The Rogovoy Report: Berkshire and Hudson Valley Cultural Preview
June 20-29, 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 …
MANDY PATINKIN SINGS at BARRINGTON STAGE
Mandy Patinkin, the Tony Award-winning Broadway legend as well as a star of the silver screen and the home TV screen, brings his Being Alive concert program to Barrington Stage in Pittsfield, Mass., for shows on Tuesday, June 20, and the following Tuesday, June 27, both at 8pm. The concert will feature a fusion of Broadway tunes and songs by contemporary composers including Randy Newman, Stephen Sondheim, Harry Chapin, and Rufus Wainwright. (Tues, June 20 & 27)
SARAH LEE GUTHRIE SINGS SOLO in SHEFFIELD
Folksinger Sarah Lee Guthrie, the scion of the first family of American folk music, will bring it all back home when she performs at the Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield, Mass., on Thursday, June 22, at 7:30pm. Guthrie boasts a voice tailor-made for her blend of folk, country, Western swing, and Americana sounds, reminiscent of Emmylou Harris and Patsy Cline. (Thu, Jun 22)
PAUL TAYLOR COMPANY DANCES at PS21
Paul Taylor Dance Company returns to PS21 in Chatham, N.Y., on Thursday, June 22, and Friday, June 23, at 8pm, with signature works including Mercuric Tidings, danced to Schubert, A Field of Grass, featuring songs sung by Harry Nilsson, and Piazzolla Caldera, a tango-inspired piece with music by Astor Piazzolla. (Thu-Fri, Jun 22-23)
NELLIE McKAY BRINGS QUIRKY PRE-ROCK POP to THE LINDA
Sophisticated singer-songwriter Nellie McKay brings her eclectic musical reach and her dazzling lyrical wit, often delivered in the style of pre-rock pop, to The Linda, WAMC’s Performing Arts Studio, on Thursday, June 22, at 8pm. The multi-talented Nellie McKay made her smash debut in 2004 with her groundbreaking double-CD, “Get Away from Me,” showcasing her, which extended to the album’s title, a subtle play on “Come Away with Me,” the breakthrough album by a somewhat similarly inclined pop-folk jazz singer named Norah Jones. (Thu, Jun 22)
SUFJAN STEVENS MUSICAL GETS WORLD PREMIERE at BARD
Bard SummerScape’s 20th anniversary season, Breaking Ground, opens on Friday, June 23, at 7:30pm, with the world premiere of Illinois, a new, full-length music-theater work based on the 2005 concept album of the same name by Grammy- and Oscar-nominated singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens. Commissioned by SummerScape, the musical has been called “an ecstatic pageant of storytelling, theater, dance, and live music that takes audiences on a wild ride through the American heartland.” Sufjan Stevens’ Illinois album enjoys cult status for its lush orchestrations and wildly inventive portrayal of the state’s people, landscapes, and history, complete with UFOs, zombies, and predatory wasps. The musical runs through Sunday, July 2. (Fri, Jun 23-Sun, Jul 2)
ASTON MAGNA PERFORMS ‘MORALITY TALES’ at St JAMES PLACE
The Devil’s in the Tales, a revival of the partnering of two morality tales -- Alessandro Scarlatti’s “Humanitá e Lucifero” and Stravinsky’s “L’Histoire du Soldat” -- will be presented by Aston Magna at St. James Place in Great Barrington, Mass., on Saturday, June 24, at 6pm. The concert features soprano Kristen Watson and tenor Frank Kelley. (Sat, Jun 24)
AIMEE MANN BRINGS PERFECT POP to POUGHKEEPSIE
Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Aimee Mann brings her impeccable and literate songcraft, her poignant vocals, and her charming stage presence to the Bardavon in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., on Saturday, June 24, at 8pm. Comedic singer-songwriter Jonathan Coulton warms up the crowd for Aimee Mann. (Sat, Jun 24)
LAURIE ANDERSON, DIANA KRALL, REGINA SPEKTOR PAY TRIBUTE to BARYSHNIKOV at KAATSBAAN
Dancer and choreographer Mikhail Baryshnikov is the focus of a daylong 75th birthday tribute at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park in Tivoli, N.Y., on Sunday, June 25, starting at 2pm. The event will feature an afternoon concert of influential musicians of the 20th and 21st centuries whose work has inspired Baryshnikov throughout his life in the U.S. Among the performers are American avant-garde artist, composer, and musician Laurie Anderson, Canadian jazz pianist and singer Diana Krall, and Russian–born American singer, songwriter, and pianist Regina Spektor. The program will also feature a musical performance by choreographer Mark Morris. (Sun, Jun 25)
HERMANOS GUTIÉRREZ BRING LATIN GUITAR SOUNDS to THE CLARK
Guitar duo Hermanos Gutiérrez kicks off a five-part outdoor concert series at the Clark in Williamstown, Mass., with a free performance on Wednesday, June 28, at 6pm. The Ecuadorian-Swiss Gutiérrez brothers, Alejandro and Estevan, transport their audiences to landscapes inspired by the sounds of surf guitar, spaghetti Westerns, indie-rock, and Latin folk. (Wed, Jun 28)
VIEUX FARKA TOURÉ BRINGS ‘DESERT BLUES’ to RACE BROOK LODGE
Vieux Farka Touré, often referred to as “the Hendrix of the Sahara,” brings his Malian-bred Afrofunk to Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield, Mass., on Thursday, June 29, at 7pm. His father, Ali Farka Touré, is considered a pioneer of African desert blues. Straddling the tightrope between Middle Eastern, West African, and downtown NYC improv aesthetics, Trio Xalam, led by oud wizard Brandon Terzic, will warm up the crowd for Touré. (Thu, June 29)
CHRIS THILE JOINS THE KNIGHTS at TANGLEWOOD
Acclaimed mandolinist Chris Thile accompanies the contemporary orchestral ensemble The Knights in a program featuring works by Bartok, Jessie Montgomery, and George Enesco in Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood in Lenox, Mass., on Thursday, June 29, at 8pm. The concert also features Thile’s composition, ATTENTION!, a narrative song cycle for extroverted mandolinist and orchestra, two of whose movements are titled “Lord Starbucks” and “Carrie Freaking Fisher.” (Thu, Jun 29)
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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