Mahaiwe to stream holiday shows from Pink Martini
Great Barrington — The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center will stream holiday-themed performances from pop band Pink Martini: “Home for the Holidays” Thursday, Dec. 17, at 9 p.m.; and “Good Riddance 2020” on Thursday, Dec. 31, at 9 p.m.
The “little orchestra” from Oregon has performed on the Mahaiwe stage four times: in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019. Lead singer China Forbes also contributed a recorded piece for the Mahaiwe’s virtual 15th anniversary party this year. The new virtual performances were filmed at the band’s downtown Portland headquarters in front of a 35-foot Christmas tree, and feature holiday classics new and old alongside fan-favorite Pink Martini songs. Bandleader Thomas Lauderdale will anchor the concerts from the piano, with Forbes at the microphone. Additional special guests appearing on one or both concerts include co-lead singer Storm Large, NPR’s Ari Shapiro, regular guest vocalists Edna Vazquez and Jimmie Herrod, Sofia von Trapp, and cantor Ida Rae Cahana.
Though the shows are recorded in advance, members of the band will be on hand live for chat and commentary during each concert’s debut broadcast, and the shows will also be available to ticketbuyers to stream for a limited time after each premiere.
Tickets are $15-$30. For more information, contact the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center at (413) 528-0100.
–E.E.
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Wanda Houston Band to perform at the Egremont Barn
South Egremont — On Friday, Dec. 18, at 7 p.m., the Egremont Barn will livestream a holiday-themed performance by the Wanda Houston Band.
The Wanda Houston Band performs 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s R&B and jazz. Lead vocalist Wanda L. Houston is originally from Chicago, and has performed throughout the United States, Germany and Australia, on and off-Broadway, and in television and film. The members of the Wanda Houston Band include vocalist Houston with Jeff Stevens on trumpet and vocals, Rob Kelly on keyboard and vocals, and Jay Bradley on drums.
Tickets are $15. For tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar, or contact the Egremont Barn at (413) 528-1570 or info@theegremontbarn.com.
–E.E.
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WCMA to host ‘Runnin’ to Grace’ performance series
Williamstown — On Thursday, Dec. 17, at 5:30 p.m., the Williams College Museum of Art will stream “Runnin’ to Grace” by Rashida K. Braggs.
“Runnin’ to Grace” is a multi-part performance series that relays the experiences, emotions, and strategies of interdisciplinary scholar-performer Braggs as a Black faculty member surviving the double pandemic of systemic racialized violence and COVID-19. Braggs archives photos, videos, songs, phrases, events and dance throughout the year of March 2020 to March 2021 and translates them into her multidisciplinary solo performance. In this online work-in-progress event, Braggs will share part two of the series, a short video performance that reflects her observations navigating the pandemic daily and teaching in hybrid mode throughout the fall semester at Williams College. It will include introductory and contextual remarks and followed by a question-and-answer session.
Braggs is an associate professor in Africana studies and faculty affiliate in comparative literature at Williams College. She holds a doctorate in performance studies and is the author of “Jazz Diasporas: Race, Music and Migration in Post-World War II Paris.” She has written poetry, acted, and sung and danced in several national and international solo performances. In 2020, she began a two-year term as a fellow in the Williams College Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and the Davis Center. Braggs is also a 2020–21 fellow in the Jacob’s Pillow Curriculum in Motion Institute, and “Runnin’ to Grace” contributes to her final project for the program.
The event is free and open to the public via Zoom. Registration is required. For more information or to register, see the Berkshire Edge calendar, or contact Williams College Museum of Art at (413) 597-2429 or wcma@williams.edu.
–E.E.
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Police Chief Wynn receives 2020 Champion for Kids award
Pittsfield — In recognition of his continued commitment to advocate for solutions that help steer kids towards success and away from crime, Pittsfield Police Department Chief Michael Wynn was selected as one of 18 recipients of this year’s Champion for Kids award by Fight Crime: Invest in Kids.
“Chief Wynn joined Fight Crime: Invest in Kids as a member in October 2010 and has been a consistent champion in our mission to increase the chances that young people are set up for healthy and successful lives,” said Fight Crime: Invest in Kids associate director Michael Burke.
“Chief Wynn knows that investments in early childhood education and afterschool programs help to keep kids on the right track. As recently as earlier this year, he has been a vocal supporter of such programs at the State House in Boston, where he met with legislators and spoke with advocates and child care providers about the role these programs play in keeping our communities safe and strong.”
–E.E.
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Struggling families find help in the hilltowns
Huntington — A local Facebook post about the Village Closet, 2 East Main St., went viral last week, resulting in families from across the state arriving in the hopes of finding free winter clothes, diapers and holiday toys. Stacey Goeltz of Westfield wanted to get the word out about all the toys the Village Closet had, knowing that many parents were struggling to afford gifts for the holidays. She posted photos of shelves overflowing with toys as well as tables stacked with bins of baby and kids clothing, and shared it with a Westfield parents group page on Thursday afternoon. Within 24 hours, the post had been shared 2,500 times; as of Monday it had been shared more than 4,200 times. Over 100 families from as far as Lowell, North Adams, Vermont and southern Connecticut traveled to Huntington on Sunday and waited up to two hours to have a chance to find items for themselves and their children.
The Village Closet, operated by It Takes a Village, has endured its own hardship over the last year. Originally located in the Gateway Regional School District, it was forced to shut down in March and needed to find a space in which it could continue operations.
The Village Closet carries free newborn and children’s clothing, winter coats, maternity and nursing supplies, larger gear like strollers and high chairs, diapers, books and toys, and more. All items are free to everyone regardless of income or town of residence. It Takes a Village also offers free virtual parent support groups and workshops as well as a home-visit program for postpartum families in the Hilltowns. The Village Closet accepts donations of clean and gently used baby and kids clothing and gear during their open hours, and gladly accepts monetary donations in order to keep these services free to everyone.
–E.E.
