Monthly Archives: May 2011

Amerigo Trio and Alon Goldstein open Tannery Pond Concerts series with a memorable performance

Posted on May 31, 2011 by L. Beck

Saturday evening’s concert, the first of Tannery Pond’s twenty-first season, was a glorious affair, from the stunning views and perfect summer weather to the superb performances by the Amerigo Trio with guest pianist Alon Goldstein.

The Amerigo Trio includes violinist Glenn Dicterow, violist Karen Dreyfus, and cellist Inbal Segev; the group has been performing together since 2009. Continue reading →

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The Pursuit of Porcelain on view at the Ferrin Gallery

Posted on May 26, 2011 by L. Beck

PITTSFIELD, MASS.–The Pursuit of Porcelain, an installation of ceramic sculpture, photography, and works on paper, arranged as they would be in a European eighteenth-century porcelain room, filled with figurines, plates, and objects, is on view now through July 24 at the Ferrin Gallery. Sculptor Chris Antemann conceived the installation, which includes her own sculpture and photography and interpretations of the concept by other invited artists who share her passion for porcelain and its history.

Using plates, drawings, painting, and photography, Chris Antemann, Molly Hatch, Sergei Isupov, Mara Superior, and Jason Walker created composed installations to present their sculpture on four-by-eight-foot painted panels.
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Free “How to Write a Press Release” workshop offered in June

Posted on May 24, 2011 by berk8843

Local journalist Lesley Ann Beck will lead a free seminar in crafting effective materials for communicating with the media

PITTSFIELD, MA, May 24, 2010—“How to Write a Press Release,” a workshop led by local journalist Lesley Ann Beck, will be given at 6 p.m. on Thursday evening, June 2, at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts at 28 Renne Avenue in downtown Pittsfield. Open to the public and free of charge, the session will last 90 minutes and include time for questions. Megan Whilden, Pittsfield’s Director of Cultural Development, will be the moderator.
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Acclaimed soprano Deborah Voigt performs splendid recital for Mahaiwe Gala

Posted on May 23, 2011 by berk8843

Reviewed by Lesley Ann Beck

[Great Barrington, Mass.] The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, an intimate theater with excellent acoustics, was put to ideal use Saturday night when internationally acclaimed dramatic soprano Deborah Voigt offered a splendid recital of songs from the classical canon as well as great American standards, all to mark the Mahaiwe’s 2011 Gala.
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NEA chairman Rocco Landesman speaks at Creative Communities Exchange in North Adams

Posted on May 23, 2011 by berk8843

By Lesley Ann Beck

“Artists need to act as a constituency,” said Rocco Landesman, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) during his remarks at the Creative Communities Exchange event held last week at MASS MoCA in North Adams, Massachusetts.

The Creative Communities Exchange, a day-and-a-half of workshops and talks, engaged more than two hundred participants—artists and administrators representing a myriad of creative organizations—and culminated in a talk by Landesman. The conference, which was held Thursday and Friday at MASS MoCA in North Adams, Massachusetts, was a collaboration between New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) and Berkshire Creative, and attracted individuals from across New England. The event included thirty-two workshops presented by creative and cultural community leaders, designed to share successful strategies and useful tools, as well as networking opportunities.
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Actor/playwright Jim Brochu offers a compelling portrayal of Zero Mostel in Zero Hour at Barrington Stage Company

Posted on May 23, 2011 by berk8843

Reviewed by Lesley Ann Beck

Zero Hour opens to the strains of a klezmer tune as we see Zero Mostel (portrayed by actor Jim Brochu) at work in his studio; facing the canvas on the easel, he growls and barks at an unseen individual knocking at the door. And then Brochu turns to the audience, revealing his startling resemblance to Mostel, courtesy of a massive comb-over, bushy beard, and beetling brows over glaring eyes. He is talking to the reporter (who is never seen or heard) from the New York Times who has come to interview him. This is the framework that allows Mostel to reminisce, recounting his life story. Zero Hour, a one-man show about the iconic actor Zero Mostel, is now running at Barrington Stage Company’s Stage 2 in downtown Pittsfield, Massachusetts, through June 5.
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Novelist Anne Easter Smith visits Chapters Bookstore in Pittsfield on Saturday

Posted on May 19, 2011 by berk8843

Novelist Anne Easter Smith will discuss her new book, Queen by Right, on Saturday, May 21, at 4 p.m. at Chapters Bookstore in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. A book signing will follow the talk.

Queen by Right, Smith’s fourth historic novel about fifteenth-century Britain and the royal Plantagenet family, tells the story of Cecily Neville, Duchess of York, who was the mother of two kings, Edward IV and Richard III. Smith’s three earlier novels were A Rose for the Crown, Daughter of York, and The King’s Grace.
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Acclaimed soprano Deborah Voigt to sing at the Mahaiwe Gala

Posted on May 18, 2011 by berk8843

Just a few days ago, opera star Deborah Voigt was singing the role of Brünnhilde in Wagner’s Die Walküre at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. But on Saturday, May 21, at 8, the acclaimed dramatic soprano will be in the Berkshires, giving a recital at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington to celebrate the theater’s annual gala. It’s a treat for opera enthusiasts: last Saturday’s live broadcast of her stellar performance as Brünnhilde was seen at the Mahaiwe by a sold-out crowd.

In Saturday’s recital at the Mahaiwe, Voigt will be accompanied by pianist Brian Zeger and will perform Broadway standards as well as opera selections.

Voigt is known for her roles in popular Italian operas, such as Tosca, Aida, and Amelia in Un ballo in maschera.
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Jim Brochu portrays theater legend Zero Mostel at Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield

Posted on May 17, 2011 by berk8843

BSC’s Stage 2 season opens with award-winning one-man show Zero Hour

By Lesley Ann Beck

Actor Jim Brochu, who brings his award-winning one-man show about Zero Mostel to Barrington Stage Company (BSC) this week, remembers the day he first met Zero Mostel—it was May 13, 1962, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum had just opened on Broadway. Zero Mostel played the lead, of course, a role for which he won the Tony Award, and, said Brochu, in a recent telephone interview, “I’ve never seen anybody funnier in my life.”

Brochu went to see the show because a family friend, David Burns, was playing the role of Senex. Brochu was thirteen years old and enrolled in a military school at the time; he was wearing his uniform when he went backstage after the show to greet his friend.
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Folk music legend Tom Paxton performs at the Colonial

Posted on May 17, 2011 by berk8843

American folk music icon Tom Paxton will perform a solo acoustic concert at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, on May 21 at 8. Paxton’s enduring career as a singer and songwriter has lasted for more than forty-five years, from … Continue reading →

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