ALT-ROCK SUPERSTAR BECK to PERFORM at MASS MoCA
(NORTH ADAMS, Mass.) – Beck, one of the most critically acclaimed and influential creative forces in alternative rock over the past 20 years, will perform at MASS MoCA on Tuesday, June 24, at 8pm. The concert comes on the heels of the release of “Morning Phase,” a career-topping album that harkens to the heyday of 1970s California folk-rock and one that recalls Bob Dylan’s “Blood on the Tracks.” Also at MASS MoCA, Iron and Wine, the musical vehicle of acclaimed singer-songwriter Sam Beam, performs on Sunday at 6pm, and Stasis Horror, more than 80 of Christopher Chiappa‘s riotous paintings – executed on stools – will be installed in the Hunter Center hallway at MASS MoCA on Saturday.
The Hong Kong Ballet (photo Conrad Dy Liacco)
HONG KONG BALLET OPENS JACOB’S PILLOW SEASON
(BECKET, Mass.) – The Hong Kong Ballet opens the 2014 Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival season, performing an eclectic program in the Ted Shawn Theatre from Wednesday, June 18, to Sunday, June 22. The program includes dances by international choreographers Nacho Duato, Krzysztof Pastor, and National Ballet of China resident choreographer Fei Bo. Music includes works by Bach, Vivaldi, Elgar, and Karl Jenkins.
CONTEMPORARY STRING QUARTET ETHEL to PERFORM ‘GRACE’ at MAHAIWE
(GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass.) – Contemporary string quartet Ethelwill perform “Grace,” an innovative, adventurous program featuring works by Ennio Morricone, Jeff Buckley, Vijay Iyer, Son Lux, Marcelo Zarvos, Nico Muhly and others, at the Mahaiwe on Saturday, June 21, at 8pm.
Repast Baroque
PS21 KICKS OFF SEASON with ALL-BACH PROGRAM
(CHATHAM, N.Y.) – Repast Baroque, a New York City based trio performing Baroque music on period instruments, presents the ninth annual Paul Grunberg Memorial Bach Concert on Sunday, June 22, at 2pm, kicking off the season at PS21: Performance Spaces for the 21st Century. The group includes violinist Amelia Roosevelt, viol da gambist John Mark Rozendaal and distinguished guest harpsichordist Dongsok Shin.
Mara Davi and Tyler Hanes in ‘Kiss Me, Kate’ (photo Kevin Sprague)
‘KISS ME, KATE’ OPENS MAINSTAGE SEASON at BARRINGTON STAGE
(PITTSFIELD, Mass.) – Cole Porter’s musical “Kiss Me, Kate,” based on William Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew,” opens the mainstage season at Barrington Stage Company (BSC) – celebrating its 20th anniversary this year — now through Saturday, July 12. Also at BSC, “Working on A Special Day” – a new play about a life-changing encounter between an overworked housewife and a mysterious bachelor on May 8, 1938 – the day Rome celebrates Hitler’s visit to Mussolini’s Italy – runs on the St. Germain Stage now through Sunday, July 6.
Ilya Poletaev
DUO to PLAY MOZART, SCHUMANN, PROKOFIEV at TANNERY POND
(NEW LEBANON, N.Y.) – Violinist Axel Strauss and pianist Ilya Poletaev will perform works by Mozart, Schumann, and Prokofiev, plus Enescu’s Sonata No. 3 in A minor, Opus 25, at Tannery Pond Concerts at the Darrow School on Saturday, June 21, at 8pm.
DELTA RAE to BRING ROOTSY POP to HELSINKI HUDSON
(HUDSON, N.Y.) – Rising indie-pop sextet Delta Rae brings its unique blend of rootsy folk-rock and catchy four-part harmonies toClub Helsinki Hudson on Thursday, June 19, at 8pm. The group, featuring three siblings, has often been likened to Fleetwood Mac, and Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham gave his stamp of approval to the band by appearing in one of its videos.
Playwright Catherine Trieschmann
SCIENCE vs. FAITH DEBATED in PLAY READING by WAM
(WEST STOCKBRIDGE, Mass.) – A staged reading of “How the World Began” by Catherine Trieschmann will take place at No. Six Depot Roastery and Café (6 Depot St.) on Sunday, June 22, at 3pm, as part of WAM Theatre’s Fresh Takes Play Reading Series. Trieschmann’s provocative and intelligent play about the collision of faith and science won critical acclaim Off-Broadway in 2012.
Sparks from a metal cutting circular saw. (Scott Barrow)
PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION by SCOTT BARROW HONORS CITY’S INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE
(PITTSFIELD, Mass.) — The industrial heritage of the city of Pittsfield and the greater Berkshire region is celebrated in “Our Industrial Heritage 2.0,” a new exhibition of photography by Scott Barrow at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts now through June 31, 2014. Scott Barrow is a true artist with a camera. His work is probably best known in our region through his distinctive and copious contributions to the erstwhile Berkshire Living magazine. Barrow’s photographic voice was a key component of the magazine from the very first issue – his was the cover photo – to the last, and his vision helped the magazine garner numerous awards over its seven-year lifetime.
Concrete Elsewhere by Michael McKay
NEW GALLERY OPENS WITH SHOW by PITTSFIELD ARTIST MICHAEL McKAY
(WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.) – “Wax Nostalgic,” a solo exhibition of paintings by Pittsfield artist Michael McKay, is the debut show at Hudson Art, a new contemporary art gallery at 112 Water St. in Williamstown. The exhibit will remain hung through mid-August. McKay paints images of social commentary using architecture and signage as motifs – as well as a modicum of knowing wit.
Edward Hopper (1882-1967), “’I’m afraid,’ she said, looking at me straightly now,” 1924
Story illustration for “Shady” by Eva Moore Adams, “Scribner’s Magazine 76” (December 1924): 627.
Conte and white paint on illustration board. 30” x 21 3/4”. Whitney Museum of American Art, Bequest of Josephine N. Hopper.
ROCKWELL MUSEUM SHOWCASES EDWARD HOPPER’S WORK as ILLUSTRATOR
(STOCKBRIDGE, Mass.) – In December 2013, artwork by Norman Rockwell and Edward Hopper set the all-time sales records for American paintings at auction, confirming the enduring popularity of these two artists from the twentieth century. This summer, Norman Rockwell Museum will present the early work of these two remarkable artists side by side, offering a rare glimpse into their formative years before they embarked on divergent paths as painters. The Unknown Hopper: Edward Hopper as Illustrator will be on view at Norman Rockwell Museum through October 26, 2014.
LIVE BUTTERFLIES to SWARM at BERKSHIRE MUSEUM
(PITTSFIELD, Mass.) – A Butterfly Pavilion, filled with vibrant native and exotic species of butterflies, will be the centerpiece of the new exhibition, Butterflies, which opens at Berkshire Museum on Saturday, May 31, and runs through September 1, 2014. The exhibition will introduce visitors to the fascinating and complex life cycle of butterflies, including their remarkable metamorphosis, and suggest how we can protect their place in the natural environment. The inter-disciplinary exhibition will include works by contemporary artists, as well as historic and cultural artifacts from around the world.