image description
The students pose with Mayor Linda Tyer after being honored.
image description
Antonia Bedard Torres is presented her award for third place.
image description
Megan Francoeur with her work that earned second place.
image description
The work has been hanging in City Hall for the last few weeks.

Pittsfield Honors Winners of Jazz-themed Student Art Contest

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
Print Story | Email Story

Lynniah Falwell accepted the award for Sophia Nguyen who was unable to attend.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Jazz and Mayor Linda Tyer honored the winners of the 12th annual student art contest on Tuesday morning.
 
The annual event is organized by art teacher Colleen Quinn at Pittsfield High School and asks students to create jazz-inspired pieces of work.
 
Sophia Nguyen took home this year's first prize, Megan Francoeur took home second, and Antonia Bedard Torres came in third.
 
"It is really a thrill to have our art teachers here today to help us celebrate this accomplishment. The artwork is remarkable," Tyer said.
 
The city also noted honorable mentions of Nolan Degrof, Jazlyn Rodriguez, Lynniah Falwell, Paige Webster, and Abby Cohan.
 
The work of more than 100 students has been hanging in the hallway of City Hall for the last few weeks. This year's judges included painters Marguerite Bride and Scott Taylor, and designer Tom Buckley.
 
The contest is intended to engage students in a "cross-genre creative activity" during the national Jazz Appreciation Month of April, according to Berkshire Jazz President Ed Bride. The contest is hoped to spread interest in jazz to the larger community.
 
National Jazz Appreciation month began by the Smithsonian Institution in 2002. Berkshire Jazz not only presents live jazz concerns but also promotes the musical genre. 
 
Art Niedeck, a jazz musician and music educator, and co-chairman of the Education Committee of Berkshires Jazz Inc., heads the project for Berkshire Jazz as well as helping to organize the Pittsfield CityJazz Festival.
 
The non-profit Berkshire Jazz is supported by ticket sales from the festival, as well as donations from individuals and sponsors, which this year include Greylock Federal Credit Union, the Feigenbaum Foundation, The Berkshire Bank Foundation, TD Bank, and the Banulis Family Foundation.

Tags: art exhibit,   jazz,   PHS,   

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Tickets On Sale for Berkshire Flyer

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Amtrak, in conjunction with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), announced tickets are now on sale for the Berkshire Flyer.
 
The Berkshire Flyer is a seasonal summer passenger rail service that operates between New York City from Moynihan Train Hall and Pittsfield. The service, which began as a successful pilot in 2022, is scheduled to resume on Friday, June 21 through Monday, Sept. 2 for Labor Day weekend. Trains depart New York City Friday nights and return at the end of the weekend, leaving Pittsfield Sunday afternoon.
 
In addition, for the first time this year, the Berkshire Flyer service now includes a train from New York City to Pittsfield on Sunday mornings.
 
"We're thrilled to announce this season's Berkshire Flyer service," said Transportation Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt. "The Berkshire Flyer makes visiting Western Massachusetts on weekends convenient, relaxing, and easy. We are pleased to continue our successful partnership with Amtrak, the New York State Department of Transportation and CSX."
 
The Berkshire Flyer departs from Moynihan Train Hall at 3:16 p.m. on Fridays and arrives at Joseph Scelsi Intermodal Transportation Center in Pittsfield at 7:27 p.m. The train will make all intermediate station stops as the scheduled Amtrak Empire Service train does in New York State on Fridays, which include Yonkers, Croton-Harmon, Poughkeepsie, Rhinecliff, Hudson, and Albany-Rensselaer Station. 
 
The Sunday return trip, making all the same station stops, will depart Pittsfield at 3:35 p.m. and arrive in New York at 7:55 p.m. The new Sunday Berkshire Flyer train from New York City to Pittsfield will depart Moynihan Train Hall at 10:50 a.m. and arrive in Pittsfield at 3:15 p.m.
 
The Berkshire Flyer is building upon two successful seasons where some of the Pittsfield-bound trains were sold out well in advance. Based on that experience, passengers planning a trip are encouraged to purchase tickets early by visiting Amtrak.com, the Amtrak app or by calling 1-800-USA-RAIL.
 
View Full Story

More Pittsfield Stories