Martin Luther King Jr. psalms and spirituals concert
Lenox — The Cantilena Chamber Choir will present a psalms and spirituals open sing at Trinity Episcopal Church on Sunday, Jan. 15, at 3 p.m. in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Special guests will include the Price Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church adult and junior choirs from Pittsfield and community activist Shirley Edgerton, who will give a talk titled “Living in Perilous Times: Love Can Drive Out Darkness.” Dr. King will be remembered in poems and speeches, but the focus of the program will be a spiritual sing-along with the choirs. The choirs will also perform works by themselves by Andre Thomas, Raymond Wise and Alice Parker. All words and music will be provided to audience members to allow for following and singing along.
Pittsfield’s Price Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church choir is under the direction of Paul Keele. The choir has performed in numerous Berkshire venues including Barrington Stage Company and the Berkshire Museum.
Edgerton is a community activist and diversity trainer. She is the founder of the Women of Color Giving Circle and the Rites of Passage and Empowerment program for girls as well as the founding director of the Youth Alive performing arts group. She serves on numerous boards and committees and has received several awards in recognition of her work in the community.
Admission is free of charge but there is a suggested donation of $15 per ticket. For tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or contact Cantilena Chamber Choir at 518-791-0185 or satbchoir@yahoo.com.
–E.E.
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Berkshire Grown to hold winter farmers’ market
Great Barrington — Berkshire Grown will hold a winter farmers’ market on Saturday, Jan. 14, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Monument Valley Regional Middle School. The event is an extension of Berkshire Grown’s holiday farmers’ markets which attracted an enthusiastic community of shoppers this past November and December at markets in Great Barrington and Williamstown and will feature locally grown and produced foods, live music, lunch fare and activities for children. Admission is free.
The market will showcase the Berkshire winter bounty including potatoes, carrots, beets, winter squash, onions, garlic, mushrooms, kale and a variety of other greens. Other locally produced products available at the market will include eggs, chicken, goat, grass-fed pork and beef, locally produced cheeses, ice cream, jams, pickles, kimchi, sauerkraut, tempeh, honey, and baked goods. Grilled sausages and omelets will also be on sale to eat. Food Adventures will lead hands-on snack-making activities for children with seasonal ingredients.
For more information, call Berkshire Grown at (413) 528-0041.
–E.E.
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Ithacappella to perform at Mt. Everett
Sheffield — Ithacappella will perform at the Thomas A. Consolati Performing Arts Center of Mt. Everett Regional High School on Sunday, Jan 15, at 7 p.m. as part of its 2017 winter tour. Ithacappella is Ithaca College’s only all-male a cappella group and features former Mt. Everett student and 2015 Bard College at Simon’s Rock graduate Jacob Kerzner, who is studying music composition and voice performance at Ithaca College and serves as Ithacappella’s first tenor and assistant conductor.
Tickets are $10. For tickets and more information, call Mt. Everett at (413) 229-8734.
–E.E.
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Lenox Library seeks donations for book drive
Lenox — The Lenox Library is accepting donations for its 22nd annual book sale, to be held Friday, Aug. 25, through Sunday, Aug. 27. The library welcomes hardcover and paperback books in good condition, as well as DVDs and CDs. The drive cannot accept encyclopedias, magazines, LPs, VHS videos, or books with musty odors, mold, tears or markings.
Donations can be dropped off at 60 Hawthorne St. on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. until noon. Those who would like to drop off donations at another time or arrange to have them picked up may call Ilse Browner at (413) 445-5679. All proceeds from this annual fundraising event will benefit library’s many services and programs.
–E.E.
