Close Encounters With Music presents ‘Rite of Spring,’ a Spring concert of Rachmaninoff and Stravinsky
Great Barrington— On Sunday, March 23rd at 4 p.m., Close Encounters With Music presents “Rite of Spring,” a Spring concert of Rachmaninoff and Stravinsky at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center.
Rachmaninoff and Stravinsky are two Russian expats of the same aristocratic background and two divergent extremes. One, a master of nostalgia and a formidable pianist, followed in the footsteps of Chopin. The other, a trailblazer, scandalizer, and collaborator of Picasso delighted in breaking old molds, though harking back to traditional Russian folk material and ushering in a new age in music, conceptually aligned with Cubism.
The concert features Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring,” which shocked tout-Paris and sparked riots (scenes from the film Coco Chanel will be shown) and Rachmaninoff’s “Sonata in G minor for Cello and Piano,” which was written after a course of hypnotherapy for “composer’s block,” out of which emerged this work of virtuosity and grandeur. The concert features pianist Michael Chertock, directly from a performance at Carnegie Hall. Baritone Enes Pektas brings vocal folklore to the program with Moussorgsky’s political parody, the story of a flea that becomes a government minister as well as the ever popular “Ochi Tchernye” and Tchaikovsky’s “None but the Lonely Heart.”
The concert is on Sunday, March 23rd at 4 p.m. at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, located at 14 Castle Street in Great Barrington. Tickets and more information can be found online.
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Temple Anshe Amunim Community Film Series continues with a screening of the documentary ‘Technion 10²’
Pittsfield— On Sunday, March 16th at 2 p.m., the Temple Anshe Amunim Community Film Series continues with a screening and discussion of the documentary “Technion 10²,” produced in commemoration of the100th anniversary of one of the world’s leading scientific and technology institutions.
“Technion 10²” by award-winning documentary filmmaker Uri Rosenwaks is the story of Israel Institute of Technology’s hundred year history. In 1924, the first Technion class opened in Haifa. Today, it is hard to believe that this modest class, taking place in the far reaches of the British Empire, was the start of the Technion, one of the leading technological research institutions in the world. The film is an official selection of the Chicago Jewish Film Festival, New Hampshire Jewish Film Festival, and the Hartford Jewish Film Festival.
The story of this institution’s hundred years on Mount Carmel provides a fascinating prism through which to describe the history of the State of Israel. It is hard to imagine a modern-day Israel, with its strong economy and scientific and technological achievements, without the Technion playing its part. From the pre-state period, through dramatic moments in times of war, to the birth of the startup nation and breakthroughs in global-scale research – the Technion was always there.
The event is on Sunday, March 16th at 2 p.m. at Temple Anshe Amunim, located at 26 Broad Street in Pittsfield. A Zoom discussion with Moni Carmel and his two sons Tamir and Snir, all graduates of The Technion University in Israel will follow the screening. The discussion will address the vast contributions the Technion has made to the state of Israel as well as the skills, capabilities, and values the university has given its students. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online or at the door.
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Great Barrington Arts Market Winter Market
Great Barrington— On Sunday, March 16th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Great Barrington Arts Market (GBAM) presents its annual Winter Market, a curated handmade market featuring the finest local and regional artisan products.
Artists and market managers Kristen Kanter and Molly de St Andre believe that the conscious shopper recognizes how important it is to support the local economy and that a venue for artists to sell their work directly to the community. With a line-up of 16 artists, GBAM Winter Market offers shoppers a chance to shop a finely curated collection of handmade products and support the local artist community at the same time.
2025 participating artists include JK Custom Furniture and Design, Karema Deodato Millinery, Aaron Meshon Illustration, Hettle, Brosge Clothing, Breakout Press Co., and many others in various media including ceramics, skincare, jewelry, textile/clothing design, woodworking, painting, printmaking, and fiber arts. Ayakito Japanese Kitchen will be at the February market offering authentic Japanese rice balls and delicious side dishes.
The event is on Sunday, March 16th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Saint James Place, located at 352 Main Street in Great Barrington. Admission is free. More information can be found online.
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OLLI Distinguished Speakers Series presents ‘Is Democracy Doomed?’with Dr. Austin Sarat
Pittsfield— On Tuesday, March 18th at 7 p.m., OLLI Distinguished Speakers Series presents “Is Democracy Doomed?,” a virtual conversation on the future of democracy with Dr. Austin Sarat.
Sarat is William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science at Amherst College where he has also been Associate Provost and Associate Dean of the Faculty. He founded Amherst College’s Department of Law, Jurisprudence, and Social Thought and The Association for the Study of Law, Culture, and the Humanities. He also has been president of the Consortium of Undergraduate Law and Justice Programs. He is author or editor of more than ninety books including “The Death Penalty on the Ballot: American Democracy and the Fate of Capital Punishment” and “Something to Believe in: Politics, Professionalism, and Cause Lawyers” (with Stuart Scheingold.) His writing has appeared in The Washington Post, NBC.com, The New Republic, The Guardian, The Hill, State, and USA Today.
The virtual conversation is on Tuesday, March 18th at 7 p.m. via Zoom. Registration and more information can be found online.
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Berkshire County Historical Society presents ‘Thirsty in the Berkshires: Brewing from the 18th Century to Prohibition,’ an illustrated talk by historian and educator Cynthia Brown
Pittsfield— On Thursday, March 20th at 7 p.m., Berkshire County Historical Society, as part of Hot Plate’s “Small Batch Salon” series, presents “Thirsty in the Berkshires: Brewing from the 18th Century to Prohibition,” an illustrated talk by historian and educator Cynthia Brown. in Pittsfield at Hot Plate Brewing Co.
A part of Pittsfield and Berkshires culture since the English and Dutch came to the area in the early eighteenth century, craft beer making is enjoying a resurgence squarely anchored by over 200 years of brewing and drinking one of the world’s oldest fermented beverages. Brown’s talk will illuminate this fascinating part of Pittsfield’s history and culture including the story of brewer Jane Prime (or Pryn), a Black resident of Lenox who is listed in the 1860 United States census as a “beer maker.” Commercial and solo brewers and breweries supplied Pittsfield taverns, inns, families, and individuals with their beer from before 1800 and lasting into the first years of Prohibition. After the manufacture and sale of alcohol was legal again, larger manufacturers cornered the market until the rise of the microbrewery movement that took hold in the 1990s. Exploring the early history of local breweries provides a connection to older brewing traditions and practices and provides rich stories and some intriguing mysteries still to be explored.
The small batch brew offered at the event was inspired by an early nineteenth century reference to a Dutch “kuyt.” Hot Plate head brewer Sarah Real designed a custom brew inspired by traditional gruits, which were made from fermented cereal grains and were actually the precursors to modern beer. It is a fermented beverage that was often brewed in domestic settings and may well have been brewed by Jane Prime herself.
The event is on Thursday, March 20th at 7 p.m. at Hot Plate Brewing Co., located at 2 School Street in Pittsfield. Admission is free. A portion of the proceeds from the evening’s sales will be donated to the Berkshire County Historical Society. More information can be found online.
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Becket Arts Center to host a whiskey tasting with Connoisseur Colin Goundry
Becket— On Tuesday, March 18th from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., Becket Arts Center to host a whiskey tasting with Connoisseur Colin Goundry.
Goundry will provide an introduction to American whiskey, explaining the terminology, the production process, and the rules of distillation. He will also demonstrate how to evaluate a whiskey, judging its appearance, aroma, and flavor. All the whiskies in the tasting, Rye, Wheat, Blends, Single Malt and Bourbon, will be approximately 80 proof.
The 21+ tasting is on Tuesday, March 18th from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Becket Arts Center, located at 7 Brooker Hill Road In Becket. Tickets and more information can be found online.
