The Rogovoy Report: Berkshire & Hudson Valley Cultural Preview

Jul 16-20, 2025

Jul 16, 2025

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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 …

GROUNDTONE EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC FESTIVAL at PS21

Groundtone, a four-day genre-defying music festival featuring immersive and nontraditional performance approaches, takes place at PS21 in Chatham, N.Y., from Friday, July 18, through Monday, July 21. The multitude of participants -- in styles ranging from jazz to experimental pop to new-classical and avant-garde compositions – include violinist Miranda Cuckson, cellist Julia Kent, Lithuanian artist and vocalist Lina Lapelytė, and Exo-Tech, featuring New Zealand pop innovator Kimbra, Wilco guitarist Nels Cline, and keyboardist Yuka Honda, among others. (Fri, Jul 18-Mon, Jul 21)

(l-r) James Naughton, Maria Tucci, John Benjamin Hickey, and Julie White

STARS of STAGE and SCREEN to READ STORIES at THE CLARK

Award-winning actors James Naughton, Maria Tucci, John Benjamin Hickey, and Julie White will offer The Writing on the Wall, a new program combining theater, art, and the written word at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Mass., on Sunday, July 20, at 3pm. Naughton will read Michael Cunningham’s story “White Angel”; Tucci presents Margaret Atwood’s devastating parable “Death by Clamshell”; Hickey will deliver Thomas Meehan’s classic, comic “Yma Dream”; and White takes on Lynna Williams’s “Personal Testimony,” about trouble in Bible camp. (Sun, Jul 20)traditional Irish step dance with an engaging interpretation of contemporary world influences. (Thu, Jul 10-Sun, Jul 13)

Bria Skonberg (photo Shervin Lainez/courtesy artist)

ALL-STAR SUMMIT of JAZZ TRUMPETERS at TANGLEWOOD

Trumpet greats Jon Faddis and Randy Brecker share the stage with the next generation of trumpet superstars, including Benny Benack and Bria Skonberg, joined by the Ted Rosenthal Trio, performing music of trumpet legends Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, and others, in Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood in Lenox, Mass., on Sunday, July 20, at 7pm. In addition to amazing trumpet virtuosity and improvisational creativity, the concert will feature the vocals of Benack and Skonberg, who have toured together with Jazz at Lincoln Center. (Sun, Jul 20)

ARI’EL STACHEL BRINGS ONE-MAN SHOW to UNICORN THEATRE

Tony Award-winner Ari’el Stachel brings Out of Character, his one-man show, to Berkshire Theatre Group’s Unicorn Theatre, running today through Saturday, July 26, at 7pm. In his show, Stachel -- who won the 2018 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his role in The Band’s Visit -- brings to life a full ensemble of characters from his past, weaving an expansive autobiographical tale of his Yemeni-Jewish mixed ethnicity, mental health, and success. The Washington Post noted, “Stachel’s performance is both heartfelt and humorous, offering a nuanced portrayal of his personal journey.” (Wed, Jul 2-Sat, Jul 26)

ALSO OF NOTE:

Chinobay brings the sounds of his native Uganda Africa to The Clark in Williamstown, Mass., on Wednesday, July 16, at 6pm.

Broadway singers Kelli O’Hara and Sutton Foster pay tribute to Julie Andrews and Carol Burnett together with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops in a concert inspired by the 1962 CBS-TV special Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall in the Shed at Tanglewood in Lenox, Mass., on Friday, July 18, at 8pm.

Grammy Award-nominated Memphis-based roots, blues, and soul band Southern Avenue will celebrate the release of Family, their Alligator Records debut, at Bearsville Theater in Woodstock, N.Y., on Friday, July 18, at 8pm.

Olatuja brings their singular blend of Afrobeat, jazz, funk, and soul to the Spiegeltent at Bard Summerscape on the campus of Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y., on Saturday, July 19, at 8pm. The quintet is led by vocalist Alicia Olatuja and Nigerian electric bassist Michael Olatuja.

Singer-songwriters Jeffrey Gaines and Belle-Skinner share a double-bill at Colony Café in Woodstock, N.Y., on Saturday, July 19, at 7pm.

Rootsy singer-songwriter Tracy Grammer brings her pure, emotive vocals, her violin, and her guitar, to Studio 9 in North Adams, Mass., on Sunday, July 20, at 4pm.

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