Monday marks President’s Day and the start of school vacation week in Massachusetts. With kids at home, ski slopes buzzing, and parents ready for a well-earned break, what better way to unwind than with some incredible live music? This week, Berkshire County offers 42 performances spanning classical, jazz, rock, folk, and Americana. Below are some standout shows, followed by our full event lineup.
Classical and Opera
This week, we have three classical performances. On Tuesday night at Williams College, you can listen to talented student musicians at the Berkshire Symphony Soloist Competition. Back at Williams on Friday night, the Williams Chamber Players perform music by Handel, Penderecki, Mahler, and Shostakovich. Sunday, enjoy Close Encounters With Music: 6 Unaccompanied Bach Suites for Cello at St. James Place in Great Barrington. Acclaimed musicians Colin Carr and Yehuda Hanani perform Bach’s six suites for cello.
Jazz
We have five jazz performances this week. The jazz week starts Wednesday night with the Ed Orgill Trio at The Lion’s Den in Stockbridge. Thursday night, catch the Bobby Macveety Trio at the Ostrich Room at the Apple Tree Inn in Lenox. Saturday night, you can enjoy the Lonny Jarrett and Friends at Dottie’s in Pittsfield. Sunday at midday, you can enjoy the Jazz Brunch with Pamela Knowles at Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield, and on Sunday night, you’ll find Michael Junkins and Friends at The Lion’s Den. This week, Michael features Eric Loffswold on saxophone.
Popular (Rock, Pop, Folk, Blues, etc.)
The popular music category dominates our calendar this week, with over 25 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 Wednesday afternoon slopeside at Bousquet Mountain in Pittsfield with Patio Tunes with Jack Waldheim. If you are skiing further north, then enjoy Peak Music Series – Billy Gilbert at Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort in Hancock.
Thursday night has lots of great music with DCSC: Kendra McKinley at Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield. This is the second of three performances as part of Kendra’s February residency at the lodge – we went to see her tribute to Joni Mitchell this past week and thoroughly enjoyed it. I had the pleasure of speaking with Kendra two weeks ago – read my interview with this creative and fascinating multi-faceted artist. Glori Wilder is performing at The Lion’s Den in Stockbridge. She performs again on Saturday night in the Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn in Lenox. I interviewed Glori for the profile I wrote for Berkshire Magazine: “Take Note: Glori Wilder.” This was the first in a new series highlighting young artists making their mark on the music scene in the Berkshires – stay tuned for the next installment, which will hit the streets in early March in the next issue of the magazine. Elsewhere on Thursday, Rounder’s Revival is at the Route 8 Pub in Becket. If you can’t make it out to Becket, you can see them in Pittsfield on Friday night at Dottie’s.
Friday night, catch Dawn Landes (pictured above) at The Lion’s Den. Dawn is a folk singer-songwriter who has a large Spotify following (157K monthly listeners), and her 2014 song “Try to Make a Fire Burn Again” has nearly 35M streams. Listen here on YouTube. Elsewhere, enjoy folk-Americana artist Riley Cotton with Barbara Stein at the Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn. Lovers of Emerson Lake and Palmer (I was one in middle school) will want to get over to the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield to hear Manticore: A Tribute to Emerson, Lake & Palmer. As I researched this performance, ELPs opening line, “Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends…” from their 1973 song “Karn Evil 9,” resurfaced from somewhere deep in my memory. IYKYK. ELP’s adaptations of “Fanfare for the Common Man” and “Hoe-down” turned me on to Aaron Copeland’s works. Nate Martel is at Knox Trail Inn in East Otis; he performs again at Balderdash Cellars in Richmond on Saturday afternoon.
On Saturday evening, catch Chris Merenda of The Whiskey Treaty Roadshow and Picky Bastards at the Becket Arts Center. Local favorite Wanda Houston performs at The Lion’s Den, and if you miss her there, you can catch her Sunday afternoon at Balderdash Cellars. The Celtic rock band Kilashandra jams at Methuselah Bar & Lounge in Pittsfield. The Colonial Theatre offers another tribute show, Memories of Patsy: The Patsy Cline Tribute Show. If you love ’80s metal bands like Bon Jovi and Whitesnake, then you’ll want to be at Proprietor’s Lodge in Pittsfield to jam with Aquanett.
Sunday morning, head on over to Dottie’s in Pittsfield for the Domingo Brunch featuring Amy Attias and Dave Christopolis. On the Sunday “winery and brewery circuit,” you can enjoy Wanda Houston at Balderdash Cellars in Richmond in the afternoon and Lindsey Anne at Antimony Brewing in Lenox in Lenox. Over in Dalton, catch The Mikes at portaVia, while Jack Waldheim performs in the early evening at Route 8 Pub in Becket.
Something Else
We have one performance in our Something Else category this week: Thursday night’s Artist-in-Residence: Xolisile Bongwana at Studio 9 in North Adams. Born in Eastern Cape, South Africa, Bongwana is a musician, dancer, composer, and choreographer. He just completed a week-long residency at Studio 9 and will share original music and a behind-the-scenes look at his creative process.
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. 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
No Performances – Happy President’s Day!
Tuesday
6:00 pm Berkshire Symphony Soloist Competition @ Williams College, Williamstown.
Wednesday
12:00 pm – 4:00 pm Patio Tunes with Jack Waldheim @ Bousquet, Pittsfield.
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm DOPO Dinner Club with Benny Kohn @ portaVia, Dalton.
6:30 pm – 9:30 pm Ed Orgill Trio @ The Lion's Den, Stockbridge.
7:00 pm Greg Hall @ Hot Plate Brewing Co, Pittsfield.
7:30 pm – 9:30 pm Peak Music Series – Billy Gilbert @ Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort, Hancock.
Thursday
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm Bobby Macveety Trio @ Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn, Lenox.
7:00 pm Artist-in-Residence: Xolisile Bongwana @ Studio 9, North Adams.
7:00 pm Glori Wilder @ The Lion's Den, Stockbridge.
7:00 pm Rounder’s Revival @ Route 8 Pub, Becket.
7:30 pm – 9:30 pm Jason & Trev @ Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort, Hancock.
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm DCSC: Kendra McKinley @ Race Brook Lodge, Sheffield.
Friday
6:00 pm Nate Martel @ Knox Trail Inn, East Otis.
6:00 pm – 10:00 pm Friday Supper Club w/Rounders Revival and Guest Chef Core Kitchen @ Dottie's and Dorothy's, Pittsfield.
6:30 pm – 9:30 pm Riley Cotton & Barbara Stein Double Bill @ Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn, Lenox.
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm Jaane Doe (Elizabeth Berliner) @ Appetito, Lee.
7:00 pm Dawn Landes @ The Lion's Den, Stockbridge.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Amy Ryan Band @ Firefly Gastropub, Lenox.
7:00 pm – 8:00 pm 5 Pound Horse @ Images Cinema, Williamstown.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Tom Savoy @ Antimony Brewing, Lenox.
7:30 pm Williams Chamber Players @ Williams College, Williamstown.
7:30 pm Manticore: A Tribute to Emerson, Lake & Palmer @ Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield.
7:30 pm – 9:30 pm Peak Music Series – Greg Caproni @ Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort, Hancock.
Saturday
1:30 pm – 4:30 pm Nate Martel @ Balderdash Cellars, Richmond.
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Michael Louis in the Catamount Lodge @ Catamount, South Egremont.
6:00 pm – 10:00 pm Lonny Jarrett and Friends @ Dottie's and Dorothy's, Pittsfield.
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm Chris Merenda Performance @ Becket Arts Center, Becket.
7:00 pm Wanda Houston @ The Lion's Den, Stockbridge.
7:00 pm Kilashandra @ Methuselah Bar & Lounge, Pittsfield.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Jason & Trev @ Antimony Brewing, Lenox.
7:30 pm Memories of Patsy: The Patsy Cline Tribute Show @ Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield.
7:30 pm – 10:30 pm Glori Wilder & Friends @ Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn, Lenox.
7:30 pm – 9:30 pm Peak Music Series – Jack Waldheim @ Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort, Hancock.
8:00 pm – 11:00 pm Brian Benlein @ Locker Room Sports Pub, Lee.
8:00 pm Even It Up! @ Knox Trail Inn, East Otis.
8:00 pm – 11:00 pm Aquanett @ Proprietor's Lodge, Pittsfield.
Sunday
10:00 am – 12:00 pm Domingo Brunch featuring Amy Attias and Dave Christopolis @ Dottie's and Dorothy's, Pittsfield.
12:00 pm – 3:00 pm Jazz Brunch with Pamela Knowles @ Race Brook Lodge, Sheffield.
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm The Mikes @ portaVia, Dalton.
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Wanda Houston @ Balderdash Cellars, Richmond.
3:00 pm – 6:00 pm Melissa Brinton @ Shaw Pond Club, Becket.
4:00 pm – 6:00 pm Close Encounters With Music: 6 Unaccompanied Bach Suites for Cello (SOLD-OUT) @ St. James Place, Great Barrington.
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm Jack Waldheim @ Route 8 Pub, Becket.
6:30 pm Michael Junkins and Friends @ The Lion's Den, Stockbridge.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Lindsey Anne @ Antimony Brewing, Lenox.
Please get out and support your local musicians and venues!
— Mark @ Music in the Berkshires