Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center presents American roots band Old Crow Medicine Show with Trey Hensley
Great Barrington— On Friday, April 25th at 8 p.m., the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center presents American roots band Old Crow Medicine Show with Trey Hensley opening.
Old Crow Medicine Show is known for their blend of traditional country, old-time string music, bluegrass, and folk. After being discovered by bluegrass legend Doc Watson, their breakthrough came with the song “Wagon Wheel,” which became a platinum hit and has since become a modern American classic. The band has earned critical acclaim and industry recognition including two Grammy Awards, a Trailblazer award from Americana Music Association, and induction into the Grand Ole Opry. They are known for captivating audiences with their electrifying live shows, and their annual New Year’s Eve show is a Nashville tradition. With music that not only honors the traditions of the past but also continues to inspire new generations of fans, Old Crow Medicine Show has become a beloved fixture in the American music landscape.
Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter-guitarist and International Bluegrass Music Association Guitar Player of the Year, Trey Hensley has been called a “musical phenom” by NPR, “a guitar-slinging superhero” by Bluegrass Today, and “Nashville’s hottest young player” by Acoustic Guitar magazine. A multiple Grammy nominee widely recognized for his world class musicianship and guitar prowess, Hensley was invited to perform alongside many of the world’s greatest guitarists at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival 2023 in Los Angeles. And, it’s not just the guitar that does the talking—he’s also well known for his rich, soulful and powerful baritone vocals.
The concert is on Friday, April 25th at 8 p.m. at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, located at 14 Castle Street in Great Barrington. Tickets and more information can be found online.
***
MASS MOCA and Jacob’s Pillow co-present Celebrated dance-theater artist David Rousséve’s ‘DaddyAF’
North Adams— On Saturday, May 3rd at 8 p.m., MASS MOCA and Jacob’s Pillow co-present Celebrated dance-theater artist David Rousséve’s “DaddyAF.”
“DaddyAF” is an intimate meditation on life’s purpose, created and performed by a queer African American man acutely aware of the finite time he has left on the planet. Like strands of DNA, it connects elements encoded in his body, including 600 years of genealogy, a roller coaster journey with HIV, and the shattering loss of a husband — while revisiting movement from 35 years of dance-making to explore the meaning of ‘virtuosity’ for a 64-year old body.
The work-in-progress performance is on Saturday, May 3rd at 8 p.m. at MASS MOCA, located at 1040 MASS MoCA Way in North Adams. Tickets and more information can be found online.
***
Berkshire Museum to open ‘Light in the Darkness: Stories from the Holocaust’ in 2027
Pittsfield— In Spring 2027, Berkshire Museum has announced it will open “Light in the Darkness: Stories from the Holocaust”, a Holocaust special exhibit examining the long history of antisemitism around the world.
The exhibit will present words of children from the Holocaust, stories of heroism and hope, and video interviews with Berkshire County Holocaust survivors and their children. Numerous artifacts will be on display, including vintage photographs and posters, films that were created to inspire antisemitism, personal items prisoners had at concentration camps, and objects on loan from the Darrell English Collection and others.
Also featured will be a selection of artworks from the Jewish Museum in Prague’s collection, created by both professional artists and children incarcerated in the Theresienstadt Ghetto. The drawings by adult and child inmates, most of whom were eventually murdered in extermination camps in the occupied territories of Eastern Europe, stand not only as powerful testimonies to the tragic fates of their creators but also as some of the most haunting reminders of the Shoah, the Hebrew term for the Holocaust.
The exhibit is scheduled to open in Spring 2027 at the Berkshire Museum, located at 39 South Street in Pittsfield. More information can be found online.
***
Bidwell House Museum presents ‘Creating History: The Art of First Person Interpretation,’ a virtual panel discussion
Monterey— On Thursday, April 24th at 7 p.m., Bidwell House Museum presents “Creating History: The Art of First Person Interpretation,” a virtual panel discussion.
In 2021 and 2023, the Bidwell House Museum hosted two weekend-long living history events where dozens of people camped on the property and lived as if it was the time of the American Revolution. (A third reenactment is planned for the first weekend of October 2025.) The dedication of these historical interpreters creates a wonderfully immersive and educational experience for the visitor, but have you ever wondered how these men and women learned how to turn back the clock and live as if it was the 18th century? In this presentation, you will have an opportunity to listen to several people, who have participated in Bidwell House Museum living history events, explain how they got into the art of historical interpretation, talk about their love of history, and share what they do to prepare for these events.
Participating in this program will be Emma Cross, who portrays Frederika Charlotte Riedesel; Michele Gabrielson, who portrays Mercy Otis Warren; Sandy Spector, who portrays Martha Washington; and Richard Smith who portrays Henry David Thoreau.
The discussion is on Thursday, April 24th at 7 p.m. on Zoom. Registration and more information can be found online.
***
Scoville Memorial Library presents ‘From Bean To Bar,’ a talk and tasting with local chocolate maker Christophe Armero
Scoville, Conn.— On Thursday, April 24th from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., the Scoville Memorial Library presents “From Bean To Bar,” a talk and tasting with local chocolate maker Christophe Armero.
Join local bean-to-bar, tiny-batch chocolate maker Christophe Armero for an informative interactive talk and chocolate tasting. Learn how cacao is grown, how chocolate is made, and how best to savor it. Taste four different kinds of chocolate bars created locally by Armero, with a focus on single-origin, two-ingredient, fine-flavor chocolate made from carefully selected beans from around the world.
The program is on Thursday, April 24th from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m at the Scoville Memorial Library, located 38 Main Street in Salisbury, Conn. Registration and more information can be found online.
***
Clark Art Institute presents ‘Meet Me at the Clark,’ a gallery talk for people living with dementia and their care partners
Williamstown— On Monday, April 21st at 1 p.m., the Clark Art Institute presents “Meet Me at the Clark,” a gallery talk for people living with dementia and their care partners.
On select Mondays, when the museum is closed to the general public, specially trained educators will guide people living with dementia and their care partners through open-ended conversations about art and how it celebrates our shared humanity.
The free talk is on Monday, April 21st at 1 p.m. at the Clark Art Institute, located at 225 South Street in Williamstown. More information can be found online.
