The Rogovoy Report: Berkshire & Hudson Valley Cultural Preview
Aug 31-Sep 3, 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 …
JACKSON BROWNE RETURNS to TANGLEWOOD
The BSO has skipped town but the music continues at Tanglewood in Lenox, Mass., for a few more weeks. Folk-rock singer-songwriter Jackson Browne brings his hit-filled catalog to the Shed on Thursday, August 31, at 7pm. Browne’s best-known songs include such era-defining numbers as “Doctor My Eyes,” “Here Come Those Tears Again,” “Running on Empty,” and “The Pretender.” (Thu, Aug 31)
JASON ROBERT BROWN to SING ALL HIS SONGS at BARRINGTON STAGE
Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist Jason Robert Brown says he will play every song he has ever written in chronological order at Mr. Finn’s Cabaret at Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield, Mass., on Thursday, August 31, and Friday, September 1, both at 8pm. Brown’s musicals include Mr. Saturday Night, Parade, 13, The Bridges of Madison County, and The Last Five Years. He will be accompanied by his “excellent pal” and local hero Todd Reynolds on violin and electronics. (Thu-Fri, Aug 31-Fri, Sep 1)
BERKSHIRE OPERA TACKLES PUCCINI’s LA BOHÈME
Soprano Whitney Morrison and tenor Yongzhao Yu star in the Berkshire Opera Festival’s production of Puccini’s La Bohème at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, Mass., on Saturday, August 26, at 1pm; Tuesday, August 29, at 7:30pm; and Friday, September 1, at 7:30pm. The opera will be sung in Italian with projected English translations. The opera festival promises “an exciting, new adaptation of Giacomo Puccini’s timeless love story from 1896.” (Sat, Aug 26; Tue, Aug 29; Fri, Sept 1)
CAROLYN WONDERLAND BRINGS ROOTS and BLUES to ATHENS RIVERFRONT
Texas guitar-slinger, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Carolyn Wonderland, who spent three years as lead guitarist in blues legend John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, will give a free performance at Riverfront Park in Athens, N.Y., on Friday, September 1, at 7pm. Wonderland’s latest release, Tempting Fate, was produced by famed roots musician Dave Alvin and features Wonderland’s signature, blistering six-string and lap steel playing, her soulful vocals, and her original songs melding blues, rock and Americana. (Fri, Sep 1)
TROMBONE SHORTY BRINGS ECLECTIC GROOVES to THE EGG
Trombone Shorty brings his band, Orleans Avenue, and his eclectic style of groove-based music to the Egg in Albany, N.Y., on Friday, September 1, at 8pm. The multi-instrumentalist has worked with some of the biggest names in rock, pop, jazz, funk, and hip hop, including Bo Diddley, Lenny Kravitz, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bruno Mars, Mark Ronson, Foo Fighters, Zac Brown, and Ringo Starr. (Fri, Sep 1)
ROBIN and LINDA WILLIAMS BRING ORIGINAL FOLK to THE LINDA
Husband-and-wife folk duo Robin and Linda Williams bring their considerable catalog of songs that have been recorded by the likes of Mary Chapin Carpenter, Tom T. Hall, Tim and Mollie O’Brien, Mary Black, the Seldom Scene, and Emmylou Harris to the Linda, WAMC’s Performing Arts Studio, on Friday, September 1, at 8pm. Perhaps best known for their hundreds of performances on NPR’s A Prairie Home Companion, the two have been performing together since 1973. (Fri, Sep 1)
THE KNIGHTS PAY TRIBUTE to MUNCH at THE CLARK with NORWEGIAN MUSIC
The Knights Orchestra returns to the Clark in Williamstown, Mass., on Saturday, September 2, at 4pm, with works by Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg paired with traditional Nordic folk songs, inspired by the Edvard Munch: Trembling Earth exhibition currently on display. The program also features an original composition by Knights artistic director Colin Jacobsen and a newly imagined orchestration of a classical staple, Antonín Dvořák’s “Toward America” quartet for strings. (Sat, Sep 2)
ALVVAYS BRINGS DREAMY INDIE-POP to MASS MoCA
Canadian indie pop band Alvvays brings its dreamy, sophisticated sound to the Hunter Center at MASS MoCA in North Adams, Mass., on Saturday, September 2, at 8pm. The group’s ethereal vocals float above jangle-pop guitars, woozy keyboards, and propulsive rhythms. (Sat, Sep 2)
AMES QUARTET to PLAY GEORGE TSONTAKIS at MAVERICK CONCERTS
Grammy Award-winning pianist Bill Charlap brings his jazz trio to Maverick Concerts in Woodstock, N.Y., on Saturday, September 2, at 8pm. Joining Charlap are bassist Peter Washington and the (unrelated) drummer Kenny Washington. Then on Sunday, September 3, at 4pm, the Ames Piano Quartet performs works by Schumann, Brahms, and Ulster County resident George Tsontakis, the distinguished Bard College composer-in-residence, who has received multiple Grammy nominations, was honored with the “Academy Award” in 1995 from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and was a recipient of the Ives Living Fellowship in 2007. (Sat-Sun, Sept 2-3)
JOHN LEGEND PERFORMS INTIMATE SOLO CONCERT at TANGLEWOOD
Twelve-time Grammy Award-winner John Legend performs a rare solo concert featuring intimate reimaginings of his greatest hits, including “All of Me,” “Ordinary People,” and “Tonight,” at Tanglewood in Lenox, Mass., on Sunday, September 3, at 7pm. The soul-pop singer-songwriter will share stories and songs from throughout his career. (Sun, Sep 3)
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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