Berkshire Pulse to present annual performance
Great Barrington — Berkshire Pulse will present its 11th annual performance celebration and fundraiser on Saturday, May 28, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Sunday, May 29, at 2 p.m. at Bard College at Simon’s Rock’s Daniel Arts Center.
The showcase performance will feature more than 100 Pulse dancers and musicians in a wide variety of genres including modern, ballet, musical theatre, tap, Afro-Caribbean, flamenco, and world music. In honor of the Memorial Day weekend, Berkshire Pulse founder Bettina Montano has choreographed a new intergenerational work honoring the women who fought, worked, and sacrificed to care for each other, their families, and their countries during WWII. Dancers featured in this piece include advanced level Performing Arts Program teen students and faculty members as well as Diane Pearlman, chair of Pulse’s board of directors and executive director of the Berkshire Film and Media Collaborative.
Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for youth ages 14-18 and proceeds will benefit Pulse’s Tuition Assistance Fund. For tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or call Berkshire Pulse at (413) 274-6624.
–E.E.
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Members of the National to present food benefit concert
Hudson, N.Y. — Aaron Dessner of indie rock band the National will present a benefit concert for Good Food for Hudson at Club Helsinki Hudson on Wednesday, May 25, at 7 p.m.
The show will feature Dessner, who now calls Columbia County home, teaming with a group of friends including Lisa Hannigan, Buke and Gase, Patrick Higgins, and Dessner’s the National bandmate Scott Devendorf, who will DJ a special set of tracks from the upcoming Grateful Dead tribute album “Day of the Dead.”
The National is an indie-rock quartet formed in 1999. The band’s most recent release, 2013’s “Trouble Will Find Me,” debuted at #3 on both the U.S. Billboard chart and the UK Albums chart. Dessner has also made a name for himself as an influential producer. This month, the National will release “Day of the Dead,” a charity tribute album created, curated, and produced by Aaron and Bryce Dessner.
For tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or call the Club at (518) 828-4800.
–E.E.
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Marijuana community forum
Pittsfield — Berkshire United Way will present a community forum entitled “Marijuana: What we all need to know” on Wednesday, May 25, from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the Robert Boland Theater at Berkshire Community College.
Bertha Madras, Ph.D., professor of psychobiology in the department of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School will speak about the myths vs. reality of marijuana, and the biology of marijuana and its effects on the young brain. Dr. Madras will also share the results of leading cannabis research, including emerging evidence of marijuana use as a primer for opiate addiction. Dr. Madras will be joined by Dr. Jennifer Michaels of the Brien Center; Berkshire District Attorney David Capeless; and Massachusetts State Senator Michael Moore, a member of the Special Senate Committee on Marijuana, who will give a special recorded presentation on findings from his recent visit to Colorado. Additional topics to be covered include local experiences with addiction and treatment, today’s marijuana and the marketplace, and current public health and safety concerns.
The event is free and open to the public. Online registration is available. For more information, contact Tom Simon at (413) 442-6948 or tsimon@berkshireunitedway.org.
–E.E.
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Tannery Pond Concerts to present Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio
New Lebanon, N.Y. – On Saturday, May 28, at 6 p.m., Tannery Pond Concerts will present the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio at Darrow School.
Since making their debut at the White House for President Carter’s inauguration in January 1977, pianist Joseph Kalichstein, violinist Jaime Laredo, and cellist Sharon Robinson have set the standard for performance of the piano trio literature. The program will include Beethoven’s Trio in B-flat, Op. 11; Brahms’ Trio in C major, Op. 87; and Mendelssohn’s Trio in C minor Op. 66, No. 2.
Tickets are $39 and $30. For tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or call (888) 820-1696.
–E.E.
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Lions Club meeting
Great Barrington – On Thursday, May 26, at 7 p.m. at the James A. Modolo VFW Post 8348, the Great Barrington Lions Club will hold an informational meeting for its branch club. This specialty Lions Club will support area veterans and their families, and provide support to local VFW posts and American Legion posts. The meeting is open to anyone in the tri-state area who is interested in joining the Lions Club and helping local veterans. For more information, contact the Great Barrington Lions Club at GBLions@roadrunner.com.
–E.E.
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Memorial Day weekend hike with ATC
Sheffield — Race Brook Lodge and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) will present a Memorial Day weekend hike on Saturday, May 28, at 9:30 a.m. in order to raise awareness of ATC’s work on the Appalachian Trail through the Kellogg Conservation Center.
Led by ATC Trail Management Assistant Hannah Chamberlin, the group will meet at Race Brook Lodge and proceed up Race Brook Trail to the Guilder Pond parking area off of Route 41 and north of the Lodge. The hike is for intermediate to very experienced hikers, as it is 3.4 miles long with strenuous portions. Beginner hikers are welcome to hike up to Race Brook Falls and back to the Lodge with an additional guide.
Hikers who have completed the longer route will be picked up at the Guilder Pond parking lot. A box lunch from the Stagecoach Tavern can be arranged for $20. For more information or to register for the hike, call (413) 854-5611.
–E.E.
