First Baptist Church of North Adams presents the African Children’s Choir
North Adams— On Wednesday, September 18th at 7 p.m., First Baptist Church of North Adams presents The African Children’s Choir, celebrating its 40th season.
The African Children’s Choir is composed of African children who come from vulnerable backgrounds and have faced hardship and lack of education. However, they represent the potential of the African child to become leaders for a better future.
“The African Children’s Choir proves just how powerful music can be,” says Tina Sipp, Choir Manager for the African Children’s Choir. “These concerts provide hope and encouragement, not just to our audiences, but to the children whose lives are forever changed by their experiences with the choir.”
The African Children’s Choir is sure to melt the hearts of audiences with their performance of popular children’s music, traditional spiritual songs, and African cultural pieces.
The concert is on Wednesday, September 18th at 7 p.m. at First Baptist Church of North Adams at 131 Main Street in North Adams. Admission is free and donations are appreciated. More information can be found online.
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Hudson Hall presents ‘American Terror: An Opera,’ a work-in-progress excerpt and discussion
Hudson, N.Y.— On Saturday, September 14th at 5 p.m., Hudson Hall presents “American Terror: An Opera,” work-in-progress excerpt and a discussion with Jeffrey Lependorf and Dave King.
You’re invited to a discussion and work-in-progress excerpt of Jeffrey Lependorf’s chamber opera “American Terror: An Opera,”, a Hudson Hall commission, made from the 1969 “Firing Line” television debate between William F. Buckley and Noam Chomsky on America’s involvement in Vietnam.
Strikingly relevant to world events today, these two masters of discourse voraciously argue about America sending military aid overseas, while somehow failing to effectively communicate with one another. Lependorf sets his original libretto, a kind of translation of the actual debate, by appropriating and reconfiguring music by Haydn and Scriabin.
The event is on Saturday, September 14th at 5 p.m. at the historic Hudson Opera House at Hudson Hall at 327 Warren Street in Hudson, N.Y. Admission is pay-what-you-will. Tickets and more information can be found online.
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Spencertown Academy Arts Center’s 19th annual Festival of Books
Spencertown, N.Y.— From August 30th through September 2nd, Spencertown Academy Arts Center’s 19th annual Festival of Books.
The Festival features two days of discussions with and readings by esteemed authors, a children’s program, and a giant used book sale. Featured authors include Martin Baron, Andrew Leland, Stephen McCauley, Paul Muldoon, Ruth Reichl, and Anna Shechtman.
The authors’ main stage program kicks off at noon with bestselling author Ruth Reichl discussing her new book, “The Paris Novel,” with writer and producer Paige Orloff. Deemed “mouthwatering” by The New York Times, the novel is a testament to living deliciously, taking chances, and finding your true home. Reichl has published five memoirs, a cookbook, and two works of fiction. She was editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine and previously served as restaurant critic for The New York Times, as well as food editor and restaurant critic for the Los Angeles Times. She has been honored with six James Beard Awards, including the 2024 Honorable James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Festival, which began in 2006 as a book sale to raise funds for the Academy’s community arts programs, has grown into one of the biggest and most eagerly anticipated cultural events of the season. “We are very fortunate this year to have a stellar lineup of authors, including a Pulitzer Prize winner in poetry, a finalist for this year’s Pulitzer Prize in memoir, and this year’s James Beard Award winner for Lifetime Achievement,” says festival co-chair Carl Atkins.
The festival is August 30th through September 2nd at Spencertown Academy Arts Center at 790 State Route 203 in Spencertown, N.Y. Festival admission is free with the exception of the members-only book sale preview. More information can be found online.
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OLLI presents ‘Exploring Ancestral Roots & Migrations Through Time & Place’ a memoir workshop with Jennifer Browdy, PhD
Pittsfield— On Monday, September 9th from 10 a.m. to noon, OLLI presents ‘Exploring Ancestral Roots & Migrations Through Time & Place’ a virtual memoir workshop with Jennifer Browdy, PhD.
Explore your ancestral roots, family patterns of migration, and your own sense of being rooted or still in search of a place to call home in a lively two-hour virtual memoir workshop, led by award-winning memoirist and veteran teacher Jennifer Browdy, PhD.
Expertly crafted writing prompts will help you trace back through the generations to explore your ancestral connections to particular times and places, as well as the trajectories of your family’s migrations. Moving towards the present, inquire into the places where you have felt most rooted, and your own patterns of migration, using these meditations on past experiences to reach for a more intentional rootedness in a nourishing landscape that you can call home.
Jennifer Browdy, Ph.D. is a professor of literature, writing and media arts at Bard College at Simon’s Rock and the online global Bard Open Society University Network, with a special focus on purposeful memoir and media arts for social and environmental justice. Her latest book, “Purposeful Memoir as a Quest for a Thriving Future,” was a 2022 Nautilus Gold Award winner and a 2022 Gold Award winner in the Independent Press Awards. Her writer’s guide, “The Elemental Journey of Purposeful Memoir,” won a 2017 Nautilus Silver Award. Her memoir, “What I Forgot …And Why I Remembered,” was a finalist for the 2018 International Book Awards.
The virtual workshop is on Monday, September 9th from 10 a.m. to noon on Zoom. No prior memoir writing experience is necessary, just bring your writing implements and your curiosity about the past, present and future. Registration and more information can be found online.
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Clark Art Institute hosts book launch for ‘Emma Kohlmann: Watercolors’
Williamstown—- On Tuesday, September 3rd at 6 p.m., The Clark Art Institute hosts the book launch for “Emma Kohlmann: Watercolors” featuring a conversation between Kohlmann and her sister, Charlotte, followed by a book signing.
“Emma Kohlmann: Watercolors,” published by Anthology press, is a survey of the artist working intuitively to generate representative possibilities that are playfully otherworldly and thrillingly free. The monograph features hundreds of works from 2011 to 2021 created using sumi-e ink washes and other techniques to capture the contours and nuances of embodied moments with exquisite sensitivity, celebrating a sensuality freed from analysis and gender norms.
The launch is on Tuesday, September 3rd at 6 p.m. at The Clark Art Institute on South Street in Williamstown. Admission is free. Copies of the book will be available for sale. More information can be found online.
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Berkshire Community College fall semester begins September 3rd
Pittsfield— On Tuesday, September 3rd, the fall semester at Berkshire Community College (BCC) begins. Applications are being accepted now.
Prospective students can learn more and apply in three ways:
- Visit www.berkshirecc.edu/fall.
- Walk-in to BCC’s One Stop Enrollment Center where applications are processed for instant acceptance to the College.
- Call 413-499-4660 or email onestop@berkshirecc.edu.
In an exciting development, the Commonwealth’s new MassEducate program offers free community college tuition and fees to all Massachusetts residents, regardless of age, who have yet to earn a bachelor’s degree. More information can be found online.
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BFAIR celebrates 30 years with a 90’s throwback event
Williamstown— On Friday, October 25th at 5:30 p.m., BFAIR celebrates 30 years of success with a 90’s throwback celebration at The Williams Inn complete with a VIP Hour, live auction, 90’s theme music, and great food.
For over thirty years, BFAIR has been providing Adult Family Care (AFC), Residential, Employment and Day Services for adults and children with developmental disabilities, Acquired Brain Injury and Autism. “Celebrating 30 years of service is a testament to the dedication and resilience of our team at BFAIR. We’ve worked tirelessly to support individuals with disabilities and our communities, and this milestone reflects our unwavering commitment to making a positive impact. As we look ahead, we remain inspired by our past achievements and are driven to continue building a brighter future for everyone we serve.” Said Rich Weisenflue, BFAIR’s CEO.
The celebration is on Friday, October 25th at 5:30 p.m. at The Williams Inn on Spring Street in Williamstown. For more information about the event, to register, or to learn about becoming a sponsor, visit BFAIR online or email Tara Jacobsen, Director of Development, at tjacobsen@bfair.org.
