Live music takes to the streets for Lenox Jazz Stroll
Lenox — Music-lovers yearning for live performances can enjoy the Lenox Jazz Stroll Saturday, Sept. 12, which will feature five bands in a series of one-hour concerts. Taking place in the center of town, the Stroll is sponsored by Mill Town Capital, the Lenox Chamber of Commerce and Berkshires Jazz Inc.
Co-chairs of the event are Mill Town managing director Carrie Holland; and musician and educator Andy Wrba, who is also the event’s artistic director. The lineup and schedule are as follows:
- Noon – Ben Kohn Quartet, Gateways Inn
- 1 p.m. – Mary Ann McSweeney Quartet, Winstanley Green
- 2 p.m. – Berkshire Jazz Quartet, Lenox Library Reading Park
- 3 p.m. – Richard Stanmeyer Quartet, Church Street Dining Terrace
- 4 p.m. – Kris Allen, Jonathan Barber and Luques Curtis, Gateways Inn
The event is free and open to the public. Pandemic guidelines will be strictly followed, including the wearing of masks and social distancing. Audience capacity will be limited to 50, with entry on a first-come, first-served basis. Audiences are encouraged to bring their own blankets or lawn chairs. A rain date has been set for Sunday, Sept. 13, in which case the schedule may vary. For more information, contact events@milltowncapital.com.
–E.E.
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Crandell Theatre to stream Farm Film Fest
Chatham, N.Y. — The Crandell Theatre will livestream Farm Film Fest 12 Sunday, Sept. 13, at 3 p.m. The festival will screen films that educate and entertain about farms, farming, farmers, and farming issues both local and national. The theme this year is “Farming for the Future: Sustainability in a Time of Change.”
The first film, “The River That Flows Both Ways,” uses a visit to the Hawthorne Valley Farm in Ghent and a trip to the Inwood Greenmarket in Manhattan to illuminate the link between rural and urban Hudson Valley life. “Farmscape Ecology,” by Jon Bowermaster and his One Ocean Media Foundation/Oceans 8 Films team, asks scientists from local organizations if farming and wildlife can coexist. “Edible Uprising” looks at the biointensive farm by the same name operating in Troy.
A post-film discussion will be moderated by botanist Daniel Franck, Ph.D., science curriculum director at the Core Knowledge Foundation. Participants will include Bowermaster, Columbia Land Conservancy farm program coordinator Terence Duvall, and Henry Corsun of Dog Wood Farm.
Farm Film Fest is free and open to the public. Registration is required. For more information or to register, see the Berkshire Edge calendar, or contact the Crandell Theatre at (518) 392-3331 or mail@crandelltheatre.org.
–E.E.
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‘Spirit Voices’ lecture to feature Northwest Indigenous art
Pittsfield — On Friday, Sept. 11, at 3 p.m., the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Berkshire Community College’s Distinguished Speaker Series, in partnership with the Berkshire Museum, will present the online lecture “Spirit Voices: Art, Culture and Myths from the First Nations of the Northwest Coast” with Joan and Paul Gluck.
The present-day artists of the Northwest Coast maintain intimate ties with earlier artistic traditions. Cultural context is therefore critical to fully understand and appreciate these creations. The presentation will explore the cultural and historic context of Northwest Coast Indigenous art illustrated with pieces from the private collection of Joan and Paul Gluck, recognized by Art and Antiques magazine as one of the top 100 art collections in America.
Joan and Paul Gluck married as junior medical students at New York University. On their six-week honeymoon, they logged over 7,000 miles visiting national parks and Native American sites, and were fascinated by the Northwest Coast Native art. They splurged on their first piece, still in their collection, and began seriously researching and collecting. Pieces from their collection were featured in the Berkshire Museum’s 2016 exhibit “Finding Raven: Art and Stories from the Northwest Coast.”
Admission is $10 for OLLI at BCC and Berkshire Museum members; $15 for the general public; and free for BCC students, youth 17 and under, and those holding WIC, EBT/SNAP or ConnectorCare cards. Registration is required. For more information or to register, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or contact the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Berkshire Community College at (413) 236-2190.
–E.E.
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Hershey Felder livestream to benefit Berkshire Theatre Group
Pittsfield — Berkshire Theatre Group will present Hershey Felder in “George Gershwin Alone” livestreamed from Florence, Italy, Sunday, Sept. 13, at 8 p.m.
“George Gershwin Alone” incorporates the composer’s best-known songs, from “The Man I Love” and “Someone to Watch Over Me” through the hits of “An American in Paris” and “Porgy and Bess” to a complete performance of “Rhapsody In Blue.” As the only actor-musician to create the role of George Gershwin on the stage, and with over 3,000 performances from California to Broadway to London’s West End, Felder will bring Gershwin to life on the stage of Florence’s Teatro della Pergola.
Named to TIME Magazine’s 2016 Top 10 Plays and Musicals, Felder has played over 5,000 performances of his self-created solo productions at some of the world’s most prestigious theaters. His shows include “George Gershwin Alone,” “Monsieur Chopin,” “Beethoven,” “Maestro: Leonard Bernstein,” “Franz Liszt in Musik,” “Lincoln: An American Story,” “Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin” and “Our Great Tchaikovsky.” Felder is the adaptor, director and designer for the internationally performed play-with-music “The Pianist of Willesden Lane” with Mona Golabek; producer and designer for the musical “Louis and Keely ‘Live’ at the Sahara” directed by Taylor Hackford; and writer and director for “Flying Solo” featuring Nathan Gunn. Felder has operated a full-service production company since 2001. He has been a scholar-in- residence at Harvard University’s Department of Music and is married to Kim Campbell, the first female prime minister of Canada.
Tickets are $55 per household, with 50% of proceeds benefiting BTG. Patrons will be able to stream the program on a smart TV, computer, smartphone or tablet. Viewing will be available through Sunday, Sept. 20, at 2:59 p.m. For tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or contact Berkshire Theatre Group at (413) 997-4444.
–E.E.
