Berkshire County is buzzing with music this week, featuring 94 live performances that promise to enchant and entertain. Highlights include an impressive 27 classical events, a special concert by the critically acclaimed Beck with the Boston Pops, and a rich variety of musical genres. From classical, jazz, pop, rock, and folk to blues, soul, sea shanties, Caribbean, and Haitian rhythms, there’s something to satisfy every musical taste. Below are some highlights for the week ahead, followed by our comprehensive show rundown.
Classical and Opera
With 27 classical events this week, we can’t cover them all, but we will touch on the highlights. The music starts Monday at noon with The Champlain Trio at Saint John’s Episcopal Church in Williamstown. The trio consists of Letitia Quante on violin, Emily Taubl on cello, and Hirormi Fukudu on piano. Their program, “Forgotten Voices,” includes music by Lili Boulanger, Hélène Liebmann, and Dora Pejačevič. Also on Monday, you can listen to the Boston University Students of Tanglewood as part of Music Mondays at the Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge. You can also catch the first of four performances this week of the Moonlight Sonatas Concert at Bard College at Simon’s Rock in Great Barrington, part of the Berkshire High Peaks Music Festival. The other performances take place on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday.
Wednesday night at Tanglewood, you’ll find the Tanglewood Recital Series: Boston Symphony Chamber Players and Paul Lewis, piano. The performance includes Allison Loggins-Hull, Mozart, and Brahms.
The first installment of the TMC Festival of Contemporary Music will be held at Tanglewood on Thursday. The series will continue with three more performances on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, all featuring different contemporary composers. See our calendar for details.
Friday night, you can listen to Andris Nelsons conducts Mackey, Koussevitzky, Sibelius, and Scriabin at Tanglewood. Saturday evening, you can enjoy Aston Magna: Sonata, What Do You Want From Me? at St. James Place in Great Barrington. Over at Tanglewood, you’ll find Andris Nelsons conducts León, Khachaturian, and Tchaikovsky featuring Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano.
Sunday afternoon, you can enjoy Andris Nelsons conducts Lee, Copland, Thompson, and Stravinsky featuring Paul Lewis, piano at Tanglewood – or catch the open rehearsal for this performance on Saturday morning.
Sunday afternoon, you can also listen to Music from High Peaks at Chesterwood in Stockbridge or Romance in the Afternoon: Piano Recital with Josh Luxon-Robinson at the Sandisfield Arts Center, who will be performing the music of Brahms, Bernstein, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Debussy, and Medtner. You’ll also find the Boston University Tanglewood Institute Community Concert at the Becket Arts Center.
Jazz
We have nine jazz performances in the county this week. It all starts with Andy Wrba, Conor Meehan, and Benny Kohn hosting Monday Night Jazz at Pizzeria Boema in Lenox. On Tuesday, catch the Jazz Night with Paul Ostermayer and Friends at Tito’s Mexican Bar and Grill in Pittsfield.
Wednesday night, you can catch the George Schuller Trio at The Lion’s Den in Stockbridge or take in the Bobby Macveety Jazz Trio at the Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn in Lenox.
Thursday, you’ll find Upstairs at the Firehouse: Live Music with Ben Kohn at Firehouse Cafe & Bistro in Adams.
Saturday afternoon, you can enjoy Jazz with the Charlie Apicella Trio in Persip Park in Pittsfield. Sunday midday, chill out at the Jazz Brunch with Natalia Bernal & Jason Ennis at Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield. In the early evening, you can enjoy Benny Kohn and Susan Davis at The Barn Kitchen and Bar in Williamstown or Michael Junkins and Friends performing at The Lion’s Den. This week, Michael features Adythia Vidyan on Saxophone.
Popular (Rock, Pop, Folk, Blues, etc.)
This week, the popular music category has over 40 performances. We can’t highlight them all, but we will mention a few (see our calendar or show rundown below for all the performances).
The music starts Monday when “Dreamer Folk meets Campfire Pop” with The Pinkerton Raid at Tourists in North Adams, one of the band’s stops on their nationwide tour.
Tuesday’s headliner is Beck with the Boston Pops (pictured above) at Tanglewood. For something more intimate, catch Christine (Bile) and Clara (Guatta) at Methuselah Bar & Lounge in Pittsfield. Clara performs again Thursday night at Tito’s Mexican Bar and Grill in Pittsfield.
Wednesday night, you have two outdoor concert options: Lee Rogers & Friends at the Great Barrington Town Hall and The Amy Ryan Band at Lilac Park in Lenox.
Thursday night, catch Katherine Winston & Micheal Aaron at The Lion’s Den in Stockbridge, or head over to The Egremont Barn to see folk artist Jenna Nicholls. If you miss her there, she’ll play at the Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn on Saturday. If you are in north county, consider catching Jackie West, a Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter who just released her debut album, Close to the Mystery, at Tourists in North Adams.
Friday early evening, there are several outdoor concert options with Mixed Signals at Catamount in South Egremont, The Whinin’ Boys in Persip Park in Pittsfield, and the BTU’s at the Great Barrington Town Hall. You’ll also find Berkshire Busk in downtown Great Barrington. Indoor options include Jordan Weller at Roberto’s Pizza in Sheffield, the Jake Manzi Duo at The Lion’s Den, The Wolff Sisters and Jake Swamp & The Pine at Egremont Barn, and Kate Prascher at Dream Away Lodge in Becket.
Saturday is an incredible day of music with 26 performances county-wide. Berkshire Busk continues in downtown Great Barrington in the afternoon and evening with another six musical performances – see our Music Calendar for a list of performers. In the evening, soul music lovers will want to attend the Sunset Soul Concert feat. Matt Cusson & Arnold McCuller outdoors at Bousquet in Pittsfield. Cusson is a Grammy® nominated musician and Berkshire native who tours internationally with artists such as Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, and Christina Aguilera. We have several other local favorites playing across the county: Bobby Sweet and Lara Tupper at the Devonfield Inn in Lee, Hot Sauce at the Becket Arts Center, Evan Lanoue at Balderdash Cellars in Richmond, Jack Waldheim at the Locker Room Sports Pub in Lee, and Chantell at The Egremont Barn. Other notable performances include Don White with Special Guests Chris & Meredith Thompson at The Guthrie Center in Great Barrington and Ruth Garbus from Brattleboro, Vermont, at Dream Away Lodge in Becket.
Sunday morning, you can start your day with the self-described “retro soul pop” duo Genna and Jess at Dottie’s Coffee Lounge in Pittsfield. At midday, catch The Sirens at the First Congregational Church of Lee. The trio consists of local favorites Wanda Houston, Elizabeth Berliner, and Liv Commins. On the Sunday afternoon “winery and brewery circuit,” you’ll find Alex Cohen at Antimony Brewing in Lenox and TomKat at Balderdash Cellars in Richmond. Sunday early evening, catch Music On The Moltz Terrace: Glenn Jones And Emily Robb at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown. Jones has released seven full-length solo albums and is one of the leading proponents of American Primitive Guitar, a fingerstyle acoustic genre pioneered in the late 1950s by his friend and mentor John Fahey.
Something Else
This week, we have a whopping 12 options in our Something Else category. Wednesday night is particularly busy. In the early evening, you can listen to Afro Latin Jazz and Soul Experience with Sekou McMiller at The Common Room in Pittsfield. This workshop will engage the audience with Caribbean dance and music cultures, including Samba, Mambo, and Cha Cha while blending jazz and modern dance traditions. At the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown is the Outdoor Concert: Lakou Mizik, a “multigenerational collective of Haitian musicians united in a mission to spread awareness about traditional Haitian culture.” Bang On A Can perform outdoors at Windsor Lake in North Adams, while the Eagles Band is at the Dalton CRA. And if you like sea shanties, then you’ve got two opportunities to listen and sing along: Sea Shanties with Alex Harvey and ShinBone Alley at Herman Melville’s Arrowhead in Pittsfield on Wednesday night, and Thursday night with Alex Harvey Presents Shinbone Alley at Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield.
Friday afternoon, you can glimpse the future at Celebrate the rising stars of the MTC in their Final Showcase at the Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield. The graduating cohort of the Barrington Stage Company’s Musical Theatre Conservatory (MTC) eight-week intensive training program will take the stage, “dazzling you with a musical revue packed with showstopping vocals and unforgettable performances.”
Italian pianist and showman Ivan Dalia has two performances this week. On Friday, he’ll entertain you with an evening of stories and music on spectacular Steinway and Bosendorfer Concert Grands at A Piano Lover’s Dream at the Flynn Pianos Workshop and Gallery in Great Barrington. You can catch Ivan again Saturday night at Bach to Rock, a “journey through the generations & genres of music that bring people together” at the Church on the Hill in Lenox.
ARKAI, the award-winning electroacoustic duo that has inspired audiences worldwide through genre-defying string music, will perform on Friday and Saturday nights. On Friday, they will be at the Adams Theatre, and on Saturday, they will be at The Foundry in West Stockbridge.
On Sunday evening, Duo Eamon will perform music from Ireland, Quebec, and New England at Bascom Lodge at the top of Mount Greylock in Adams.
You can read about all of these performances and more in our day-by-day show rundown below or jump right to our music calendar. Please note that our deadline for inclusion in the weekly narrative above and the day-by-day listing below is Wednesday at noon. Check our music calendar for shows we’ve added after our weekly publication deadline. Use the subscribe button below to receive this free weekly rundown of upcoming performances in your inbox each Monday. And if I missed a performance, please contact me, and I’ll add it to the calendar.
Monday
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm The Champlain Trio @ Saint John’s Episcopal Church, Williamstown.
2:00 pm TLI The Art of Conducting: Thomas Wilkins @ Tanglewood, Lenox.
5:30 pm – 7:30 pm Music Mondays: Boston University Students of Tanglewood @ Berkshire Botanical Garden, Stockbridge.
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Monday Night Jazz @ Pizzeria Boema, Lenox.
7:00 pm TLI The Art of Conducting: Great Conductors on Film @ Tanglewood, Lenox.
7:30 pm – 9:00 pm Moonlight Sonatas Concert @ Bard College at Simon’s Rock, Great Barrington.
8:00 pm – 9:30 pm The Pinkerton Raid @ Tourists, North Adams.
Tuesday
5:30 pm – 8:30 pm Jazz Night with Paul Ostermayer and Friends @ Tito’s Mexican Bar and Grill, Pittsfield.
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm Whiskey City @ Great Barrington VFW, Great Barrington.
7:00 pm Beck with the Boston Pops @ Tanglewood, Lenox.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Christine and Clara @ Methuselah Bar & Lounge, Pittsfield.
7:30 pm – 9:00 pm Moonlight Sonatas Concert @ Bard College at Simon’s Rock, Great Barrington.
Wednesday
1:30 pm TLI Open Workshops: Double bass class @ Tanglewood, Lenox.
5:30 pm – 7:15 pm Lee Rogers & Friends @ Great Barrington Town Hall, Great Barrington.
6:00 pm – 7:30 pm Afro Latin Jazz and Soul Experience with Sekou McMiller @ The Common Room, Pittsfield.
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm The Amy Ryan Band @ Lilac Park, Lenox.
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm Outdoor Concert: Lakou Mizik @ The Clark Art Institute, Williamstown.
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm Eagles Band @ Dalton CRA, Dalton.
6:30 pm – 9:30 pm George Schuller Trio @ The Lion’s Den, Stockbridge.
7:00 pm – 8:00 pm Sea Shanties with Alex Harvey and ShinBone Alley @ Herman Melville’s Arrowhead, Pittsfield.
7:30 pm – 9:00 pm Bang On A Can @ Windsor Lake, North Adams.
7:30 pm – 9:30 pm Bobby Macveety Jazz Trio @ Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn, Lenox.
8:00 pm Tanglewood Recital Series: Boston Symphony Chamber Players and Paul Lewis, piano @ Tanglewood, Lenox.
Thursday
1:00 pm TLI Talks and Walks @ Tanglewood, Lenox.
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm Upstairs at the Firehouse: Live Music with Ben Kohn! @ Firehouse Cafe & Bistro, Adams.
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Live Music with Clara Guatta @ Tito’s Mexican Bar and Grill, Pittsfield.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Katherine Winston & Micheal Aaron @ The Lion’s Den, Stockbridge.
7:30 pm – 9:00 pm Moonlight Sonatas Concert @ Bard College at Simon’s Rock, Great Barrington.
7:30 pm – 10:00 pm Jenna Nicholls @ Egremont Barn, South Egremont.
8:00 pm TMC Festival of Contemporary Music @ Tanglewood, Lenox.
8:00 pm – 11:00 pm DCSC: Alex Harvey Presents Shinbone Alley @ Race Brook Lodge, Sheffield.
8:00 pm – 9:30 pm Jackie West @ Tourists, North Adams.
Friday
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm Celebrate the rising stars of the MTC in their Final Showcase! @ Barrington Stage Company, Pittsfield.
2:30 pm TMC Festival of Contemporary Music @ Tanglewood, Lenox.
4:00 pm TLI Presents: “The Legacy of Serge Koussevitzky @ Tanglewood, Lenox.
4:00 pm – 9:00 pm Taproom Music: F.A.R. Trio @ Bright Ideas Brewing, North Adams.
5:00 pm – 8:30 pm Mixed Signals @ Catamount, South Egremont.
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm Hot Vox Trio @ Balderdash Cellars, Richmond.
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm The Whinin’ Boys in Persip Park @ Persip Park, Pittsfield.
5:30 pm – 7:15 pm THE BTU’S @ Great Barrington Town Hall, Great Barrington.
6:00 pm Jordan Weller @ Roberto’s Pizza, Sheffield.
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Uncle Stash @ Bousquet, Pittsfield.
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Melissa Brinton @ Knox Trail Inn, East Otis.
6:00 pm Prelude Concert @ Tanglewood, Lenox.
6:30 pm – 10:00 pm Berkshire Busk @ Downtown Great Barrington, Great Barrington.
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm Berkshire Busk @ Downtown Great Barrington, Great Barrington.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Tom Savoy @ Antimony Brewing, Lenox.
7:00 pm – 8:00 pm A Piano Lover’s Dream @ Flynn Pianos Workshop and Gallery, Great Barrington.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Jake Manzi Duo @ The Lion’s Den, Stockbridge.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Tyvek, Stefan Christensen, Time Thief show at the shop @ Belltower Records, North Adams.
7:30 pm – 10:30 pm The Wolff Sisters and Jake Swamp & The Pine @ Egremont Barn, South Egremont.
7:30 pm ARKAI Music: Crossroads Album Release @ Adams Theatre, Adams.
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm Kate Prascher @ Dream Away Lodge, Becket.
8:00 pm Andris Nelsons conducts Mackey, Koussevitzky, Sibelius, and Scriabin @ Tanglewood, Lenox.
Saturday
10:30 am Open Rehearsal: Andris Nelsons conducts Lee, Copland, Thompson, and Stravinsky featuring Paul Lewis, piano @ Tanglewood, Lenox.
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm Pug and Zarvis @ Balderdash Cellars, Richmond.
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm Berkshire Busk @ Downtown Great Barrington, Great Barrington.
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Jazz with the Charlie Apicella Trio in Persip Park @ Persip Park, Pittsfield.
2:30 pm TMC Festival of Contemporary Music @ Tanglewood, Lenox.
3:00 pm – 4:20 pm Bobby Sweet and Lara Tupper @ Devonfield Inn, Lee.
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm Music Brings Communities Together – Hot Sauce @ Becket Arts Center, Becket.
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm Evan Lanoue @ Balderdash Cellars, Richmond.
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm Aston Magna: Sonata, What Do You Want From Me? @ St. James Place, Great Barrington.
6:00 pm Prelude Concert: TMC Festival of Contemporary Music @ Tanglewood, Lenox.
6:30 pm – 10:00 pm Berkshire Busk @ Downtown Great Barrington, Great Barrington.
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm Berkshire Busk @ Downtown Great Barrington, Great Barrington.
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm Matchstick Architects @ Dalton CRA, Dalton.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Greg Caproni @ Antimony Brewing, Lenox.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Diva & The Dirty Boys @ The Lion’s Den, Stockbridge.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Sunset Soul Concert feat. Matt Cusson & Arnold McCuller @ Bousquet, Pittsfield.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Jack Waldheim @ Locker Room Sports Pub, Lee.
7:00 pm – 8:00 pm Bach to Rock @ Church on the Hill, Lenox.
7:30 pm ARKAI @ The Foundry, West Stockbridge.
7:30 pm – 10:30 pm Chantell @ Egremont Barn, South Egremont.
7:30 pm – 9:30 pm Jenna Nicholls @ Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn, Lenox.
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm Don White with Special Guests Chris & Meredith Thompson Live at The Guthrie Center @ Guthrie Center, Great Barrington.
8:00 pm – 11:00 pm Pick-up Line @ Knox Trail Inn, East Otis.
8:00 pm Andris Nelsons conducts León, Khachaturian, and Tchaikovsky featuring Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano @ Tanglewood, Lenox.
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm Ruth Garbus @ Dream Away Lodge, Becket.
Sunday
10:00 am TMC Festival of Contemporary Music: Chamber Music @ Tanglewood, Lenox.
10:00 am – 12:00 pm Domingo Brunch featuring Genna and Jess @ Dottie’s and Dorothy’s, Pittsfield.
12:00 pm – 3:00 pm Jazz Brunch with Natalia Bernal & Jason Ennis @ Race Brook Lodge, Sheffield.
12:00 pm – 3:00 pm Alex Cohen @ Antimony Brewing, Lenox.
12:30 pm – 2:30 pm The Sirens @ First Congregational Church of Lee, Lee.
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Tom Kat @ Balderdash Cellars, Richmond.
2:30 pm Andris Nelsons conducts Lee, Copland, Thompson, and Stravinsky featuring Paul Lewis, piano @ Tanglewood, Lenox.
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm Music from High Peaks at Chesterwood @ Chesterwood, Stockbridge.
4:00 pm – 6:00 pm Romance in the Afternoon: Piano Recital with Josh Luxon-Robinson @ Sandisfield Arts Center, Sandisfield.
5:00 pm – 6:30 pm Music On The Moltz Terrace: Glenn Jones And Emily Robb @ The Clark Art Institute, Williamstown.
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm Benny Kohn and Susan Davis @ The Barn Kitchen and Bar, Williamstown.
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm Boston University Tanglewood Institute Community Concert @ Becket Arts Center, Becket.
5:30 pm – 6:30 pm DUO EAMON @ Bascom Lodge, Adams.
6:30 pm – 9:30 pm Michael Junkins and Friends @ The Lion’s Den, Stockbridge.
7:30 pm – 9:00 pm Moonlight Sonatas Concert @ Bard College at Simon’s Rock, Great Barrington.
Please get out and support your local musicians and venues!
— Mark @ Music in the Berkshires