CEWM to present ‘Fiddler OFF the Roof’
Great Barrington – On Sunday, April 17, at 3 p.m., Close Encounters With Music (CEWM) will present “Fiddler OFF the Roof,” a celebration of Jewish music across cultures and centuries, at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center.
The musical journey will include a world premiere of “Zemer” for cello and piano by Paul Schoenfield. Works from the world of klezmer will include Divertimenti from “Gimpel the Fool” by David Schiff and Béla Kovács‘ “Klezmer Medley,” a tribute to Argentinian-born klezmer master Giora Feidman. Works by Gershwin, Bernstein, Mahler, Mendelssohn, Milhaud, Bloch, and Max Bruch will also be performed. Joining CEWM Artistic Director Yehuda Hanani will be tenor Alex Richardson, clarinetist Paul Green, pianist Michele Levin, and violinist Sarah McElravy.
Tickets are $45 and $25. For tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or call the Mahaiwe box office at (413) 528-0100.
–E.E.
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Williams College to host interfaith conference
Williamstown — Williams College will host an interfaith conference Friday, April 15, through Sunday, April 17, around the topic “Forgiving the Unforgiveable.” The conference will include two keynote lectures: Audri Scott Williams will speak at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 16, in Griffin Hall, room 3; and Bishop Gene Robinson will speak at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, April 17, in Thompson Memorial Chapel. Both lectures are free and open to the public.
Audri Scott Williams is a World Peace Walker in the Red Flame for Freedom movement as well as a vision keeper, author, and speaker. She is of African and North American indigenous descent and was inspired by visions to walk the world for peace. Between 2005 and 2008 she and her peace walkers crossed six continents, stopping in communities along the way to give talks, engage in interfaith dialogues, and work in service to communities. In her lecture, Williams will discuss the motivation, experience, and impact of her global walks for peace and specifically address her struggle with the trans-generational suffering along the way. Williams previously served as interim global indigenous coordinator for the United Religions Initiative, co-convener of the Hidden Seeds Global Indigenous Gathering in northern California, apprentice with the Worldwide Indigenous Science Network, former dean of instruction at the Institute of Divine Wisdom in Atlanta, and dean of continuing education and community service at Charles County Community College. She currently serves as a trustee on the United Religions Initiative Global Council and is co-founder of the Quantum Leap Transformational Center. She has authored several books and produced documentaries about her journeys.
Bishop Gene Robinson served as an openly gay priest in the Episcopal tradition for over 30 years. He was elected Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire in 2003 after serving as the Canon to the Ordinary for nearly 18 years. Robinson is an advocate for full rights and marriage equality for gay, bisexual, and transgender people at the state, national and international levels. He has been honored for his work by organizations including the Human Rights Campaign, the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, and the Equality Forum. Robinson has also actively promoted AIDS education, awareness, and treatment in the U.S. and in Africa. He is a recipient of the Stephen F. Kolzak Award. In 2009 Robinson was invited by President Obama to give the invocation at the opening inaugural ceremonies. He is the subject of the documentary films “Love Free or Die: How the Bishop of New Hampshire is Changing the World” and “For the Bible Tells Me So.” Robinson has authored many books and received numerous awards from national civil rights organizations.
A full schedule of conference events is available online. For building locations on the Williams campus, consult the online map or call the Office of Communications at (413) 597-4277.
–E.E.
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Monument Girls Write On recap
West Stockbridge – On March 18, for the fourth year in a row, young women of Monument Mountain Regional High School (MMRHS) presented their original writings at the West Stockbridge Historical Society in an event called Monument Girls Write On during the Berkshire Festival of Women Writers.
Nine talented young women writers, selected by MMRHS English department faculty, made presentations of their poetry, short fiction, creative nonfiction, and hybrid work. The students were nominated for participation by their teachers based on writing they had produced during the school year. Some of the girls had already received acclaim for their writing and others were recognized for the first time. The writers who presented were ninth grader Haley Couch; 10th grader Lucy Burnett; 11th graders Janey Beardsley, Meryl Phair, Daniella DeFelice, Sophie Cohen; and 12th graders Isabelle Morley, Benita Lopez, and Katrina Campetti.
–E.E.
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Matt Tannenbaum to discuss bookselling
Great Barrington – On Sunday, April 17, at 4 p.m., Congregation Ahavath Sholom will host Matt Tannenbaum, proprietor of the Bookstore in Lenox, who will give a talk entitled “Telling Tales: 40 Years of Bookselling in the Berkshires.”
There is a suggested donation of $10. A wine and cheese reception will follow the program. Call Congregation Ahavath Sholom for more information at (413) 528-4197.
–E.E.
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‘An Hour of Music’ with Robert Kopelson
South Egremont — On Sunday, April 17, at 4 p.m., the Egremont and Mt. Washington Councils on Aging will present pianist Robert Kopelson at the Egremont Village Inn. Kopelson has been a soloist, collaborator, and conductor on four continents over three decades. He will play Schubert waltzes, Debussy’s “Clair de Lune,” and other recognizable favorites. The event will be followed by a wine and cheese reception.
There is a suggested donation of $10 and seating is limited. Those interested in attending should RSVP to (413) 528-0182 x10.
–E.E.
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One-act play festival at Hotchkiss School
Lakeville, Conn. — The Hotchkiss Dramatic Association will present “Humans and Those Who Love Them,” a festival of one-act plays, at the Hotchkiss School’s Walker Auditorium Friday, April 15, and Saturday, April 16, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, April 17, at 2:30 p.m. The festival will include “Bench Seat” by Neil LaBute; “Great To See You” by Teresa Rebeck; and “Out West,” “Let Us Go Into The Starry Night,” and “Welcome To The Moon” by John Patrick Shanley.
Tickets are $10 for general admission and $5 for students and seniors. For more information or to reserve tickets, call (860) 435-3203.
–E.E.
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William Holland art exhibit at Camphill Ghent
Chatham, N.Y. — Work by watercolorist and landscape painter William Holland will be featured in an exhibit and opening reception Sunday, April 17, from 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. in the Joan Allen Art Gallery at Camphill Ghent.
William Holland earned his A.A.S. in commercial art and illustration from SUNY Dutchess Community College. He served in the U. S. Navy Hospital Corps for four years during the Vietnam era, and then worked at the Albany Veterans Administration hospital as a pulmonary technician for 25 years while raising a family. A native of Staten Island, Holland moved to the Poughkeepsie area as a child and has lived in Spencertown with his wife, Peggy, for 44 years. He has shown his watercolor landscapes in one-man shows and juried exhibitions throughout the area and has also done commission work specializing in railroad, aviation, marine, and farm subjects.
Holland’s work will be on display through mid-June. The Gallery is free and open to the public daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information call (518) 392-2760.
–E.E.
