Quindar to perform at MASS MoCA
North Adams — MASS MoCA will present Quindar Saturday, Jan. 20, at 8 p.m.
The multimedia duo Quindar synchs electronic music with historical recordings and film sourced mainly from NASA’s earliest manned missions. Quindar tones, the ubiquitous beeps heard during NASA’s early manned spaceflight missions, let astronauts and Mission Control know they were still in contact with each other. The duo is comprised of Wilco keyboardist Mikael Jorgensen and art historian and curator James Merle Thomas. Thomas first unearthed Quindar’s archival inspiration while completing a Guggenheim Fellowship at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., in 2011-12. Following a no-expectations jam session, the duo dove deeper into Apollo- and Skylab-era materials. The collaboration eventually led to Quindar’s debut album, “Hip Mobility,” released in July 2017.
Tickets are $5–$30. For tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or contact MASS MoCA at (413) 662-2111.
–E.E.
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Dewey Hall to present Swedish folk quintet Jaerv
Sheffield — Dewey Hall will present the Swedish folk music quintet Jaerv Friday, Jan. 19, at 7:30 p.m.
The award-winning quintet’s vigorous and heartfelt folk performances showcase influences from jazz and pop music. Rooted in several different musical traditions, Jaerv offers a varied stage performance where vocal, five-voiced tunes blend with energetic dances and free improvisations. Jaerv is an internationally known band and has toured countries including the U.S., Japan, Spain, Scotland, Ireland, Finland and Norway. The band’s critically acclaimed third album, “Under den linden,” was released in 2016.
Tickets are $20. For more information, contact Beth Carlson at (413) 429-1176 or catchmyspark@gmail.com.
–E.E.
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Stockbridge Library to host chamber music concert
Stockbridge — The Stockbridge Library, Museum & Archives will present a concert by the Berkshire Chamber Players Friday, Jan. 19, at 6 p.m. in the library’s Bement Room.
Cellist Ronald Feldman, violinist Natalie Kress, and Charlotte Malin on violin and viola will be joined by flutist Mira Magrill. The program will begin with Debussy’s “Syrinx” for solo flute featuring Magrill. Kress, Malin, and Feldman then will perform Schubert’s Trio in B flat major, D. 471. Magrill will join Kress and Malin for Beethoven’s Serenade in D, Op. 25 for flute, violin and viola, and continue with Varese’s “Density 21.5” for solo flute. Malin and Kress will perform a selection of Bartok’s “Duos for Two Violins,” and the concert will conclude with Mozart’s Flute Quartet in D major, K. 285.
During the concert, the library’s museum and archives curator Barbara Allen will make brief comments before each piece of music to place it in local historical context. Following the concert, the musicians will be available for a question-and-answer period and to talk with members of the audience. The concert will be recorded by and later broadcast on WMHT.
Tickets are $15 for the general public and $10 for students with ID. Reservations are recommended due to limited seating. For tickets and more information, contact the Stockbridge Library, Museum & Archives at (413) 298-5501.
–E.E.
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GBRSS to offer puppet plays for children
Great Barrington — Teachers from the Great Barrington Rudolf Steiner School will perform the first of three free puppet plays for children Saturday, Jan. 20, at 11:15 a.m. at Mason Library. More puppet plays in a spring series of free community events are planned for March and April.
Puppet plays are part of the curriculum of GBRSS’ early childhood program. During the play, a storyteller’s calm, rhythmic voice will accompany Steiner early-childhood teachers’ rendition of the story “A Visit to Snow Mother” using the teachers’ own handmade marionette and needle-felted puppets. For more information, contact GBRSS at (413) 528-4015.
–E.E.
