The second week of July offers a staggering 90 live music performances in Berkshire County. It is perhaps the most diverse week of music we’ve had this year, with an incredible array of performances providing something for nearly every musical taste. Music lovers will find classical, opera, Broadway, jazz of all types, pop, rock, folk, blues, bluegrass, Afrobeat, and West African Kora music. Below are some highlights for the week ahead, followed by our comprehensive show rundown.
Classical and Opera
After last week’s opening night at Tanglewood, the classical music season is in full bloom, with 16 performances in the county, 13 of them at Tanglewood. The music starts Monday at noon with En-Ting Hus and pianist Charles Tsui performing works by J.S. Bach, Robert Schumann, Lili Boulanger, and Kenji Bunch at Saint John’s Episcopal Church in Williamstown. Monday night at Tanglewood, you’ll find Andris Nelsons and the TMC Conducting Fellows lead the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra in Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5.
Wednesday night in Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood, you’ll find Tanglewood Recital Series: Miloš, guitar. His performance will cover the Baroque era with works by J.S. Bach through contemporary times with music by Duplessy. Friday night, there is a special collaborative performance at Tanglewood: Andris Nelsons conducts Stravinsky and Rimsky-Korsakov featuring the Boston Ballet. This performance is preceded by a Prelude Concert in Ozawa Hall. Elsewhere on Friday, you’ll find Classic Lyric Arts: Opera Recital at the Adams Theatre. Students and faculty of the Classic Lyric Arts program will present classical opera pieces with a focus on Mozart’s Italian Operas.
Saturday early evening, you can listen to Aston Magna: J. S. Bach: The Three Partitas for Solo Violin at St. James Place in Great Barrington, and then later in the evening, you’ll find Andris Nelsons conducts Simon and Beethoven featuring Yuja Wang, piano at Tanglewood. The Sunday featured performance at Tanglewood is Andris Nelsons conducts Kirkland Snider, Prokofiev, and Dvořák featuring Augustin Hadelich, violin. You can also attend the rehearsal of this program on Saturday morning. In addition to these performances, there are six smaller Tanglewood performances at the Tanglewood Linde Center and Ozawa Hall.
Jazz
Jazz lovers will find 15 performances in the county this week. The music starts with Andy Wrba, Conor Meehan, and Benny Kohn hosting Monday Night Jazz at Pizzeria Boema in Lenox. On Tuesday, you’ll find the Ted Rosenthal Trio at the BU Tanglewood Institute in Lenox. The trio will perform jazz standards, Ted’s arrangements from the Great American Songbook, as well as his original compositions, including selections from his jazz opera, “Dear Erich.” Also on Tuesday, catch the Jazz Night with Paul Ostermayer and Friends at Tito’s Mexican Bar and Grill in Pittsfield.
On Wednesday, at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, you’ll find an Outdoor Concert: Sonny Troupé Ka Quintet. Troupé, from Guadeloupe, is a French Caribbean drummer who fuses modern jazz with traditional rhythms. Also on Wednesday, you can catch the Ed Orgill Trio at The Lion’s Den in Stockbridge. Thursday, you can enjoy the Natalia Bernal Quartet Sounds of Summer Music Series at The Mount in Lenox, featuring the very talented Bernal on vocals, Jason Ennis on guitar, and Adam Cote on bass.
Friday night, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy makes a stop on their national tour at the Mahaiwe in Great Barrington. Formed in the early nineties in California, the band was at the forefront of the swing revival, blending “classic American sounds of jazz, swing, and early styles, with the energy and spirit of contemporary culture.” Meanwhile, over at The Egremont Barn, you can dance to the hard-swinging jazz band The Lucky 5. Jazz lovers might also dig Seun Kuti, performing at MASS MoCA on Friday, who is labeled as an Afrobeat performer, but is making appearances at jazz festivals across the country. We cover him in our Something Else category.
Saturday early afternoon, you can enjoy traditional New Orleans-style jazz at Jazz in Persip Park with Andy Kelly’s Jazz Ambassadors in downtown Pittsfield, followed by the Berkshires Jazz Summer Showcase at the First Street Common. Later in the afternoon, head out to the New Marlborough Meeting House, where you’ll find a family-friendly performance by Heard World Jazz. The band draws on influences from West Africa, Brazil, the Caribbean, and beyond and is a four-time Eddy Music Awards nominee in the World Music category. Then later in the evening, Misha Piatigorsky will perform at the Lion’s Den in Stockbridge.
Sunday morning, take in the Domingo Brunch featuring the Richard Stanmeyer Trio at Dottie’s Coffee Lounge in Pittsfield, or head down to Sheffield midday to chill at the Jazz Brunch with Michael Junkins at Race Brook Lodge. Michael is very busy on Sunday; in the evening you can catch Michael Junkins and Friends performing at The Lion’s Den. This week Michael features “The Regulars” with Will Hudgins on vibes.
Popular (Rock, Pop, Folk, Blues, etc.)
This week, the popular music category dominates our calendar, with over 50 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 outdoors on Monday early evening with Music Mondays: Wanda Houston at the Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge. Don’t miss this local favorite performing in a lovely setting amongst the beautiful flower and vegetable gardens.
Wednesday afternoon, you can listen to some hot reggae while cooling off by the pool at the Reggae Wednesday Pool Party with The Haughties at Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield. Wednesday is a big night for outdoor concerts, with Lady Di and the Dukes at Lilac Park in Lenox, Bluesday Night at Windsor Lake in North Adams, and Jack Waldheim at the Dalton CRA (Jack plays again Thursday night at Dream Away Lodge in Becket). All these outdoor series and more were covered in our recent article in our sister publication Berkshire Magazine, Great Music in the Great Outdoors. If you’d rather be indoors, then a great option is seeing Glori Wilder at the Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn in Lenox.
Thursday night, you’ll find Vieux Farka Touré (pictured above) at Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield. Often referred to as “The Hendrix of the Sahara,” Touré performed at the Opening Celebration of the 2010 FIFA World Cup and has over 450K monthly listeners on Spotify. He’ll play blues, jazz, Malian folk, world, rock, reggae, and soul. Katherine Winston & Micheal Aaron are at The Lion’s Den, while Steely Dan lovers will want to head down to The Egremont Barn to see FM-Steely Dan Tribute.
Friday early evening has more outdoor concert options with James Blonde at Catamount in South Egremont, Jack Waldheim at Persip Park in Pittsfield, the Aimee Van Dyne Band at the Great Barrington Town Hall, and Berkshire Busk in downtown Great Barrington. You’ve also got got plenty of indoor options. At Studio 9 in North Adams, you’ll find Railway Concerts Presents: Miles And Mafale, featuring the modern folk couple Catherine Miles and Jay Mafale. Further south, Lisa Michelle Anderson is at The Lion’s Den, while Rabbit Ears (Guthrie-Irion Band), a new collaboration between Berkshire-based folk-rocker Johnny Irion and his daughter Robin, performs at Dream Away Lodge in Becket.
On Saturday, Berkshire Busk continues in downtown Great Barrington in the afternoon and evening with another four musical performances – see our Music Calendar for a list of performers. Several local favorites are performing around the county on Saturday night: Bobby Sweet, Lara Tupper, Pete Adams are at Holiday Brook Farm in Dalton, Katherine Winston & Michael Aaron are at the Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn, and Andy Wrba & Friends are at The Egremont Barn. Touring performers include Vermont’s Kat Wright, described as a young Bonnie Raitt, playing a show rescheduled from April at The Stationery Factory in Dalton. Folk-rocker Vance Gilbert is at The Guthrie Center in Great Barrington, and the Brooklyn alt-pop band Reliant Tom is at Dream Away Lodge. Hard core and emo fans might want to head over to Hot Plate Brewing in Pittsfield to see Minus Points, Emodaycare, When The Time Comes, and Cemetery Weather.
Sunday midday, consider heading to First Congregational Church of Lee to listen to Riverbend perform as part of the town’s Sundays in the Park live music series. On the Sunday afternoon “winery and brewery circuit,” you will find Nate Martel at Antimony Brewing in Lenox, Livio Gravini at Balderdash Cellars in Richmond, and Nate Goyette & Dylan Patrick Ward at Bright Ideas Brewing in North Adams. In the evening, consider listening to Lizzie & The Makers at Dream Away Lodge, described as “Roots-influenced rock with a dark side.”
Something Else
This week, we have eight options in our Something Else category. Monday night, you’ll find The New Belters at Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield. Seth Sikes & Nicolas King pay tribute to the stars of the American Songbook, such as Sammy Davis Jr., Anthony Newley, Liza Minnelli, Judy Garland, Ethel Merman, Barbra Streisand, and others. Wednesday early evening, you can take the kids to Family Night at the Village at Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield, where Terry A La Berry and Friends will be performing material for children of all ages. Or, you can listen to the Eagles Trombone Band perform outdoors at the Great Barrington Town Hall.
Friday night, Nigerian Afrobeat artist Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 are at MASS MoCA in North Adams. Kuti is featured in two of Janelle Monáe’s songs on her 2018 album The Age of Pleasure, including “Float,” garnering over 17M streams on Spotify. Saturday morning, there is a children’s event Grumbling Gryphons Children Theater Presents “ANANZI” at the Great Barrington Town Hall as part of the town’s summer concert series. In the evening, you’ll find Music At The Manton: Ximena Bedoya and Loculus Dance Collective at The Clark Art Institute in Williamstown. Ximena Bedoya ”explores transitional states of mind, body, and space through audiovisual experiences.” Or you can catch Kora Duets with Madou Sidiki Diabaté and Salif Bamakora at The Foundry in West Stockbridge, featuring the world-renowned 71st-generation West African Kora virtuoso Madou Sidiki Diabaté. You can close out your week with Sam Lardner & Barcelona at Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield. Lardner and his band offer “Spanish influences, rhythmic hand clapping, and call and response between the music and singers.”
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 En-Ting Hus and pianist Charles Tsui @ Saint John’s Episcopal Church, Williamstown.
5:30 pm – 7:30 pm Music Mondays: Wanda Houston @ Berkshire Botanical Garden, Stockbridge.
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Monday Night Jazz @ Pizzeria Boema, Lenox.
8:00 pm Andris Nelsons and the TMC Conducting Fellows lead the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra in Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 @ Tanglewood, Lenox.
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm The New Belters @ Barrington Stage Company, Pittsfield.
Tuesday
5:30 pm – 8:30 pm Jazz Night with Paul Ostermayer and Friends @ Tito’s Mexican Bar and Grill, Pittsfield.
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm Ted Rosenthal Trio @ BU Tanglewood Institute, Lenox.
Wednesday
1:30 pm TLI Open Workshops: Stephanie Blythe, mezzo-soprano @ Tanglewood, Lenox.
4:00 pm – 8:00 pm Reggae Wednesday Pool Party With The Haughties @ Race Brook Lodge, Sheffield.
5:00 pm Family Night at the Village @ Hancock Shaker Village, Pittsfield.
5:30 pm – 7:15 pm Eagles Trombone Band @ Great Barrington Town Hall, Great Barrington.
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm Outdoor Concert: Sonny Troupé Ka Quintet @ The Clark Art Institute, Williamstown.
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm Lady Di and the Dukes @ Lilac Park, Lenox.
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm Bluesday Night @ Windsor Lake, North Adams.
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm Jack Waldheim @ Dalton CRA, Dalton.
6:30 pm – 9:30 pm Ed Orgill Trio @ The Lion’s Den, Stockbridge.
7:30 pm – 9:30 pm Glori Wilder @ Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn, Lenox.
8:00 pm Tanglewood Recital Series: Miloš, guitar @ Tanglewood, Lenox.
Thursday
1:00 pm TLI Talks and Walks @ Tanglewood, Lenox.
2:00 pm TLI The Art of Conducting: Dima Slobodeniouk @ Tanglewood, Lenox.
5:30 pm – 7:00 pm Natalia Bernal Quartet Sounds of Summer Music Series @ The Mount, Lenox.
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 – 10:00 pm FM-Steely Dan Tribute @ Egremont Barn, South Egremont.
8:00 pm – 11:00 pm Vieux Farka Touré @ Race Brook Lodge, Sheffield.
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm Jack Waldheim & the Criminal Hearts @ Dream Away Lodge, Becket.
Friday
4:00 pm TLI Presents: George Balanchine—Stravinsky’s American Muse @ Tanglewood, Lenox.
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm Austin Honig @ Balderdash Cellars, Richmond.
5:00 pm – 8:30 pm James Blonde @ Catamount, South Egremont.
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm Jack Waldheim @ Persip Park, Pittsfield.
5:30 pm – 7:15 pm Aimee Van Dyne Band @ Great Barrington Town Hall, Great Barrington.
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 Classic Lyric Arts: Opera Recital @ Adams Theatre, Adams.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Lisa Anderson @ The Lion’s Den, Stockbridge.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Jon Berman @ Antimony Brewing, Lenox.
7:30 pm – 10:30 pm Railway Concerts Presents: Miles And Mafale @ Studio 9, North Adams.
7:30 pm – 10:30 pm The Lucky 5 @ Egremont Barn, South Egremont.
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm Rabbit Ears (Guthrie-Irion Band) @ Dream Away Lodge, Becket.
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm Big Bad Voodoo Daddy @ Mahaiwe, Great Barrington.
8:00 pm – 11:00 pm The Rattletones @ Knox Trail Inn, East Otis.
8:00 pm Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 @ MASS MoCA, North Adams.
8:00 pm Andris Nelsons conducts Stravinsky and Rimsky-Korsakov featuring the Boston Ballet @ Tanglewood, Lenox.
Saturday
10:30 am Open Rehearsal: Andris Nelsons conducts Kirkland Snider, Prokofiev, and Dvořák featuring Augustin Hadelich, violin @ Tanglewood, Lenox.
10:30 am – 12:00 pm Grumbling Gryphons Children Theater Presents “ANANZI” @ Great Barrington Town Hall, Great Barrington.
12:00 pm – 3:00 pm Sky Full of Dippers @ Balderdash Cellars, Richmond.
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm Berkshire Busk @ Downtown Great Barrington, Great Barrington.
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm Jazz in Persip Park with Andy Kelly’s Jazz Ambassadors @ Persip Park, Pittsfield.
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm The Juckets at Sam Adams Beer Tasting @ Lenox Library, Lenox.
4:00 pm – 7:00 pm Tony Bernardo @ Balderdash Cellars, Richmond.
4:30 pm – 5:30 pm Heard World Jazz @ New Marlborough Meeting House, New Marlborough.
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm Music Brings Communities Together – Robin O’Herin @ Becket Arts Center, Becket.
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm Aston Magna: J. S. Bach: The Three Partitas For Solo Violin @ St. James Place, Great Barrington.
6:00 pm – 10:00 pm The Sheaves, Chronophage, Creative Writing, Magick Lantern show at shop @ Belltower Records, North Adams.
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm Mark Franklin @ Dalton CRA, Dalton.
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 – 10:00 pm Bobby Sweet, Lara Tupper, Pete Adams @ Holiday Brook Farm, Dalton.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Cam Collins @ Antimony Brewing, Lenox.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Mike Duffy @ Methuselah Bar & Lounge, Pittsfield.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Silverlake 413 Presents: Minus Points, Emodaycare, When The Time Comes, and Cemetery Weather @ Hot Plate Brewing Co, Pittsfield.
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm The Brave Brothers @ Firehouse Cafe & Bistro, Adams.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Misha Piatigorsky @ The Lion’s Den, Stockbridge.
7:30 pm – 9:30 pm Katherine Winston & Michael Aaron @ Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn, Lenox.
7:30 pm – 10:30 pm Andy Wrba & Friends @ Egremont Barn, South Egremont.
8:00 pm – 10:30 pm Kat Wright @ The Stationery Factory, Dalton.
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm Vance Gilbert Live at The Guthrie Center @ Guthrie Center, Great Barrington.
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm Reliant Tom @ Dream Away Lodge, Becket.
8:00 pm – 11:00 pm Liquid Courage @ Locker Room Sports Pub, Lee.
8:00 pm Andris Nelsons conducts Simon and Beethoven featuring Yuja Wang, piano @ Tanglewood, Lenox.
Sunday
10:00 am – 12:00 pm Domingo Brunch featuring the Richard Stanmeyer Trio @ Dottie’s and Dorothy’s, Pittsfield.
10:00 am TMC Chamber Music @ Tanglewood, Lenox.
10:30 am TLI for Families: “Join the Dance” with BU Tanglewood Institute musicians @ Tanglewood, Lenox.
12:00 pm – 3:00 pm Jazz Brunch with Michael Junkins @ Race Brook Lodge, Sheffield.
12:30 pm – 2:30 pm Riverbend @ First Congregational Church of Lee, Lee.
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Livio Gravini @ Balderdash Cellars, Richmond.
2:30 pm Andris Nelsons conducts Kirkland Snider, Prokofiev, and Dvořák featuring Augustin Hadelich, violin @ Tanglewood, Lenox.
3:00 pm Nate Martel @ Antimony Brewing, Lenox.
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm Melissa Brinton @ The Barn Kitchen and Bar, Williamstown.
5:30 pm – 6:30 pm Wintergreen @ Bascom Lodge, Adams.
6:00 pm – 7:00 pm Music At The Manton: Ximena Bedoya And Loculus Dance Collective @ The Clark Art Institute, Williamstown.
6:30 pm – 9:30 pm Michael Junkins and Friends @ The Lion’s Den, Stockbridge.
7:00 pm TMC Vocal Recital @ Tanglewood, Lenox.
7:00 pm Kora Duets with Madou Sidiki Diabaté and Salif Bamakora @ The Foundry, West Stockbridge.
7:30 pm – 11:00 pm Sam Lardner & Barcelona @ Race Brook Lodge, Sheffield.
7:30 pm – 9:30 pm Lizzie & The Makers @ Dream Away Lodge, Becket.
Please get out and support your local musicians and venues!
— Mark @ Music in the Berkshires