Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center presents soul singer-songwriter Glori Wilder at the Indigo Room
Great Barrington— On Friday, May 9th at 8 p.m., the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center presents soul singer-songwriter Glori Wilder at the Indigo Room.
Wilder’s dark feline voice will transport you to a dimly lit velvet speakeasy. Turn the lights down low, light a candle, close your eyes, and let the music take you down the steps into a world drenching you in warmth and emotional acceptance. Guided by lyrics of love, loss, and longing, Wilder communicates the delicacy of the ups and downs brought on by troubled relationships.
The concert is on Friday, May 9th at 8 p.m. at the Indigo Room, located at 20 Castle Street in Great Barrington. Tickets and more information can be found online.
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Linde Center for Music and Learning presents Modern Jazz Ministry with pianist Isaiah J. Thompson
Lenox— On Friday, May 2nd at 7 p.m., the Linde Center for Music and Learning presents Modern Jazz Ministry with pianist Isaiah J. Thompson.
Thompson will present Modern Jazz Ministry premiering his most recent work, a suite entitled “The Book of Isaiah.” There has always been an intersection of jazz and faith that’s been explored throughout history. From Duke Ellington to Mary Lou Williams to John Coltrane, many musicians have placed spirituality at the core of their music. “The Book of Isaiah” continues this tradition by channeling faith in God through jazz.
Isaiah J. Thompson is the winner of the 2023 American Pianists Awards and the Cole Porter Fellowship in Jazz of the American Pianists Association. The pianist, bandleader, and composer began studying at the Calderone School of Music from an early age. Soon after, Thompson continued his studies with Jazz House Kids and NJPAC Jazz For Teens and was later admitted to the Juilliard School graduating with both his Bachelor’s in 2019 and Master’s of Music degrees in 2020.
The concert is on Friday, May 2nd at 7 p.m. at the Linde Center for Music and Learning, located at 3 West Hawthorne Road in Lenox. Tickets and more information can be found online.
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Downtown Pittsfield’s First Fridays Artswalk returns
Pittsfield— On Friday, May 2nd from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Downtown Pittsfield’s First Fridays Artswalk returns.
Highlights include a powerful and inspiring art exhibit showcasing the creativity of older adults living with dementia and Alzheimer’s at The Ralph Froio Senior Center, fabric art by Kathryn Wedderburn at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Pittsfield, and acrylic gouache works on paper by Hazle Weatherfield, a pseudonym adopted by artist Michael McKay, at The Marketplace Cafe.
The festival is on Friday, May 2nd from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. throughout downtown Pittsfield. A full list of events can be found online. Download the Downtown Pittsfield app in the App Store or on Google Play to follow a virtual walking tour of art on your cell phone.
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Center for Peace Through Culture presents ‘3 Beat Poets Perform’
Housatonic— On Friday, May 2nd at 7 p.m., The Center for Peace Through Culture (CPC) is pleased to host “3 Beat Poets Perform,” an evening of original poetry from three recipients of Beat Poet Laureate honors from the National Beat Poetry Foundation, Linda Bratcher Wlodyka, Patricia Mason Martin, and Tom Clark, aka Tommy Twilite.
Linda Bratcher Wlodyka (Massachusetts Beat Poet Laureate 2023–2025) is a retired educator and award-winning poet whose work has appeared throughout the Berkshires and beyond. Her recent full-length collection, “If Brambles Were Bookends,” was published by Human Error Publishing in 2023. A featured poet at “Lowell Celebrates Jack Kerouac” in 2024, Linda is a member of the Florence Poets Society and an editor for their annual anthology, Silkworm.
Patricia Mason Martin (Connecticut Beat Poet Laureate) is a poet, author, actor, and performer whose work has been featured on stage, in print, and across broadcast media. She is the author of six nonfiction books, a poetry collection “In Venice I Could Sing,” and a haiku chapbook “Is Love So Fickle.” She is a member of the Authors Guild, the Nonfiction Authors Association, and the Connecticut Poetry Society.
Tom Clark (aka Tommy Twilite,) a Lifetime Beat Poet Laureate and retired Fire Captain, fuses poetry, music, and storytelling in performances rooted in the troubadour tradition. A longtime leader in the Florence Poets Society, he is host of the Twilite Poetry Pub on WXOJ Valley Free Radio. His latest chapbook, “Kills No Bird,” follows his 2021 release, “Fifty Words for Rain.”
The event is on Friday, May 2nd at 7 p.m. at The Center for Peace Through Culture at 137 Front Street in Housatonic. Following the readings, the evening will open into a community poetry open mic. Interested participants are encouraged to sign up online or arrive early to register in person.
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BCC Players presents ‘Lucky Stiff,’ the musical
Pittsfield— From May 2nd through May 11th, The Berkshire Community College (BCC) Players will be performing “Lucky Stiff,” the musical by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, directed by BCC alum Joseph Sicotte.
“Lucky Stiff” is a musical farce in which a British shoe salesman inherits six million dollars from a dead uncle. There’s only one catch: to get the money, he must take the dead body, prop it in a wheelchair, and take it on one last spree to Monte Carlo, where chaos ensues.
Performances run from May 2nd through May 11th in the Robert Boland Theatre at Berkshire Community College, located at 1350 West Street in Pittsfield. Tickets and more information can be found online.
