Chamber Players benefit for Town Hall restoration
West Stockbridge — The West Stockbridge Chamber Players, led by clarinetist Catherine Hudgins, have been helping to raise funds — and awareness — for the restoration of the 1854 Town Hall in West Stockbridge. The world-class ensemble is made up of Boston- and Berkshire-based musicians who regularly perform with the Boston Symphony, Boston Pops, Spoleto Festival, and Portland Symphony, and who teach at the Tanglewood Music Center. Many have homes and close ties to our area.
The Chamber Players will be performing a benefit concert Tuesday, December 30, at the West Stockbridge Congregational Church at 6 p.m., to continue their efforts to raise funds to restore the historic Town Hall. See information below.
Sheila Fiekowsky, a violinst for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, remembers the day when she and William Hudgins, the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s principal clarinetist, “were chatting during intermission and Bill mentioned what they were doing to support the restoration by the West Stockbridge Historical Society.” Fiekowsky, who has lived in West Stockbridge for more than 20 years, told him that she’d be willing to get involved and has since joined the group which routinely sells out whenever it performs.
The Chamber Players, who have mounted benefit concerts for the West Stockbridge Historical Society twice a year since the start of the Campaign to Restore the 1854 Town Hall, have played an instrumental role in the great progress made over the course of the last twelve months. In what has become one of the musical high notes of the holiday season, they will be giving a concert on Tuesday, December 30 at 6 p.m. (details below). With the musicians’ generous support, The Society is now one-third of the way to its goal of turning this historic building — which anchors West Stockbridge’s downtown — into a community gathering place, history museum, and a permanent home for the West Stockbridge Chamber Players.
— Liza Gyllenhaal Bennett
Tuesday, December 30, 6 PM, West Stockbridge Congregational Church, 45 Main Street, West Stockbridge, MA 01266. Advanced ticket purchase is recommended; seating is limited. Tickets ($30) on sale at local West Stockbridge merchants. Or to reserve now, send an e-mail to info@weststockbridgehistory.org or call 413-232-4270.
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Matthew Savery to make debut at Carnegie Hall
“BIG NEWS!!!” writes Matthew Savery on his FaceBook page. Savery, who grew up in Lee, Mass., is now music director and conductor of the Bozeman (Montana) Symphony Orchestra.
“I’m thrilled to announce my CARNEGIE HALL DEBUT, to be on Friday, June 5. I’m teaming up with my friend Alexander Markov, one of the world’s greatest and most exciting violinists, and a fantastic string orchestra in New York for what is shaping up to be a gorgeous concert to be held on the Perlman Stage (yup, that’s the big one!) Among the works on the program will be Vivaldi Four Seasons and Tchaikovsky String Serenade.
“More details to come in the following months, especially info on when tickets will become available. For now PLEASE save the date and PLEASE, PLEASE “like” and “share” this and all future posts. We need your help getting the word out.
“I’ll see you on the 5 of June at Carnegie Hall!”
— H.B.
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Outdoor Life honors BNRC
Pittsfield — Outdoor Life magazine has named Berkshire Natural Resources Council as one of its four 2014 Open Country Award winners in honor of the conservation group’s work to conserve land and keep it open to the public for recreation.
In addition to BNRC, three other winners were announced: Powderhook, a Nebraska company that matches sportsmen with open land via an online application; Idaho Fish and Game, for its “Access Yes!” program; and Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, for her legislative advocacy on behalf of conservation.
It was BNRC’s work along the Clam River in Sandisfield, Massachusetts that drew the attention of the magazine’s editors. In 2012, BNRC and its supporters conserved a 55-acre tract that completed a two-mile, 548-acre linear greenway along the Clam, all of which is open to the public.
“Our supporters care about scenery and farms and clean water and wildlife,” said Tad Ames, BNRC president, “and they want to be sure that future generations have the chance to get out to feel and smell and hear the outdoors with the same excitement we’ve enjoyed.”
In 2014, BNRC started work on a 2.5 mile trail through the Clam River Reserve. This trail will be supported by an Open Country grant, and is also the subject of an Indiegogo campaign launched by Outdoor Life.
