucius Outlaw, a philosopher concerned with matters of social and political life. Together with Zora J Murff and Terence Washington, they inform and discuss Murff’s artistic examination of the overarching structures that shape Black Americans’ desires and aspirations for the things that only appear to be liberatory.
The exhibit is on view from December 6th through winter 2026 at MASS MoCA, located at 1040 MASS MoCA Way in North Adams. More information can be found online.
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Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art’s The Carle After Dark series continues with ‘Solstice Spells,’ a game night with dungeon delvers, tarot card readings, and live music by The Lucky 3
Amherst— On Thursday, December 4th from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art’s The Carle After Dark series continues with ‘Solstice Spells,’ a game night with dungeon delvers, tarot card readings, and live music by The Lucky 3.
You’re invited to a magical evening of table-top games, beginner-friendly role-playing games facilitated by a professional Dungeon Master. There will be tarot readings at Tarot Pixie’s table, where each card flips like a page in a spellbound storybook, revealing a glimpse of wonder and the future ahead. Live music will be provided by the Hot Club du France jazz trio Lucky 3, and star and moon cookies and festive drinks will be served.
The event is on Thursday, December 4th from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, located at 125 West Bay Road in Amherst. More information can be found online.
