The Rogovoy Report: Berkshire and Hudson Valley Cultural Preview
Aug 2-10, 2023
With so much going on culturally speaking in our greater Berkshires/Hudson Valley region, this is my highly selective, curated snapshot of some of the most promising upcoming events …
JACOB’S PILLOW CELEBRATES 50 YEARS of HIP-HOP
Jacob’s Pillow in Becket, Mass., celebrates the 50th anniversary of hip-hop -- the diverse culture and art movement catalyzed in the Bronx in August 1973 -- with a one-of-a-kind program, Hip Hop Across the Pillow, featuring dance artists including Rennie Harris Puremovement American Street Dance Theater, Rokafella and Kwikstep, and d. Sabela grimes, and the Ladies of Hip-Hop, running Wednesday, August 2, through Sunday, August 6. (Wed-Sun, Aug 2-6)
DANISH STRING QUARTET PLAYS SCHUBERT at TANGLEWOOD
The Grammy Award-nominated Danish String Quartet will perform works by Schubert and others in Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood in Lenox, Mass., on Wednesday, August 2, at 8pm. Three of the group’s members are from Denmark; the cellist, however, hails from Norway. (Wed, Aug 2)
LUCY KAPLANSKY BRINGS CONFESSIONAL FOLK to CAFFE LENA
New York City singer-songwriter Lucy Kaplansky brings her intimate songs of love and heartache to Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., on Thursday, August 3, at 7pm. (Thu, Aug 3)
BELA FLECK BRINGS OG BLUEGRASS to THE MAHAIWE
15-time Grammy Award-winner Bela Fleck brings his Bluegrass Heart Band to the Mahaiwe in Great Barrington, Mass., on Friday, August 4, at 8pm. Widely considered the most innovative banjoist in the world, Fleck finds himself returning to his old-time bluegrass roots on his current tour. (Fri, Aug 4)
AMBROSIA BRINGS 1970s POP-ROCK HITS to THE COLONIAL
Seventies hitmakers Ambrosia, who fused symphonic art rock with a slickly produced, soulful pop sound that garnered them a handful of hits, including “Nice, Nice, Very Nice,” “How Much I Feel,” and “Biggest Part of Me,” brings its current incarnation, including three of the group’s original members, to the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, Mass., on Friday, August 4, at 7:30pm. The group’s music might remind listeners of musical contemporaries including Genesis, Steely Dan, and the Doobie Brothers. (Fri, Aug 4)
ULYSSES QUARTET to PLAY BEETHOVEN, RHIANNON GIDDENS, TAN DUN, OTHERS at PS21
The Ulysses Quartet is in residence at PS21 in Chatham, N.Y., on Saturday, August 5, as part of the venue’s House Blend Concert Series of adventurous chamber music. At 1pm, the quartet will perform Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 9 in C major and Zosha Di Castri’s String Quartet No. 1. At 7pm, the quartet will tackle works by composers including Rhiannon Giddens, Tan Dun, Luciano Berio, and Telemann. (Sat, Aug 5)
PIANIST PRISCILA NAVARRO PLAYS LATINX PROGRAM at MAVERICK
Peruvian pianist Priscila Navarro performs works by post-Romantic Spanish composer Isaac Albéniz, young Peruvian composer Jimmy López Bellido, and several short 21st century pieces by Cuban American composer/conductor Tania León, at Maverick Concerts in Woodstock, N.Y., on Saturday, August 5, at 8pm, as part of a six-concert mini-series that illuminates the historical significance and celebrates the current vitality of Latino and Hispanic creativity in the classical and jazz traditions. Also at Maverick this weekend, the Verona Quartet, quartet-in-residence at Oberlin College, performs an eclectic program of works by Mozart, and Polish composer/violinist Grażyna Bacewicz, on Sunday, August 6, 4pm. (Sat-Sun, Aug 5-6)
BARD MUSIC FESTIVAL CELEBRATES RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS
The Bard Music Festival returns for its 33rd season with an exploration of the life and work of English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, which runs at the Bard Fisher Center from Friday, August 4, through Sunday, August 13. Highlights include Between Two Worlds: London and Berlin, a program contextualizing Vaughan Williams among contemporaries, including Max Bruch, Ethel Smyth, Frank Bridge, and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, on Saturday, August 5, at 1:30pm, and Heirs and Rebels: British Art Songs, featuring works by Maude Valérie White, Liza Lehrmann, Roger Quilter, Benjamin Britten, and Gerald Finzi, on Sunday, August 6, at 10am. (Sat-Sun, Aug 5-6)
AARON DIEHL to SALUTE SIR ROLAND HANNA at TANGLEWOOD
The Aaron Diehl Trio, featuring Aaron Kimmel on drums and David Wong on bass, presents a jazz program including Sir Roland Hanna’s 24 Preludes, in Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood, Mass., on Sunday, August 6, at 8pm. (Sun, Aug 6)
MELISSA ETHERIDGE to PERFORM INTIMATE CONCERT at THE EGG
Groundbreaking female rocker Melissa Etheridge brings her rock anthems and songs of female empowerment to the Egg in Albany, N.Y., on Tuesday, August 8, at 8pm. (Tue, Aug 8)
MATISYAHU and G LOVE BRING ROOTSY SOUNDS to BEARSVILLE THEATER
A double-bill featuring spiritual singer-songwriter Matisyahu and roots artist G. Love and Special Sauce bring their summer tour to the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock, N.Y., on Thursday, August 10, at 7:30pm. Grammy Award-nominated Matisyahu is widely recognized for his unique fusion of spiritual themes with reggae, rock, and hip-hop beatboxing. G. Love & Special Sauce are known for their innovative blend of alternative hip hop, blues, and funk. (Thu, Aug 10)
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Roll Call: Founding Members
Anne Fredericks
Anonymous (6)
Erik Bruun
Benno Friedman
Richard Koplin
Steve and Helice Picheny
Rhonda Rosenheck
Elisa Spungen and Rob Bildner/Berkshires Farm Table Cookbook
Julie Abraham Stone
Mary Herr Tally