June First Friday Artswalk to include new exhibits, free kids’ paint & sip
PITTSFIELD — Nine new art exhibits will be on view during the next First Friday Artswalk, held in downtown Pittsfield Friday, June 3 from 5–8 p.m. Most locations will hold opening artists’ receptions during those hours. Download the Downtown Pittsfield app to follow a virtual walking tour of the exhibits on your cell phone.
Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. will also present Indoors Out! Free Kids’ Paint & Sip, from 5–7:30 p.m., at the parklet and outdoor seating area at The Marketplace Cafe, located at 53 North Street.
Hotel on North, 297 North S.t, will feature “Cycle Therapy — watercolor on the move” by Marguerite Bride. Two artists from the Guild of Berkshire Artists will show their work during the month of June at TKG Real Estate, 137 North St. The show, “Interpreting the Female Gaze,” will feature artists Mary Davidson and Ilene Richards.
The Lichtenstein Center for the Arts, 28 Renne Ave., will present “Creative Aging: 65 and Better in the Berkshires” for the month of June. The exhibit will be on view from June 1–30, with a reception during the Artswalk. On view will be 25 profiles of active, engaged Berkshire County community members who are 65 and older. The profiles were created by volunteer writers and photographers who are members of OLLI, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Berkshire Community College.
The Brothership Building Window at 141 North St., curated by IS183 Art School, will feature the work of Lily Erb, from June 3–27. Erb is a queer maker from Charlottesville, Virginia, who has been focusing on creating soft sculpture after a discovered love of sewing. The Unitarian Universalist Church of Pittsfield, 175 Wendell Ave., will present a show by Lisa Valenti. The Marketplace Cafe, 53 North Street, will present Samantha Sadlowski for the month of June. Other participating venues include Lee Bank (75 North St.), ReDefine (5 Melville St.), and The Funky Phoenix (441 North St.).
Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. will present Indoors Out! Free Kids’ Paint & Sip on Friday from 5–7:30 p.m., at the parklet and outdoor seating area at The Marketplace Cafe. This free event is best suited for ages 5–12, but older children are also welcome. All materials, instruction, snacks, and juice will be provided. June’s theme will be rainbows. Children must be accompanied by an adult and masks are recommended. In case of rain, visit downtownpittsfield.com for an alternate location or cancellation.
—A.K.
* * *
Westside Neighborhood Memorial Day Block Party to be held Saturday
PITTSFIELD — The Westside Legends will host its 2nd annual block party to celebrate Pittsfield’s Westside neighborhoods, beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 28, at the Westside Riverway Park on Dewey Avenue.
The event will feature entertainment for all ages, including food from Smokey Divas, musical performances, arts and crafts, face painting, free seedlings and how-to-plant tutorials, kayaking, raffles, a Wiffle Ball tournament, and more. The family-friendly event is free and open to the public.
Partnering organizations include: The Berkshire District Attorney’s Office, Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT), Berkshire Habitat for Humanity, Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, Blue Q, The Mastheads, TG Clubhouse, and The Funky Phoenix. For more information, contact Tony Jackson at horacetee@aol.com or Marvin Purry at purrdawg32@aol.com.
Westside Legends, Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to improving the quality of life of others on a Community/City/County level through education, local events, and fundraising.
—A.K.
* * *
Spencertown Academy presents The Lucky 5 in concert
SPENCERTOWN, N.Y. — The Spencertown Academy Roots & Shoots Concerts Series will present The Lucky 5 on Saturday, May 28 at 8 p.m., at Spencertown Academy Arts Center. The Lucky 5 is a hard-swinging jazz band that blends swing and gypsy jazz to create a unique, foot-stomping blend of music. A swing dance lesson by Jason Fenton will be offered prior to the concert, at 7 p.m. General admission tickets ($20 public, $15 Academy members) include admission to the pre-show dance lesson (comfortable shoes, such as sneakers, recommended). Tickets may be purchased in advance and also will be available at the door.
The Lucky 5 is comprised of Kip Beacco on guitar/vocals, Jonathan Talbot on violin/vocals, Carolyn Dufraine on vocals/trombone, Matt Downing on bass/vocals, and Tom Parker on drums. All highly seasoned touring musicians, the band members have been part of The Hunger Mountain Boys, Lauren Ambrose & The Leisure Class, and traveled, performed, and recorded with artists such as Neko Case, Iris Dement, Bobby Previte, and Del McCoury.
Jason Fenton is a dance instructor/choreographer/performer at The Arts Center of the Capital Region in Troy and an event organizer for Albany Swing Dancing.
—A.K.
* * *
Berkshire Lyric performs The Mozart Requiem at Seiji Ozawa Hall
LENOX — Berkshire Lyric will present the Mozart Requiem on Sunday, May 29 at 3 p.m., at Seiji Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood. The 80-voice Berkshire Lyric Chorus, accompanied by a full orchestra and joined by a stellar solo vocal quartet, will perform this masterpiece that was Mozart’s final opus as he was dying in 1791.
The solo quartet will include acclaimed soprano Maria Valdes, known to the Berkshires through her leading roles with Berkshire Opera Festival. Also making his Lyric debut is tenor Sam Krausz of Chicago, a recent winner of the Metropolitan Opera Auditions for Indiana. Metropolitan Opera mezzo and Richmond resident Marjorie Dix and Berkshire Lyric’s resident vocal artist John Demler return to complete the solo quartet.
The program will also include “Schicksalslied” (Song of Destiny) by Brahms, and will begin with Mozart’s motet “Ave Verum Corpus,” in tribute to victims of the war in Ukraine, followed by Mozart’s “Laudate Dominum” featuring soprano Valdes.
Tickets to Sunday’s concert are $30, with children admitted free. Tickets may be purchased in advance through Berkshire Lyric’s website, from chorus members, or at the Ozawa Hall gate before the concert.
In addition to the Berkshire Lyric Chorus, Berkshire Lyric has four other choral ensembles: The Lyric Chamber Chorus, the Lyric Children’s Chorus ages 6–14, Melodious Accord for high school girls, and Ubi Caritas, a select mixed a cappella group for singers ages 16–26. Lyric’s music education programs include The Lyric Choral Scholar’s Program, The Young Singers Competition, and the free annual Summer Choral Camp in Pittsfield and Dalton.
—A.K.
* * *
“Grief, the Musical …a Comedy” to kick off Great Barrington Public Theater’s Solo Fest
GREAT BARRINGTON — When Alison Larkin told Archbishop Desmond Tutu about what happened after she fell in love for the first time in her 50s and the worst happened, he said “Alison, you must tell this story, because it will bring hope.”
Alison Larkin, who lives in the Berkshires, is an internationally acclaimed comedienne, award-winning audiobook narrator/producer, playwright, TV writer, and actress. She is the author of “The English American,” a bestselling autobiographical novel about an adopted English woman who finds her birth parents in the U.S., based on her first one-woman show of the same name.
Now, Larkin has created a buoyant new solo show, “Grief, the Musical …a Comedy,” which will kick off Great Barrington Public Theater’s Solo Fest, at the Liebowitz Black Box Theater in the Daniel Arts Center at Simon’s Rock, June 3–12.
After raising her two children in the Berkshires, Larkin braved the local dating scene in her 50s and fell in love with Bhima, a brilliant Indian scientist passionate about the issue of climate change. In “Grief, the Musical …a Comedy” Larkin turns their deeply funny, moving love story into an effervescent comedy of joy, loss and redemption. The show is a daring blend of stand-up comedy and theater, with songs written by Larkin and her onstage accompanist, the Emmy Award-winning composer Gary Schreiner.
Tickets can be purchased online or by calling the GBPT box office at 413-528-0684.
—A.K.
* * *
Crandell Theatre to screen two documentaries with local subjects
CHATHAM, N.Y. — This June, the Crandell Theatre will screen two documentaries featuring local subjects: “The Automat” and “Hello, Bookstore.” Each screening will be followed by a post-film Q&A session with community members, film subjects, and in the case of “Hello, Bookstore,” the filmmaker.
“The Automat,” playing Sunday, June 5 at 1 p.m., tells the 100-year story of iconic restaurant chain Horn & Hardart, where generations of Americans enjoyed coffee and meals at communal tables. The documentary features interviews with Spencertown resident Steve Stollman, an architectural dealer who bought, sold, and restored antique commercial wood bar fixtures. His work led to the preservation of original Automat equipment and exhibitions at the New York Public Library and Museum of the City of New York. A Q&A with Stollman will follow the screening. The film follows the Automat chain from peak success to grappling with fast food in a forever changed America, and features the perspectives of former customers such as entertainer Mel Brooks, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Secretary of State Colin Powell.
In “Hello, Bookstore,” screening Friday, June 24 at 7 p.m., a small town rallies to protect a beloved local bookstore in its hour of need. A Lenox landmark, The Bookstore is a magical gem thanks to its owner, Matt Tannenbaum, whose passion for stories runs deep. Presiding at The Bookstore for over 40 years, Tannenbaum is a bard of the Berkshires. This intimate portrait offers a journey through good times, hard times and the stories hidden on the shelves. A discussion and Q&A session with Tannenbaum and filmmaker A.B. Zax will follow the screening.
Tickets can be purchased online or at the Crandell Theatre box office. Admission is $9 for non-members, $8 members, and $7 for children 12 and under.
—A.K.
