A highly selective preview of cultural events taking place this weekend in the greater Berkshire region, including chamber music; pottery shows; art exhibitions; and experimental indie-rock.
The Sebastians (photo Michael Kushner)
THE SEBASTIANS to PLAY BAROQUE in MUSIC & MORE SERIES
(NEW MARLBOROUGH, Mass.) – Early music ensemble The Sebastians will perform vocal and instrumental works by Alessandro Stradella, Handel, Buxtehude, Biber, and other baroque masters in “Over the Alps,” a program tracing the musical evolution of the Italian style as it migrated over the mountains to the Austro-German regions, as part of the Music & More Series at the Historic Meeting House on Saturday, September 24, at 4:30pm. The ensemble will feature Baroque violin, cello, harpsichord, and the stunning soprano Awet Andemicael.
THIRD ANNUAL SOUTHERN BERKSHIRE POTTERY TOUR
(SOUTHERN BERKSHIRES, Mass.) – Six leading potters of the Southern Berkshires will open their studios the weekend of Saturday and Sunday, September 24-25, for the third annual Berkshire Pottery Tour. The self-guided motor tour takes art lovers through the beautiful valleys of the Southern Berkshires to experience a diverse array of styles in functional and sculptural ceramics, from the Richmond studio of Ben Evans to Paula Shalan in Stockbridge, Lorimer Burns in Housatonic, Daniel Bellow in Great Barrington, and on to Ellen Grenadier in Monterey and Linda Skipper in New Marlborough. The tour runs in a rough circle and can be begun at any point. Studios will be open from 10 to 5 each day. Admission is free and families are welcome.
Shanghai Quartet
SHANGHAI QUARTET to PLAY MOZART, GRIEG, FOOTE and ZHOU LONG in CHATHAM
(CHATHAM, N.Y.) – The internationally acclaimed Shanghai Quartet will be joined by flutist Eugenia Zukerman in a program entitled “From East to West,” at St. James Church on Saturday, September 24, at 7:30 pm, as part of the Leaf Peeper Concert Series presented by Clarion Concerts.
The Shanghai Quartet’s elegant style melds the delicacy of Eastern music with the emotional breadth of Western repertoire, allowing it to traverse musical genres including traditional Chinese folk music, masterpieces of Western music, and cutting-edge contemporary works.
The September 24 concert features string quartets by Mozart and Grieg, the atmospheric “Night Piece” by American composer Arthur Foote for flute and string quartet, and “Song of the Ch’in” by the Pulitzer Prize-winning Chinese-American composer Zhou Long. Zhou is internationally recognized for creating a unique body of music that brings together the aesthetic concepts and musical elements of East and West with techniques which enable Western ensembles to effectively reproduce sounds unique to Chinese music.
‘Summer in the Catskills’ by Scott Thomas Balfe
WORKS by SCOTT THOMAS BALFE and JANE McWHORTER GO ON VIEW at SPENCERTOWN ACADEMY
(SPENCERTOWN, N.Y.) – Works by painter Scott Thomas Balfe and photographer Jane McWhorter, who were the winners of last year’s juried regional art exhibition judged by Carrie Haddad of Carrie Haddad Gallery in Hudson, N.Y., go on view at Spencertown Academy Arts Center with a free opening reception on Saturday, September 24, from 4 to 6pm.
Trixie Whitley (photo CPU – Joost Van Hoey)
TRIXIE WHITLEY to BRING ORIGINAL INDIE-ROCK to CLUB HELSINKI HUDSON
(HUDSON, N.Y.) – Indie-rock scion Trixie Whitley – the daughter of the late Texas experimental blues musician Chris Whitley – will bring her unique brand of moody, melodic indie-rock to Club Helsinki Hudson on Sunday, September 25, at 8pm. Experimental rocker Indigo Street warms up the crowd for Whitley.
The Hevreh Ensemble
JEWISH WORLD MUSIC ENSEMBLE to PERFORM at SIMON’S ROCK
(GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass.) – The Hevreh Ensemble, an instrumental group dedicated to the performance of music that reflects or was inspired by Judaism and Jewish culture, will perform a concert at Simon’s Rock College in the Kellogg Music Center on Sunday, September 25, at 3pm. The concert is free and open to the public.