REVIEW: “Reeds and Strings,” Close Encounters with Music

Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, Great Barrington, MA 

https://cewm.org/

May 29, 2022 

by Michael J. Moran 

Introducing this concert with his usual mix of erudition and wit, CEWM Artistic Director Yehuda Hanani identified music for reed instruments with Dionysus, god of fertility (“the music of heavy breathing”), and music for strings with Apollo, god of beauty and patron of the arts. Thus, the solo oboe piece by Britten would sound quite different from the Beethoven string trio, while the Mozart and Cimarosa works for reeds and strings would achieve “a happy balance” of earthly and celestial delights. 

Liang Wang

The opening performance by oboist Liang Wang, violinist Itamar Zorman, violist Michael Strauss, and cellist Hanani of Mozart’s 1781 oboe quartet accordingly exuded classical poise and elegance, from a lively “Allegro” through a tender “Adagio” and a graceful closing “Rondeau: Allegro.”   

  

Wang next took the spotlight for a literally breathtaking account of Benjamin Britten’s 1951 “Six Metamorphoses after Ovid” for solo oboe. Each section depicts a character in Roman mythology, and Wang, principal oboe of the New York Philharmonic, met the piece’s daunting technical challenges with virtuosic flair. Highlights included: the sensuous rhythmic complexity of the flutist Pan; the relentless speed of charioteer Phaeton; and the quiet poignancy of bereaved mother Niobe.

  

Zorman, Strauss, and Hanani then returned with an incandescent rendition of Beethoven’s inventive third string trio, Op. 9. A stormy opening C minor “Allegro con spirito,” a passionate “Adagio con espressione,” an energetic “Scherzo – Allegro molto e vivace,” with a gentle trio interlude, and a powerful “Presto” finale foreshadowed the pathbreaking mature composer who emerged shortly after this early (1799) masterpiece. 

Violinist Susan Heerema joined Wang and the string trio to close the program with Domenico Cimarosa’s 1790s oboe concerto. As Hanani promised, the Apollonian grace of the solemn “Introduzione” and the flowing “Siciliana” perfectly complemented the Dionysian exuberance of the alternating “Allegro” and “Allegro giusto” movements.   

The CEWM season will conclude on June 12, 2022 with “Musica Latina,” featuring Flamenco dancer Irene Rodriguez and a selection of Spanish music.

All Mahaiwe events, including CEWM concerts, require proof of vaccination and a photo ID for entry and masking inside the theater.

Editor's note: Mr. Moran's final paragraph, like reviews by myself and our writers, has become rote. By now, even though Covid is still very much with us, I usually gloss over this language. However, I have learned that I must heed these warnings. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend this concert because, while I did wear my mask (I even had an extra) and my ID, it didn't occur to me to bring my vaccination card. I had changed purses prior to the hour and a half drive to Great Barrington, and forgot to transfer the ID. Whether the ID is a Mahaiwe rule or that of Close Encounters, I don't know. Having been to at least a dozen arts events since Covid subsided a bit, I have yet to be asked to see my vaccination ID. My advice in the case of Close Encounters, and any venue, is to read the fine print.

REVIEW: Hartford Symphony Orchestra, From the New World

The Bushnell, Mortensen Hall, Hartford, CT

www.hartfordsymphony.org

May 26, 2022 

by Michael J. Moran 

In pre-concert remarks, HSO Executive Director Steve Collins cited the compassion of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whom this program, rescheduled from January by Covid, would have honored, in dedicating the concert’s opening music to victims of the ongoing war in Ukraine and recent mass shootings in the United States. 

Jeri Lynne Johnson

That context added contemporary resonance to the poignant emotions of African-American composer Henry T. Burleigh’s century-old settings for baritone and piano, rearranged in 2020 by Christina Dolanc for string orchestra, of three traditional spirituals, especially in the caressing warmth that guest conductor Jeri Lynne Johnson drew from the HSO strings. Founder, in 2008, of the award-winning Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra in Philadelphia, Johnson was the first African-American woman, in 2005, to win an international conducting prize. 

Next, in sharp contrast, came the joyous Slavonic Dances #1 and #8 by Dvorak, Burleigh’s teacher at the National Conservatory in 1890s New York City, exuberantly performed by the full orchestra under Johnson’s animated direction. Just as the folk traditions of his Czech homeland infused Dvorak’s music, he encouraged Burleigh to draw inspiration from his African-American musical roots, as Burleigh later advised his protégé, Florence Price.

A brilliant account of the 1934 “Concerto in One Movement” by Price, the first African-American woman whose music was played by a major American orchestra, then marked a sensational HSO debut by rising young African-American pianist and music educator Michelle Cann. Through a tempestuous opening “Moderato” section, a serene call-and-response “Adagio,” and an invigorating “Allegretto” close, Cann’s thrilling virtuosity was energetically supported by conductor and orchestra with the “compelling, onward-sweeping force” of the composer’s intent.

A standing ovation brought a rare and welcome encore: a turbulent 1967 arrangement by Price student Margaret Bonds of the spiritual “Wade in the Water,” heard earlier in Burleigh’s quieter setting. 

The program closed with a vibrant rendition of Dvorak’s familiar ninth, or “New World,” symphony. Written in New York in 1893, it reflects not only his Czech heritage but his new interest in Native American and African-American melodies. A solemn, then lively opening “Adagio-Allegro molto,” a soulful “Largo,” a dramatic “Molto vivace,” and a heroic “Allegro con fuoco” finale were played with blazing conviction under Johnson’s dynamic baton.

Preview: Playhouse on Park, The Agitators

Playhouse on Park, West Hartford, CT

www.playhouseonpark.org

May 25 - June 12, 2022

Photo by Meredith Longo

The contemporary play "The Agitators," by Mat Smart tells of the enduring but tempestuous friendship of Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass. Great allies? Yes. And at times, great adversaries. Young abolitionists when they met in Rochester in the 1840s, they were full of hopes, dreams, and a common purpose. As they grew to become the cultural icons we know today, their movements collided, and their friendship was severely tested. This is the story of that 45 year friendship – from its beginning in Rochester, through a civil war, and to the highest halls of government. Anthony and Douglass agitated the nation, they agitated each other, and, in doing so, they helped shape the Constitution and the course of American history.

According to the Seattle Times, "The Agitators unfolds like a scrapbook, with snippets of conversation between Douglass and Anthony during their decades-long struggles for abolition and voting rights."

For tickets and information about Covid 19 safety rules, check Playhouse on Park's website at www.playhouseonpark.org.

PREVIEW: K and E Theater Group, Hedwig and the Angry Inch

K and E Theater Group, Northampton, MA

www.KETG.org

June 23-25, 2022

The Tony Award-winning glam rock musical “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” comes to Northampton Center for the Arts for 5 performances this summer. Marking its fourth full mainstage production of its Supersized Season Two, K and E Theater Group is also presenting this show as its first of an annual tradition to celebrate queer forward stories in their “Coming Out with Pride” series.

Innovative, heartbreaking, and savagely funny, “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” is the landmark rock’n’roll musical with text by John Cameron Mitchell and music and lyrics by Stephen Trask that broke the mold and captured Broadway. This genre-bending, fourth-wall-smashing musical sensation, with a pulsing score and electrifying performances, tells the story of Hedwig Schmidt, an East German punk rock goddess whose botched sex change operation left her with just “an angry inch.” Now, she and her band are out to right many wrongs.

K and E Theater Group's production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch features Eddie Zitka as Hedwig, Kelly Gagner as Yitzhak, and David Webber as The Angry Inch. The band led by musical director Devi Badea, features Justin Rodzen, Charlotte Ross, and Mitch Tilghman. Direction is by K and E Theater Group Artistic Director Eddie Zitka.

This production contains mature themes, explicit language, and sexual content. Recommended age is 14+. Stage effects include strobes and bright moving lights.

Preview: Majestic Theater, Betty & The Patch

Majestic Theater, West Springfield, MA

https://majestictheater.com

through July 24, 2022

 

The Majestic Theater will present the debut of "Betty & The Patch", a contemporary comedy/drama by Producing Director Danny Eaton.

 

The play is set at The Patch, one of those local destination restaurants with the reputation of good and plentiful food along with a kind of privacy which makes it ideal for intimate get togethers. It’s been run by Betty Borelli for years, but a recent kitchen fire has forced a shut down. Determined to reopen, Betty has recruited her daughter Cristina, a successful attorney, to come home and help. But that’s not the only reason — she has had recent health issues and Betty wants Cristina and chef Bobo Henderson to ensure the restaurant’s future. There are family secrets as well that need to be finally revealed, and recent visits from past friends have added to the urgency. Will Cristina stay? Will Bobo finally let Cristina know he’s in love with her? And just who is Cristina’s father?

 

The cast of Betty & The Patch includes Christine Anthony (Betty), Katie Mack (Cristina), Issa Best (Bobo), Brad Shepard (Joey), Michael Morales (Michael), J. T. Waite (Andy), Linda Storms (Betty understudy), Valerie Vaile (Cristina understudy), Joel Gladu (Bobo understudy), Rick Malone (Andy/Joey understudy) and Liam Toner (Michael understudy). Eaton will direct the play.  

 

Tickets to Betty & The Patch range from $31 - $35 and are available for sale at the Majestic’s box office Monday – Friday 10am – 5pm and Saturday 10am – 1pm; or on the phone at (413) 747-7797.  

Preview: Ventfort Hall, Tea & Talk Tuesday

Ventfort Hall, Lenox, MA

www.gildedage.org 

June 14, 2022

A Dirty Year 1872: Sex, Suffrage and Scandal in Gilded Age New York

 

Brooklyn storyteller and author Bill Greer will kick off Ventfort Hall’s 2022 Tuesday Summer Tea & Talk series on June 14 at 4:00 pm. He will talk about the city of his book A Dirty Year: Sex, Suffrage, and Scandal in Gilded Age New York. Tea will be served after his presentation.

 

The year is 1872, seven years after the Civil War. New York is convulsing with social upheaval and sexual revolution. In this illustrated talk, Bill Greer paints a picture of the city from the man’s world of Wall Street to the mansions of Fifth Avenue, from the smut dealers of Nassau Street to the limelights of Broadway, from pious Christians to free-loving iconoclasts. He highlights larger-than-life characters who fascinated the city – suffragist and presidential candidate Victoria Woodhull, vice hunter Anthony Comstock, celebrity preacher Henry Ward Beecher, and more – and the issues of the day that play out through their lives, issues that resonate today, from sexual impropriety and reproductive rights to attacks on the press and the chasm between rich and poor.

Through the lives of these larger-than life characters, the issues of the day play out – rigged elections, everyday shootings, attacks on the press, sexual impropriety, reproductive rights, the chasm between rich and poor – issues holding up a mirror to the country today.  Political parties split over a bitterly contested election, suffragist battles suffragist over bettering women’s place in society, pious saints fight soulless sinners, until at year-end, this jumble of conflicts explodes in the greatest sensation of the nineteenth century.

 

Greer has spent decades exploring New York, along with the world. As a travel writer and Internet entrepreneur, he built the early web’s leading community for outdoor adventure. His turn to telling New York’s stories began with his novel The Mevrouw Who Saved Manhattan, exploring the city’s founding as New Amsterdam.  focused on New York’s Gilded Age with his nonfiction narrative A Dirty Year: Sex, Suffrage, and Scandal in Gilded Age New York.

 

Tickets are $30 for members and with advance reservation; $35 day of. Reservations are required as seats are limited. For reservations call us at (413) 637-3206. 

Previews: Paradise City Arts Festival

Paradise City Arts Festival, Northampton, MA

May 7, 8, 9, 2022

paradisecityarts.com

   

Cowan

Paradise City Arts Festival has been presenting award-winning fairs and functual art for over 25 years. The artists are vetted by a special committee who select many genres of art from throughout the U.S. and some from other countries. Approximately 30 individuals are our neighbors from Western MA. Check out their booths when at the Fair. The following are just a few of the locals.

As a painter and illustrator, Doug Cowan has done artwork for The New York Times Book  Review, Wind-Up Records, Workstyle Magazine, The Independent, The Deal Magazine, Kevin Eastman's Heavy Metal Magazine, Lucasfilm, and The Topps Card Company, among others. He paints landscapes on location (plein air) and from memory in his studio.

 

Peeso

Bruce Peeso concentrates his focus on the horizon in his elongated acrylic paintings. Most are 48” wide and just 8” high. The extreme proportions are designed to emphasize the vastness of the landscapes, and the simplicity of content is intended to convey a peaceful serenity that invites the viewer to enter. With his particular attention to the sun's rays at different times of the day, each painting yields a quiet sense of time and place.

Justice

Haviland Justice says, “At Made:Cozy we design and make furniture and smaller household objects that are built to last and have a timeless yet playful aesthetic.” Justice graduated from Hampshire College, where she took advantage of the college’s innovative Center for Design (C4D, in short). Her final project was an interactive furniture exhibit where she built and staged a line of furniture inspired by childhood toys, and she hasn’t looked back. Like many Paradise City artists, Justice aims to blur the lines between sculpture and fine home furnishings. Her goal is to fill your home with cozy, lighthearted, humanizing, and modern heirlooms.

Haines

Bill Haines says, “I love turning green wood. There is an immediacy to it, a closeness, a sense of direct and instant involvement. I can find a piece of the tree I want to work with and bring it into the shop and start to work on it - now. It will take 6 months to finish the urn, but I can start now. That start requires a focus and a quickness of pace, once the wood is on the lathe it needs to be shaped and hollowed out before it dries too much - if it dries too much it will crack. Then patience. The rough urn needs to be dried slowly, thoroughly, over a period of months, before it can be returned to the lathe to be finished.” He learned his craft from Walter Goodridge, who demonstrated wood turning for many years at Paradise City.

To peruse a collection of previous Paradise City Arts Festival articles, follow this link.

 

 

Preview: The Mark-Miller Duo, Voices of Children Foundation Benefit

Smith College, Northampton, MA 

June 12, 2022

 

Former United States Artistic Ambassadors Andrew Mark, cello, and Brenda Moore Miller, piano, will perform a concert on Sunday, June 12, 2022, at Helen Hills Hills Chapel in Northampton, MA. All the proceeds from their performance will benefit The Voices of Children Foundation which aids children and families as they try to cope and deal with the trauma of the effects of war in their lives. 

As a tribute to the people of Ukraine they will perform the music of Reinhold Gliere (Ukrainian composer), Sergei Prokofiev (born in Ukraine), American composer William Grant Still, and Ludwig van Beethoven (Germany).

The Mark-Miller Duo won the Artistic Ambassador Competition and traveled together to 11 countries as representatives of the United States under the auspices of the United States Information Service, part of the U.S. State Department. They also presented master classes and lectures as well during their tenure as Artistic Ambassadors. 

Tickets for this benefit performance should be purchased in advance through Eventbrite:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mark-miller-duo-benefit-concert-for-ukraine-tickets-341272634637

Admission is $30 per person. 

Donations in lieu of attendance and additional gifts may be made directly to: https://voices.org.ua/en/

Review: Shakespeare & Company, The Approach

Shakespeare & Company, Lenox, MA

www.shakespeare.org

through May 29, 2022

by Shera Cohen

Photo by Daniel Rader

Three exemplary actresses star in "The Approach," the opening play at Shakespeare & Company. Those audience members who may think that the troupe only performs works of the Bard, realize that about half of the season includes contemporary and/or plays written by everyone else. Mark Rowe's piece falls into the latter category. Unfortunately, the material is not worthy of the directors' energy and actors' acumen.

As an exercise in the portrayal of character study, the play deserves an A+. However, while sometimes "less is more," in this case "less is still less". Tina Packer (S&Co's founder) and Mark Farrell co-direct a series of conversations between female duos. Never, at any point, are all on the stage at the same time, or except for hugs at the end of each scene do they even touch. The actors sit and talk. It is obvious that every word in this very talky play is carefully chosen, just as the directors have purposely chosen each glance and silence.

Two of the women are sisters with a go-between friend as a confidant of each. Michelle Joyner and Shakes regular Elizabeth Aspenlieder portray the estranged siblings, with Nicole Ansari as their mutual friend Cora. The audience soon realizes that the friendship has spanned decades, since grade school. It would be unfair and a misnomer to state that any one actor outshines the others, both in language delivery or silences. 

The fourth wall, the audience, essentially eavesdrops on the trio whose conversations go from mundane and boring to those with deeper meaning, inuendo, and falsehoods; i.e. romances, connections with others. There is an obvious and purposeful lack of connection between each other. Noticeably, the woman sitting in the left chair constantly asks "Why?" She genuinely wants to know the answers, but accepts short, meaningless quips from the other woman.

Why the title, "The Approach," is completely unclear; the play could have easily been titled just about anything else. Not that the actors required wide strokes of active movement on the stage, but focus on dialogue alone can be tedious. The setting is Dublin, Ireland. Yet, again, except at the masterful interpretation of the accents, the location could have been anywhere. 

A course in analyzing depiction of character study, "The Approach" is ideal.

REVIEW: Springfield Symphony Orchestra, Dances of Spring

Springfield Symphony Hall, Springfield, MA

www.springfieldsymphony.org 

May 13, 2022 

by Michael J. Moran

Mark Russell Smith

Three weeks after leading the first of two spring concerts by the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, guest conductor (and former SSO music director) Mark Russell Smith welcomed an eager audience back to Symphony Hall for a diverse selection of music by four composers. 

The program began with “Liquify,” a nine-minute 2018 tone poem by his childhood friend Michael Abels, which Smith introduced as “a collection of riverfront scenes” that local patrons could relate to the Connecticut River. The colorful piece reflected Abels’ background in film music (most notably, the score for the 2017 horror movie “Get Out”), and Smith directed the SSO in an energetic, pulsating traversal.

Next in what he called this opening “triptych of dances” was the more traditional and familiar “Saturday Night Waltz” from Aaron Copland’s 1942 ballet “Rodeo.” The musicians gave the Brooklyn-born composer’s authentic-sounding western rhythms a jaunty yet relaxed flair. The last dance in the triptych was also the most exotic: the closing “Coqueteos” movement of the 2003 suite for string orchestra “Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout,” by California native Gabriela Lena Frank. Drawing on her mother’s Peruvian heritage, Frank describes “Coqueteos” as “a flirtatious love song sung by gallant men known as romanceros.” The SSO’s performance was every bit as “bold and festive” as the composer calls for. 

The evening closed with a cornerstone of the symphonic repertoire: a brilliant account of the first symphony by Johannes Brahms. Premiered in 1876 to popular and critical acclaim, it quickly established Brahms as a worthy successor to Beethoven. From a gripping “Un poco sostenuto” opening passage and a vigorous “Allegro” main part of the first movement, through a lush and radiant “Andante sostenuto,” a graceful and flowing “Un poco allegretto e grazioso,” to a dramatic, then triumphant finale, tempos and balances were virtually ideal throughout. As in the second symphony by Brahms mentor Robert Schumann last month, the result sounded simultaneously fresh and inevitable.  

In pre-concert remarks, SSO Interim Executive Director Paul Lambert promised an upcoming season with at least six concerts by the orchestra. Both of their spring programs demonstrated beyond a doubt that musicians and audience alike are more than ready for this enticing prospect.

Preview: Cirque du Soleil Presents CRYSTAL

Mullins Center, UMASS, Amherst, MA
www.cirquedusoleil.com/crystal
May 19-22, 2023

 

CRYSTAL is the very first experience on ice from Cirque du Soleil. World-class ice skaters and acrobats claim their new frozen playground with speed and fluidity as they challenge the laws of gravity with never-before-seen acrobatics.

 

The misfit heroine, Crystal, takes the audience on an exhilarating tale of self-discovery as she dives into a world of her own imagination. CRYSTAL invites you to suspend reality and glide into a world that springs to colorful life the signature sound and sights of Cirque du Soleil. CRYSTAL is suitable for all ages.

 

Scott Smith is one of the performers in this production and he took a few minutes to talk with ITS about this unique theatrical event.

 

ITS: How long have you been skating?

 

SS: Since I was 7 years old. My local skating clubs would put on shows, like “The Nutcracker”. I was a competitive skater for 20 years and won some international medals. Then I did shows, including a combination trapeze/skating act on a cruise ship. So, being a big Cirque fan, when I saw they were looking for performers I was thrilled because, in a way I had been training for this all my life.

 

ITS: Who does the show appeal to more; Cirque fans or ice show fans?

 

SS: It has everything a Cirque fan wants, like the acrobatics, the music, the theatricality. But the show is on the ice, and we have a wide variety of skating styles, like extreme skaters, free style skaters and figure skaters. But unlike a more traditional ice review, it brings that kind of edgy, abstract Cirque feel to it, and it has a LOT more acrobatics.

 

ITS: One doesn’t often associate the word “theatricality” with hockey arena.

The rink completely transforms into a stage, there’s phenomenal projections that are put on to the ice, so that you wouldn’t even know that you are looking at a hockey rink. You get pulled into the story through the lighting and sound.

 

ITS: How many people are on the tour?

SS: 100 people tour, but only about 40 are actually on stage, and the rest support those of us in front of the audience. There’s really another full show going on backstage!

 

ITS: Cirque has shows that are centered on different elements, like water, with different themes and stories. Is there a connecting thread that runs through them makes people such fans?

The production value of a Cirque de Soleil show is always very high, and people appreciate that. And the level of acrobatic performance as well, from the singing to the musicians, to the acrobats and in this case the skaters, there’s a high level of excellence and athleticism needed to be part of the show. The audience knows that they are seeing the crème de le crème.

 

ITS: Any part of “Crystal” that still surprises you?

SS: I’ve done the show over 700 times now and just hearing the music; I still love the music and that’s not always the case. The music in this show is absolutely amazing. And of course, I’m wowed by my colleagues and their skill all the time.

 

ITS: What’s the most interesting reaction you’ve had from people who see the show?

SS: Honestly, a lot of people don’t expect there to be as much skating as there is! There are full skating numbers, full acrobatic numbers, but it is a nice blend of both. There are aerialists, and we have extreme skaters with huge ramps and hockey skates and padding, and flips, and figure skaters like myself with backflips and triple jumps. It really has something for Cirque and skating fans alike. And of course it is very family friendly. 

Preview: Wilbraham United Players, Present Laughter

Fellowship Hall Stage, Wilbraham United Church, Wilbraham, MA

wilbrahamunitedplayers.org

Weekends, May 13-22, 2022

Poor Garry Essendine, the famous leading man is not having a good week. The world that
revolves around him is just not behaving as it should. As he faces down the years of middle-age the ingenue he brought home from a party wants to stay with him forever; his not really “ex” wife has him conspiring against his friend and director. His producer’s wife is trying to seduce him; his long-suffering secretary and his servants serve with a side of “sass” and to top it all off a crazy playwright who is a dedicated fan just won’t leave him alone.

Tickets can be purchased in advance on the Player’s website, wilbrahamunitedplayers.org

Preview: Close Encounters with Music, "Reeds and Strings"

Mahaiwe, Great Barrington, MA

cewm.org

May 29, 2022

The organic voice of the oboe, a member of the woodwind family, meets kindred wood string instruments at the May 29 Close Encounters with Music performance on May 29 at 4pm. First oboist of the New York Philharmonic leads the way from Mozart’s Oboe Quartet to Cimarosa’s Oboe Concerto and Benjamin Britten’s Six Metamorphoses after Ovid, a musical masterpiece that will be accompanied by images of historic paintings of the mythological tales.   

Liang Wang

The Metamorphoses is Ovid's longest extant work, a continuous epic poem in 15 books. Based on the poetry of Hesiod and Callimachus, it features a collection of separate stories linked by the common theme of transformation. A tour de force for oboe players, the programmatic work is a refresher course in Roman mythology and a rare experience for listeners to enjoy the full range of the oboe—from seductive to weeping to simulating flying chariots and thunderbolts, fountains and drunken feasts. 

Oboist Liang Wang is joined by violinists Itamar Zorman and Susan Heerema, violist Michael Strauss, and Close Encounters artistic director and cellist Yehuda Hanani. Zorman, Strauss and Hanani also perform the Beethoven String Trio in C minor, written in his dramatic, misterioso key, with constant dialogue between minor and major, darkness and light.s also an active arranger and editor of scores, as he rarely finds p

Preview: MOSSO Summer Concert Series

Symphony Hall, Springfield, MA

Various dates throughout Summer 

SpringfieldSymphonyMusicians.com 

MOSSO, the Musicians of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, have announced details of their duo summer concerts at Symphony Hall. MOSSO will celebrate the music of Stephen Sondheim and John Williams. These concerts mark the first time in almost 20 years that the musicians of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra have performed summer concerts in Springfield.

On Thursday, June 23, MOSSO celebrates the music of Broadway composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim who penned the words and music to Company, Follies, Sweeney Todd, and Into the Woods. Conductor Tim Stella will lead the program. Stella is former Resident Music Director of Goodspeed Musicals, and a conductor at Radio City Music Hall.

On Thursday, July 21, Maestro Kevin Rhodes returns to Springfield to conduct a MOSSO benefit concert, with a program of light classics and music of renowned composer John Williams, whose works include Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Schindler’s List. Maestro Rhodes will be joined by guest soloist, violinist Yevgeny Kutik, whose two prior solo appearances in Springfield were met with great acclaim.

Maestro Kevin Rhodes served as Music Director and Conductor of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra for 20 seasons, until the SSO paused performances in 2020. Last season, Maestro Rhodes conducted three ballet productions at Milan’s famed Teatro alla Scala.

Tickets for both concerts will go on sale on May 9, 2022.

MOSSO is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, which is not a subsidiary of nor affiliated with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra. 

PREVIEW: Berkshire Museum, Little Cinema

PREVIEW: Little Cinema 

Berkshire Museum, Pittsfield, MA

dates vary, May-August, 2022

berkshiremuseum.org/little-cinema

The big screen in Berkshire Museum's Little Cinema hosts screenings of worldwide theatre and art throughout the summer. The museum announced its lineup of screenings in partnership with Exhibition on Screen, National Theatre Live, and Great Art on Screen.

 

Exhibition on Screen is a look into the life and impact of great artists of the ages. Little Cinema
begins on Thursday, May 19 with Frida Kahlo, a detailed look at the famed artist. Using her letters and key works as guides, this film reveals the secrets behind the bold colors and the symbolism contained within her work. Two screenings of Frida Kahlo will feature Spanish subtitles.

 

National Theatre Live screenings bring the stage performances of various celebrated London theatres to Pittsfield, offering an up-close look at some of the world’s top performers, including Bill Nighy and Carey Mulligan in the upcoming screening of films including the buzzy, innovative production of Cyrano de Bergerac starring James McAvoy.

 

Great Art on Screen, a series of event documentaries exclusively for cinemas, is an in-depth look into the works and legacy of famed artists. Summer screenings include Raphael: The Young Prodigy, which follows the life story and work of one of the most influential Renaissance painters.