The words are intricately related but diverge. Virtuosity: music that glorifies the possibilities of the instrument and the prowess of the performer—that titillates and stuns the audience in the Romantic tradition of Paganini. It’s the violinist tight-rope walking on the strings, performing impossible feats, stretching the capabilities of the instrument, creating pacts with the Devil. […]
Nuances of the night are explored in this multi-faceted program. Release from the brightness of daylight, from consciousness into sleep and dreaminess, the night’s seductive, mysterious potion-like allure has fascinated artists throughout the ages. Lullabies celebrate repose, the restful charm; serenades celebrate love. Other works mark the fear of darkness, the unseen and what may […]
The notable Avalon String Quartet returns with another Berkshire premiere, “For Such a Time as This,” a retelling of the biblical Esther story for string quartet and vocalist, from a feminist perspective. Composer Stacy Garrop’s (recent commissions from the Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Louisiana symphony orchestras) intent is to remind us “we each possess agency […]
In his dance suites, J. S. Bach ventures into Spanish sarabandes, French bourrées and British gigues. He and family members delighted in arranging Celtic and Scottish folk music. They will be joined by Beethoven and Haydn, who also forayed into Irish folk music with their own arrangements. Makaris formed in 2018 to explore the broad […]
The Romans appropriated the entirety of classical Greek culture, and the Renaissance rediscovered and revitalized it. Then came Rodin and Greek Revival in American architectural style. An Egyptomania craze gripped 19th century Europe and found its way into operas (Aida, Samson and Delilah), couture (harem pants as high fashion), architectural idioms, decorative arts, music and […]
Experience the elegance of the Gilded Age Salon at a private Berkshires club! Our Annual Luncheon Musicale Benefit, "Piano Duo, Four Hands," features pianists Anthony Zerpa-Falcon and Jong-Gyung Park performing Mozart, Brahms, and Liszt. Celebrate 24 years of CEWM's Commissioning Program, savor a superb lunch and support Close Encounters With Music. La vie est belle! […]
The imperial “City of Song” has played an essential role as a leading European cultural center, hosting major personalities in the development of music, as well as literature, painting, psychiatry and intellectual thought, from the 16th to 20th centuries. As in the architecture, musical styles that sprang up are a mix of Baroque, Classical, Art […]
Dvořák’s sublime Piano Quintet in A Major occupies a lofty place in the chamber music canon, at the same elevation as Brahms’s Piano Quintet in F minor, op. 34. Simply put, both works are majestic, symphonic in scope, and invite the listener into a lost world of powerful beauty, profundity, and nobility of sentiments, peppered […]
Come enjoy this Berkshire High Peaks Festival student ensemble performance at Chesterwood, the former summer home of American sculptor Daniel Chester French (1850-1931). Beautiful music in a beautiful setting! Tickets are $25/pp or $20/members. Purchase here.
** SOLD OUT ** Folk and classical traditions come together in a spirited celebration of music without borders. "One World – A Harmonic Convergence!" is a genre-blending performance that reveals how melodies passed down through generations find new life in the concert hall, and how classical music has always drawn strength from the soul of […]
Join us for a fascinating Master Class "The Acting Singer" with opera director/conductor Jay Lesenger. His Acting Masterclasses for Singers are transformative! Berkshire High Peaks talks are free and open to the public! All events are at Bard College at Simon’s Rock in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. No registration necessary. Jay Lesenger is a Guest Stage […]