Center for New Americans: 16th Annual July 4th Naturalization
Northampton Courthouse grounds
Thursday, July 4 at 11 a.m.
Center for New Americans, partnering with U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS), is holding their 16th annual naturalization ceremony on the grounds of the historic Northampton Courthouse. You can learn more about it by listening to the Fabulous 413’s recent interview with Center for New Americans director Laurie Millman and others.
Unreconciled
Chester Theatre, Chester
Thursday, July 4 – Sunday, July 14
Chester Theatre presents the world premiere of Unreconciled, which tells the true story of an adolescent actor cast as Jesus in a play directed by a pedophile priest. The play chronicles a survivor’s journey as he confronts his past and discovers the courage to use his voice and redefine what reconciliation means. Jay Sefton’s virtuosic solo performance is an unflinching quest for justice, brimming with heart, humor, and compassion.
Artists on Being an Artist
Gallery A3, Amherst
Thursdays through Sundays, July 4 – Saturday, July 27 from 2 – 7 p.m.
Opening Reception Thursday, July 4 from 5 – 7 p.m.
Eric Broudy, 1940-2024, was a photographer with an eclectic eye, interested in whatever attracted his attention in human society or the natural world. Serial photography projects appealed to Eric, ranging from images of old factories of Holyoke, to portraits of Amherst’s homeless residents, to on-the-spot portraits of people who happened to ring the doorbell of his home. His most recent series, Artists on Being an Artist, combined interviews and portraits of fellow Gallery A3 artists, whom he had worked with, respected, and admired since joining the gallery in 2003.
Florence Summer Concert Series: Expandable Brass Band
Florence Civic Center
Thursday, July 4 at 6:30 p.m.
Loud, raucous, and full of fun, the Expandable Brass Band is dedicated to spreading joyful music to the people of Western Mass. and beyond. Inspired by the international street band movement, they enjoy playing in streets, in parks, parades, on the sidewalk, and anywhere the audience is close. They are completely self-organized, without a leadership hierarchy.
Reading Frederick Douglass
South Amherst Common
Friday, July 5 from 3 – 5 p.m.
South Congregational Church is presenting a community reading of Frederick Douglass’ “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” speech which was first heard on July 5, 1852, when abolitionist and orator Frederick Douglass gave the keynote address at an Independence Day celebration in Rochester, New York. The Amherst Area Gospel Choir will lead off the program. Then, UMass Professor of Afro-American Studies Amilcar Shabazz will introduce the speech with a talk entitled “Deal Justly with Us: Douglass and Reparations Now!” There will also be small-groups discussion of the speech, refreshments, and a free distribution of books.
Mohawk Trail Concerts: Mark Kelso, piano
Charlemont Federated Church
Thursday, July 4 at 5 p.m.
Versed in improvisation in a myriad of styles from jazz, to classical, to Indian raga, Mark Kelso's music casts a delightful enchantment. From the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Detroit Symphony Hall, and from Madison Square Garden, Mark has brought people of diverse backgrounds together for uplifting events — such as tomorrow’s Fourth of July!
Guild of Berkshire Artists: Imagining Heaven & Earth
Art on Main Gallery, West Stockbridge
Friday July 5 – Sunday, July 14
Opening Reception Saturday, July 6 from 2 - 4 p.m.
Pat Frik began her path to Fiber Art after many years as a hand weaver. She brings the natural world to life using hand stitching to enhance and often reinterpret imagery, sometimes in whimsical ways. Anne Ferril looks to the sky for inspiration and made her first moon jar after moving to the Berkshires. The shadows and patterns of trees, swaying and dancing in the moonlight, became the guiding light for her work in clay. The Art on Main Gallery Art is open Thursdays through Sundays.
Opening Night at Tanglewood
Tanglewood, Lenox
Friday, July 5 at 8 p.m.
The 2024 Tanglewood season kicks off with a romantic tour de force: an all-Beethoven program headlined by acclaimed violinist Gil Shaham in the Violin Concerto, a lyrical showcase for the instrument. Andris Nelsons leads the BSO in the Eroica Symphony, an emotionally expansive piece that redefined what a symphony was by transforming the heroic journey into symphonic form. Consider arriving early for this lovely prelude concert.
Common Ground Festival
Saturday, July 6 from 3 – 9 p.m.
The Common, 100 First Street, Pittsfield
Sponsored by Mill Town Foundation, the Common Ground Festival is designed to break down silos to create authentic community connections, promote cultural diversity, and contribute to our region’s vibrancy. Live performances will be presented by Kripalu, Barrington Stage Company, Tanglewood, Clara Guatta, Quarteto de Samba, The Funky Dawgz Brass Band and more. You’ll find over 40 vendors and presenting organizations will be on site leading free activities, food trucks galore, and a beer garden.
Daniel Adam Maltz: Classical Piano
Adams Theater, Adams
Saturday, July 6 at 7 p.m.
During the Classical era in Vienna, composers expected their keyboard music to entertain relatively small audiences in more intimate settings than today’s large concert halls. And, the era’s pianos (known as “fortepianos”) are very different from modern Steinways. Enjoy Haydn and Mozart’s piano works performed as they intended them to be heard as Daniel Adam Maltz, a Vienna-based fortepiano pianist, plays them on a period instrument. With food and snacks curated by Tu Le of 328 North Farm.
Kimaya Diggs
Antenna Cloud Farm, Gill
Saturday, July 6 at 7:30 p.m., grounds open at 6:30 p.m.
I first heard Kimaya Diggs at the NEPM Asparagus Festival, then later at the Arcadia Folk Festival. Now she’s bringing her genre-bending sound to ACF. Combining R&B, pop, and indie-folk, Kimaya masterfully conveys the depths of both grief and joy through song. This concert will feature a selection of Kimaya’s original work, showcasing her soulful voice and thoughtful lyrics on the Antenna Cloud Farm hilltop stage.
Great Barrington Public Theater: Survival of the Unfit
The McConnell Theater Bard College at Simon’s Rock, Great Barrington
Saturday, July 6 – Sunday, July 21
Great Barrington Public Theater presents the American premiere of a wickedly smart new comedy by multiple award-winning playwright Oren Safdie. It delivers audiences to an edgy, mercilessly zany, meet-the-parents dinner party where hard, cold honesty is dished out and the unexpected is put on the table. This head-spinning story touches on themes of love, loss, loyalty, the acceptance of others’ shortcomings, and redefines what family means today.
The Magic & Meaning of Things Workshop
Bombyx, Florence
Sunday, July 7 at 12 p.m.
Wanting and having things isn't wrong, but when the quantity of our things takes over our lives, letting some things go might be necessary. This workshop introduces an exercise to explore the value of things — sentimental, utilitarian, or aspirational. Bring a special object, answer some questions, then either share the story of your item, or be there as a supportive witness to other participants. You will walk away with a better understanding of the meaning of your item, the magic contained within other people's items, and get one step closer to keeping the best and letting go of the rest.
Old Deerfield Sunday Afternoon Concert Series Opener
Michael Nix, banjar and Chris Devine, violin
Memorial Hall Music Room, Deerfield
Sunday, July 7 at 3 p.m.
The Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association’s Old Deerfield Sunday Afternoon Concert Series presents chamber music performed in the lovely Victorian setting of Memorial Hall Museum’s Music Room Sundays at 3 p.m. on Sundays July 7th through September 1. The opening concert features Chris Devine and Michael Nix — a duo that performs programs that combine classical, folk, international, jazz, and bluegrass influences. Banjar? Not a typo. It’s an instrument that Michael designed that combines elements of the classic five string banjo and the classical guitar.
Watermelon Wednesdays
Cory Pesaturo, accordion, and Nahre Sol, piano
West Whately Chapel.
Wednesday, July 10 at 7:30 p.m.
World champion electric accordionist meets world renowned pianist. Cory and Nahre's connection occurred over a love of Chopin. Their video on Chopin suggesting he is the father of Jazz is thrilling! The two of them will create a concert encompassing Chopin and Jazz, but additionally travel through different genres around the world that both of them have collaborated in but done in ways you have never heard.