NORTH ADAMS - Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts will kick off this year’s Patrons of the Arts performance series with an evening of classical chamber music featuring Antares on Friday, Sept. 28, at 7:30 p.m. in the Church Street Center.
The chamber quartet will perform works including those by Stravinsky, Messiaen and a new work by Matheson, presenting chamber masterworks of the classical and romantic eras, along with music from the 20th and 21st centuries.
In addition, MCLA senior Jessica Gage will make her debut on classical violin.
Comprised of four instrumentalists, Antares draws from a vast repertoire for clarinet, violin, cello and piano, as well as various trio and duo combinations. Hailed by The Chicago Tribune as "powerful," "striking" and "razor-sharp," Antares was selected as the first-prize winner of the 2002 Concert Artists Guild International Competition.
A recent New York Times review described Antares’ approach to the music they perform: "The four musicians play with superb technical polish and, equally important, a sense that they not only are comfortable with this music but also understand its vocabulary and syntax." Time Out New York described the group as "a small ensemble that affords color, flexibility and heft in one tidy package ... including an invaluable dedication to living composers that has garnered well-deserved acclaim."
In 2004, in partnership with the University of Iowa, they received a CMA Residency grant to present a four-day interdepartmental series focused on the quartet. The group looks forward to bringing this work to their audiences in 2008, in celebration of Messiaen’s centennial anniversary. Additional concert engagements for the group include the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Kennedy Center, Chamber Music Cincinnati, Merkin Concert Hall, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall and Brooklyn Friends of Chamber Music in New York City, the Krannert Center at the University of Illinois, the Raleigh Chamber Music Guild (NC) and Panama's Asociacion Nacional de Conciertos.
In addition to the 2005 release "Eclipse," featuring six new works, Antares recorded Ned Rorem’s "The End of Summer," and Fred Lerdahl's "Marches," which was released in 2006 by Bridge Records.
The exclusive housing sponsor for Antares is Porches.
Tickets to Antares are $12 for general admission, $5 for MCLA faculty and staff, and free to Patrons and MCLA students. For more information or to order tickets, call 413-662-5543, or go to www.mcla.edu/patrons.
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Lanesborough Town Meeting to Vote Budget, Bylaws & Vehicle Purchases
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Tuesday's annual town meeting includes a $14 million operating budget, new short-term rentals, accessory dwelling units and sign bylaws, and free cash article appropriations.
Voters will gather at Lanesborough Elementary School on June 9 at 6 p.m. to decide on 20 warrant articles.
The fiscal 2027 budget is up a little over 10 percent. Some of the main increases are the Mount Greylock Regional School District and McCann Technical School: the McCann assessment is up more than 30 percent based on factors including enrollment and the school renovation project, and Mount Greylock's is up 11 percent.
Article 11 is for the town to vote to approve from free cash the sum of $16,298.48 for the McCann Technical School roof and window replacement project so as not to impact the budget. Article 3 is appropriate $7,586,284 for Mount Greylock Regional School assessment.
Another notable increase was in life and health insurance, showing an increase of about 26 percent.
Ambulance Director Jen Weber is planning 24-hour coverage, which means more staff and a hike in her budget. One of the articles asks the town to appropriate $234,100 to operate the Ambulance Enterprise Fund for salaries and expenses.
Many town departments are looking for new vehicles. The Fire Department is looking to replace its outdated 1996 fire engine. There are two articles related to the truck at a total of $813,366. Article 12 would transfer $225,000 from free cash into the Fire Truck Stabilization Fund; Article 13 would transfer $605,000 from the fund and authorize the borrowing of $208,366.08.
The total includes a $100,000 contingency cost to cover any additional costs if a 2026 model-year chassis cannot be secured before new emissions standards go into effect in 2027.
The board at its last meeting moved the $225,000 transfer to come before the borrowing article, changing the stabilization number. If the $225,000 is not voted on, then they will amend the next article's number on the floor, subtracting the $225,000. This shows the borrowing number significantly lower.
Article 17 asks for the transfer of $80,000 from free cash to replace a police cruiser.
Police Chief Rob Derksen's aim is to replace one vehicle every other year, meaning the oldest vehicle gets replaced about every 10 years.
He stressed that if delayed this year, the town may have to double up in a future year to get back on schedule, and that paying later usually costs more. The article will ask for $80,000 from free cash, the vehicles used to be funded by the BHRD.
Lastly, the Highway Department is looking to replace a 2014 International dump truck that will be a total of $330,000 and will take two to three years to receive.
Money will be used from last year's approval of $250,000 from free cash for the replacement of a 2012 highway front-end loader that was underspent $49,261. Town meeting is being asked to approve a transfer of $53,274.85 from free cash and the use of $227,464 from funds from the Sale of Town Real Estate to fund the balance.
Other free cash proposals include $1,200 to purchase software to support tracking and ongoing maintenance schedules of town-owned vehicles; $42,000 for the replacement of the Highway Department's storage shed roof, $200,000 to reduce the tax levy.
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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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