MCLA to Offer Violin Repair Workshops

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts  once again will welcome violin repair expert Hans J. Nebel to campus as he presents four week-long workshops in June.

The workshops will include “Introduction to Proper Violin Set-Up” June 6-10, “Tonal Improvements” June 13-17, “Fitting New Upper and Lower Block June 20-24, and “Crack Repair and Crack Reinforcements” June 27-July 1.

Nebel is the fourth generation of violin makers in his family, and a graduate of the Bavarian State School of Violinmaking in Mittenwald, Germany.

Nebel started his professional career at Rembert Wurlitzer, Inc., in New York City, where he worked for 18 years. He became a long-term disciple of Maestro S.F. Sacconi, the universally acknowledged dean and originator of modern repair technique and restoration. On the suggestion of Dario D'Attili and Maestro Sacconi, he was appointed head of the restoration department at Wurlitzer, a firm that was considered the Mecca of the violin business in the United States.

Cost, Access to NBCTC High Among Concerns North Berkshire Residents

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
06:15PM / Thursday, April 25, 2024

Adams Select Chair Christine Hoyt, NBCTC Executive Director David Fabiano and William Solomon, the attorney representing the four communities, talk after the session. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Public access channels should be supported and made more available to the public — and not be subject to a charge.

 

More than three dozen community members in-person and online attended the public hearing  Wednesday on public access and service from Spectrum/Charter Communications. The session at City Hall was held for residents in Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg and North Adams to express their concerns to Spectrum ahead of another 10-year contract that starts in October.

 

Listening via Zoom but not speaking was Jennifer Young, director state government affairs at Charter.

 

One speaker after another conveyed how critical local access television is to the community and emphasized the need for affordable and reliable services, particularly for vulnerable populations like the elderly. 

 

"I don't know if everybody else feels the same way but they have a monopoly," said Clarksburg resident David Emery. "They control everything we do because there's nobody else to go to. You're stuck with with them."

 

Public access television, like the 30-year-old Northern Berkshire Community Television, is funded by cable television companies through franchise fees, member fees, grants and contributions.

 

Spectrum is the only cable provider in the region and while residents can shift to satellite providers or streaming, Northern Berkshire Community Television is not available on those alternatives and they may not be easy for some to navigate. For instance, the Spectrum app is available on smart televisions but it doesn't include PEG, the public, educational and governmental channels provided by NBCTC.