North Adams - Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts will sponsor, “Songs of the Spirit,†as part of the Patrons of the Arts Concert Series in December.
The program, featuring Odetta, the Tibetan Monks, Sussan Deyhim, and Frank London of the Klezmatics with his Nigunim Trio, will take place on Friday, December 9 at 8:00 p.m. in the Church Street Center on the MCLA campus. General Admission for the program is $10 with members of the Patrons of the Arts free.
Odetta, who will perform a gospel set, is one of the pillars of twentieth-century music. A folksinger distinguished by the power and clarity of her voice as well as the richness and intensity of her delivery, Odetta has also functioned as a living archive of music.
By tirelessly researching, recording, and touring, and drawing on a variety of musical genres, she has kept alive the legacy of early folk and blues singers, including Bessie Smith and Leadbelly. Odetta has had a significant influence on modern music, providing inspiration for such performers as Janis Joplin and Joan Armatrading.
The world-renowned Tibetan Monks, robed in magnificent costumes and playing traditional Tibetan instruments, provide a rare, magical experience for all ages. The Drepung Loseling Monks perform ancient dances and music believed to promote world healing and peace.
One of Iran's biggest music stars, Sussan Deyhim is a fascinating singer whose repertoire is a cross between New Music, popular music, and art music. She has produced internationally and given concerts all over the world for a growing community of fans, while continually maintaining a strong tie with tradition. Her yearning for her homeland, family, and friends is made clear in her dialogical encounter with traditional patterns of composition and improvisation.
And performing Hasidic spiritual music, Frank London will appear with his Nigunim Trio. Blending the Yiddish inflections of Lorin Sklamberg’s beautiful voice with the adventurous arranging skills of trumpeter Frank London and the sophistication of Uri Caine’s harmonic piano phrasing, Nigunim is a new take on Jewish classics that is sure to delight both young and old. Creative and heartfelt arrangements of traditional Jewish songs are performed by three of the greatest musicians on the scene today.
The performance is made possible by the MCLA’s Patrons of the Arts organization. For more information, or to become a member of Patrons of the Arts call (413) 662-5543 or log onto www.mcla.edu/patrons.
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Former Harry's Supermarket Under Construction for Restaurant
Late last month, the Conservation Commission greenlit some tree pruning on the property. New windows and a new door can be seen in the front of the building.
"It's a substantial renovation that's currently underway here," Brent White of White Engineering said, speaking on behalf of the applicant and owner, Huajie Zhu.
A fire gutted the longtime Wahconah Street supermarket in 2023, and the following year, Zhu purchased the property for $460,000 two years ago to build a restaurant with hibachi in the existing footprint of the more than 100-year-old building.
White explained that the project has been ongoing for over a year, and the Community Development Board granted the property a waiver to reduce the minimum required number of parking spaces so that additional spaces aren't needed.
He noted that, looking at the site plan, there is very little room to do so. A mirror will be installed near the sharp turn on Bel Air Avenue to alleviate traffic concerns.
Pruning will be done on trees in the southeast corner of the existing paved parking lot, as a number of branches are hanging over. The new owners also intend to patch, sealcoat, and re-stripe the parking lot.
A fire tore through the building less than an hour after the supermarket closed for the day three years ago. An automatic sprinkler system is required for the new use.
Cassidy Flynn scattered five hits in a complete-game effort in the circle as Lenox upset top-seeded Hoosac Valley, 3-2, in the quarter-finals of the Division 5 State Tournament. click for more
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Jason Codey struck out 13, walked two and allowed just an infield single as the Generals earned a 7-1 win over Wahconah to claim their third straight regional title. click for more
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For the boys, Ward Bianchi helped lead the way with a win in the shot put and a second place in the javelin as the Mounties finished 16 points ahead of runner-up Pittsfield (pending the results of the pole vault, which were unavailable at 11 p.m. Friday night). click for more
