Close Encounters With Music announces new season
Great Barrington — Close Encounters With Music presents its 31st season opening on November 6 at 4 p.m. with the premiere of One Earth, composed by Tamar Muskal, at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center. The opening concert will also feature Schubert’s String Quintet performed by the Borromeo String Quartet, joined by cellist Yehuda Hanani.
In addition to offering live in-person concerts, curated online performances will be available to accommodate geographically remote listeners and newly expanded virtual followers.
Tickets, $52 (Orchestra and Mezzanine), $28 (Balcony) and $15 for students, are available through the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center or by calling 413-528-0100. Subscriptions are $250 ($225 for seniors) for the series of 7 concerts. Season subscriptions are available at cewmusic@aol.com starting September 8. View all the upcoming Close Encounters With Music programs here.
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Readings at Book Mill barn
West Stockbridge— Pittsfield poet Lisken Van Pelt Dus and Great Barrington memoirist
Kathy Kessler (writing as Kate Calder Klein) will be reading from their new books at 4 p.m. on Sunday, October 2, at the Book Mill barn in West Stockbridge at Shaker Mill Books.
Kessler’s new book, Purveyors of Light and Shadow: Two Artists Search for Meaning, is “a dual memoir about rekindling artistic purpose from the wreckage of previous lives.”
Lisken Van Pelt Dus’s new chapbook, Letters to my Dead, is a series of poems addressed to her beloved departed, which seed new understandings of love, grief, and memory.
Light refreshments will be served, and books will be available for purchase and signing.
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Berkshire Natural History Conference
Pittsfield — The Sixth Annual Berkshire Natural History Conference, featuring presentations by local and regional naturalists and acclaimed authors, will take place on Saturday, October 1 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, located at 375 Church Street in North Adams, Massachusetts.
Highlighting topics that range from rare birds to tiny organisms that live within the layers of a leaf, the event includes several renowned speakers and exhibitors. It is open to the public, and students of all ages and disciplines are especially encouraged to attend. General admission tickets are $25; student tickets are $15 and include forum credit. To purchase tickets, visit www.berkshirecc.edu/bnhc or call (413) 236-2127.
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LAB Biennial at The Fisher Center
Annandale-on-Hudson — The Fisher Center at Bard presents LAB Biennial this fall—a thematic festival that invites and commissions artists to create new works that grapple with some of the most pressing questions of our time.
The 2022–23 edition, Common Ground, is a year-long international program focusing on the politics of land and food and taking place on four continents. The festival includes two four-day festivals at and around the Fisher Center—one at harvest time (October 13–16, 2022), and one in the growing season (May 4–7, 2023).
Tickets for the fall events, Cooking Sections and The Belly is a Garden are on sale now.
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OLLI Art Exhibit
Pittsfield — Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Berkshire Community College will hold the 12th Annual OLLI Art Exhibit from Saturday, October 1 through Monday, October 31 in the Crane Room at Berkshire Museum, located at 39 South Street, Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Berkshire Museum is open Monday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m.–5 p.m. OLLI members may attend the exhibit free of museum admission and should check in at the front desk.
In addition, a free reception will be held Thursday, October 6 from 5:30–7:30 p.m. All are welcome.
The OLLI Art Exhibit showcases the work of OLLI’s many talented artists for fellow members, friends, family and the public. Eligible categories for entries include painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, printmaking, mixed media, fiber art and jewelry. Some works are for sale, with 100% of proceeds going to the artist.
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Housatonic Party in the Park
Housatonic— A Party in the Park is planned for October 1 from 11 a.m.– 3 p.m. in the Alice Brubiski Playground at the corner of Front and Pleasant Streets in Housatonic, Mass.
The event will feature a variety of food vendors, live music, interactive dance opportunities and dance presentations for the whole family, “Archer” the Great Barrington Police Department’s service dog, a fire truck, face painting, activities sponsored by the GB Libraries, and overall fun for families. MUSE, the Studio for Integrated Craft will have an open house for all. The rain date is set for October 2.
11:00 – 11:45 a.m. – Mohican Nation Opening
11:55 am – 12:20 p.m. – Soul Prophet – Singer/Songwriter
12:25 – 12:35 p.m. – Tap Dancers – Berkshire Pulse
12:40 – 1:10 p.m.– Johnny Blond – Karma Fun Rock
1:20 – 1:45 p.m. – Kaptain K & the Ites – Psychedelic Soul/R&B
1:50 – 2:30 p.m. – Annie Guthrie – Folk/Pop
2:30 – 3:00 p.m. – Swing Dance for All – Berkshire Pulse (Park grounds)
