Pianist Simone Dinnerstein presented by Music Mountain
Falls Village— On Sunday, August 20th at 3 p.m., Music Mountain presents Pianist Simone Dinnerstein in concert with the Balourdet String Quartet, performing J.S. Bach’s Keyboard Concerto in D Minor BWV 1052.
Pianist Simone Dinnerstein, who is heralded for her distinctive musical voice and commitment to sharing classical music with everyone, is recognized and celebrated for her appreciation of J.S. Bach’s work. Dinnerstein recorded Bach’s Keyboard Concerto in D Minor BWV 1052 on her 2011 Sony Classical release, Bach: A Strange Beauty. Even then, more than 10 years earlier, the Grammy-nominated pianist was lauded for her approach to Bach’s music and the resulting beauty and skill of her execution. The New York Times called her, “a unique voice in the forest of Bach interpretation.”
The concert is on Sunday, August 20th at 3 p.m. at Gordon Hall, Music Mountain on Music Mountain Road in Falls Village. Tickets run $25 to $55, audio-only lawn seats are $15, and children under 18 are free. Tickets and more information can be found by visiting Music Mountain online.
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Berkshire South Regional Community Center presents singer and music historian, Harvey Granat, with a special program on Johnny Mercer
Great Barrington— On Thursday, August 10th at 5:30 p.m., Berkshire South Regional Community Center presents singer and music historian, Harvey Granat, with a special program on Johnny Mercer.
Mercer is considered by many to be the country’s leading lyricist. When Granat hosted two Academy Award winning lyricists, Carole Bayer Sager and Alan Bergman, in his 92nd Street Y series, they both cited as highlights of their careers winning the Johnny Mercer Lifetime Achievement Award given by the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame.
Mercer’s lyrics reflect his southern upbringing. Granat loves to tell stories behind great songs like “Moon River”, “Accentuate the Positive”, and so many more. Granat says, “I love to discover hidden meanings in his lyrics; like what is a “Huckleberry Friend” in “Moon River”.
This is Granat’s 5th year of programs at Berkshire South. The last two shows were sold out. Besides his popular series at Berkshire South, Granat has also performed over 300 shows at Canyon Ranch.
The presentation is on Thursday, August 10th at 5:30 p.m. at Berkshire South Regional Community Center on Crissey Road in Great Barrington. Tickets are available at https://berkshiresouth.org/events/ or by calling 413-528-2810.
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Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum presents ‘Child Labor in the Gilded Age’, a ‘Tea & Talk’
Lenox— On Tuesday, August 15th at 4 p.m., Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum presents “Child Labor in the Gilded Age”, a “Tea & Talk”.
Join author Chaim Rosenberg and learn how two million American children under 16, some as young as four or five, at the close of the 19th century were employed on farms, in mills, canneries, factories, mines and offices, or selling newspapers, fruits, and vegetables on the streets.
His talk will highlight the wonderful pictures of child workers in America taken early in the 20th Century by Lewis Hine. Children as young as five years were put to work as newsboys and newsgirls, selling gum, delivering telegraph messengers, working in the mines, making glass bottles, mattresses and clothing, working in the slaughterhouses, picking cotton, cutting fish, working in the cotton mills and all manner of work, earning little money to help support the family. Child labor in America ended in 1938 with the passage of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Childhood is now for play and learning, not for work.
Rosenberg was born in South Africa, lived in Tel Aviv, London and Sydney before settling a half-century ago in the United States. After a gratifying career in Psychiatry, affiliated with Harvard and Boston University medical schools, he turned to the study of American history, writing fifteen books focused largely on the role of the individual in shaping American greatness. In 2013, he published “Child Labor in America”.
The talk is on Tuesday, August 15th at 4 p.m. at Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum on Walker Street in Lenox. A tea will follow the presentation. Tickets are $30 for members and with advance reservation; $35 day of; $22 for students 22 and under. Reservations are strongly encouraged as seats are limited. Walk-ins accommodated as space allows. For reservations visit https://gildedage.org/events/ or call at (413) 637-3206.
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Art on Main Gallery presents featured Artists Lori Bradley, Mark Millstein, and Karen Carmean
West Stockbridge— From August 9th through August 22nd, Art on Main Gallery presents featured Artists Lori Bradley, Mark Millstein, and Karen Carmean.
All works in this exhibition communicate the artists’ love for trees as well as concern for their struggles facing challenges due to climate change and continuing development of forested areas.
The show runs from August 9th through August 22nd at the Art on Main Gallery on Main Street in West Stockbridge. There is a reception on Saturday, August 12th from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. More information can be found online.
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Berkshire Natural Resources Council and Berkshire Family Hikes hosts a free family ‘Butterfly Hike & Seek’ at Wild Acres
Pittsfield— On Tuesday, August 15th at 9:30 a.m., Berkshire Natural Resources Council (BNRC) and Berkshire Family Hikes host a free family “Butterfly Hike & Seek” at Wild Acres.
Join the BNRC and Berkshire Family Hikes for a “Butterfly Hike & Seek” around Wild Acres in Pittsfield! Search for butterflies, both real and artificial, and learn a bit about these winged friends along the way. Dress for outside fun!
The hike is on Tuesday, August 15th at 9:30 a.m. at Wild Acres on South Mountain Road in Pittsfield. Register online. Space is limited. For questions, reach out to Taylor at berkshirefamilyhikes@gmail.com.
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The Clark Art Institute hosts a nature hike along the Stone Hill trails
Williamstown— On Thursday, August 17th at 5:30 p.m., the Clark Art Institute hosts a nature hike along the Stone Hill trails.
Bud Wobus, professor emeritus of geology at Williams College will introduce the hike; then the Clark’s Head of Public Programs Will Schmenner will lead the hike.
Exploring the 500 million-year geologic history of Stone Hill, Wobus traces the processes of mountain building and erosion, bracketed by two vastly different shorelines, that have sculpted the hill we see today. Afterwards, Schmenner guides participants to sites along the Stone Hill trails, connecting the geologic story to the hill’s present landscape.
The free hike is on Thursday, August 17th at 5:30 p.m. at the Clark Art Institute on South Street in Williamstown. Advance registration required and capacity is limited. For more information, visit clarkart.edu/events.
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The Cantilena Chamber Choir seeks experienced and dedicated singers with good sight-reading and vocal abilities for its 2023-24 season
Lenox— The Cantilena Chamber Choir seeks experienced and dedicated singers with good sight-reading and vocal abilities for its 2023-24 season of five concerts from October 22nd through May 19th.
Concerts taking place at Trinity Church, Lenox include the music of Galileo and his World (Monteverdi and more), an annual December Christmas concert, and a triumphant return of its annual January Martin Luther King concert with conductor Anthony Trecek-King. May’s concert will feature music for chorus and orchestra composed for Cantilena over its 20 seasons.
The Cantilena Chamber Choir, now in its 20th anniversary season under the direction of Andrea Goodman, is comprised of 24 dedicated singers of the highest caliber, who possess vocal training, excellent sight-reading skills and considerable choral experience. The choir is under the direction of Dr. Andrea Goodman who has held professorships at the Cincinnati Conservatory, New York University and Skidmore College, and has performed with choirs and music festivals worldwide including St. Petersburg, Paris, Rome, and Vienna.
Singers will meet for rehearsals at Trinity Church beginning Wednesday, September 13th from 7-9pm. Immediate openings are available for all sections. Professional singers will be compensated. Those interested in more information may visit www.cantilenachoir.org, or may call 518-791-0185 or email satbchoir@yahoo.com.
