The Innovative American String Quartet To Perform

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Photo copyright Peter Schaaf/ The Clark
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. -  The American String Quartet, the resident quartet at the Manhattan School of Music and at the summer Aspen Music Festival and School, concludes the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute's chamber series on Tuesday, August 25, at 8 pm. Concert tickets are $21 ($18 for members and students) and may be purchased online at clarkart.edu, by calling 413-458-0524, or stopping by the museum shop.

Performing together for more than thirty years, the American String Quartet features Peter Winograd and Laurie Carney on violins, Daniel Avshalomov on viola, and Wolfram Koessel on cello. The New York Times praises the group's "luxurious, beautifully sculptured performances." Winners of the Coleman Competition and Naumburg Award, they have performed in all fifty states and appeared in virtually every important concert hall throughout the world.

The American Quartet's innovative approach to concert programming has won them a number of notable residencies in recent years, including "Beethoven the Contemporary" at the University of Michigan, "The Six Mozart Viola Quintets" at the Aspen Music Festival with Guarneri Quartet violist Michael Tree, and a recent four-year cycle titled "4-5-6" at Princeton University. Their diverse activities have included performances with the New York City Ballet, the Montreal Symphony, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. The group has also been featured on a variety of television and radio programs, including National Public Radio's All Things Considered.

The program at the Clark features the Haydn String Quartet in D major, Opus 76, No. 5; the Bartók String Quartet No. 3; and the Brahms Quartet in A Minor, Opus 51, No. 2.


A fixed-price, three-course dinner will be offered at the Clark Café at 6 pm. Cost for dinner is $25 per person (does not include concert, beverage, tax, or gratuity). Dinner reservations required; seating is limited. Call 413-458-0524 for reservations. The Clark's galleries will remain open until 6 pm on concert evenings, providing a chance to view the exhibition Dove/O'Keeffe: Circles of Influence. This concert series is funded by the Alice Shaver Foundation; additional support is provided by Legacy Portfolio Management.

On view this summer at the Clark is Dove/O'Keeffe: Circles of Influence. Georgia O'Keeffe burst onto the New York art scene in 1916 and captured the imagination of people around the world, not only with incredible artistic talent, but through her bohemian spirit as well. Experience this distinctly American artist's early works with those of modernist Arthur Dove, whom she credited as having the most significant role in the formation of her abstract works. Also on view is Through the Seasons: Japanese Art in Nature featuring traditional screens and scrolls and contemporary ceramics, emphasizing the inspirational role of nature in Japanese art.

The Clark is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, MA. The galleries are open daily, 10 am to 5 pm in July and August (closed Mondays September through June). Admission June 1 through October 31 is $12.50 for adults, free for children 18 and under, members, and students with valid ID. Admission is free November through May. For more information, call 413-458-2303 or visit clarkart.edu.
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Williamstown Board Opts to Negotiate with College on Water St. Lot

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff

Newly elected board member Nate Budington, far left, participates in his first in-person meeting along with, from left, Matt Neely, Stephanie Boyd, Peter Beck, Shana Dixon and Town Manager Robert Menicocci.
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Select Board on Monday decided to enter into negotiations with Williams College on the sale of the vacant town-owned lot at 59 Water St.
 
But the board members made it clear that the college's proposal to acquire the lot is a starting point, not a final deal that the elected officials would accept.
 
"For the sake of continued conversation, I'm in favor of [awarding Williams the site], but if this process wasn't continued with the opportunity for further negotiation, I wouldn't vote to continue this," Peter Beck said. "I think that next step is necessary for us to get to a yes on this."
 
"I think there's wide agreement on that," Matthew Neely said just before the 5-0 vote to enter talks with the college.
 
Williams was the sole respondent to a town-issued request for proposals to develop the former town garage site, currently a dirt lot.
 
The college's stated intent is to build a new Facilities office and create up to 170 parking spaces at 59 Water Street. That use will allow the college to redevelop the current Facilities building site and parking lot as part of a reconception of the school's indoor athletic and recreation facilities.
 
Under the terms of the RFP, the college's proposal was subjected to review by an ad hoc advisory committee to the town manager, who brought the question to the Select Board. That board will have the final say on any purchase and sales agreement.
 
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