Berkshire Opera Company christens new home at Mahaiwe

12:00AM / Monday, August 20, 2001Print Story | Email Story

GREAT BARRINGTON - "Opera is alive and well and has a new home in the Berkshires!" pronounced Rex Hearn, as he waved a metaphoric magic wand cueing "Music at the Mahaiwe." Full-tilt musical performances reflected the enthusiasm of the master of ceremonies and founder of Berkshire Opera Company. Performers on August 18 included conductor and artistic director Joel Revzen, tenor Charles Castronovo, sopranos Emily Pulley and Amy Burton, mezzo-soprano Margaret Lattimore, baritone William Stone and bass-baritone John Cheek. The acoustics of the 1905 jewel box Mahaiwe Theatre polished the performance of the orchestra to a high sheen, and thus was christened Berkshire Opera Company's new home. The performances marked the company's first live presentation in the space. A near capacity audience crowded the 700-seat theatre on the final night of the five evenings of song, which ran August 11-18. Familiar arias from operas by Verdi, Bizet, Mozart, Rossini and others highlighted the evening. The celebration was poignant but long in coming: Berkshire Opera had found a permanent home in the Berkshires after 16 plus years of wandering. The company purchased the Mahaiwe, then in its movie-theatre incarnation, last September for $450,000. An appreciative audience brought the singers back for applause after each selection. At the finale, the performers raised glasses of champagne and invited the audience to sing along. The program was the last of the season for the company, which has initiated a $15 million capital campaign to fund the restoration of the theatre. Earlier season offerings included the First Annual Opera Film Festival and a full-length production of Mozart's Cossi fan tutte at BCC. The company hopes to utilize the Mahaiwe and showcase it, even as extensive renovations proceed. Despite the lack of a regular venue, the company built a reputation and proved itself critically and financially viable during its years of homelessness. In 1992, seven years after its inception, the New York Times stated, "just up the road from Tanglewood, the Berkshire Opera Company performs miracles." At that time, the company performed in a now-demolished chapel on the Cranwell property on Route 20 in Lenox. By the late 1990s the company was ensconced in Berkshire Community College's Koussevitsky Arts Center, staging full-length performances with well-established singers. The glitzy celebration stood in contrast with the company's humble start, when Hearn entered a music store in midtown Manhattan searching out talented music students for his first season. "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread," said Hearn before the performance, discussing the genesis of the company. "My wife, Kathy, and I had no idea what we were getting into." A native of England, Hearn became a U.S. citizen three years ago, after working in New York for many years. In the mid 1980's his wife won a settlement in a lawsuit and held out the check to him. "She said, 'What should we do with it?' I said, 'Put it in the bank,'" Hearns recalls. Eventually, though, they decided "to do something constructive with it." The couple had a summer home in Lee, Hearn recalls. "I said, 'The only thing that's missing in the Berkshires is the opera.' So, with about $40,000, we started the opera company." On a mission to find a soprano, Hearn went to hear a local gal at the Stockbridge Congregational Church at the behest of her brother. "Arthur Flynn at Berkshire Life said, "I've got a sister who is a singer. I thought, 'Oh, no. Well, I guess I have to go.'" He recalls, "We got there late. It was Easter Sunday, so we were in the back row seats, just in front where the choir was. When it came her time to sing, I hear this heavenly sound. 'What a wonderful voice,' I said. 'I do hope she's attractive.'" Hearn was delighted when he met the then Maureen Flynn, who put the "O" back into her name later, according to Hearn. O'Flynn became a BOC regular, and built her career here. She has since performed at the White House for President Bush, at Covent Garden, at La Scala and at the Metropolitan Opera. Hearn is delighted with the way his company has "grown up." "The success of the company and the legacy of a permanent home fills me with gratitude," said Hearn. "They have graduated summa cum laude." The company's annual budget now exceeds $1 million. A staff of seven works from their Railroad Street offices. Hearn also praised the Mahaiwe venue, particularly its vaunted acoustics. "You stand on the stage and you don't have to shout to be heard." The company had been eyeing the theatre for six years, a fact they carefully concealed from the public. President and CEO Sanford Fisher orchestrated the purchase and attendant fund raising. According to Hearn, Fisher "has done a remarkable thing in bringing the company to where it is today." Fittingly, the Mahaiwe's first performance in 1905 was a comic opera. In its early years, the theatre was primarily a venue for vaudeville acts and musical entertainment, and John Phillips Souza's band performed there. During the recent performance, a restored area of the ornate decoration that graces the walls and box seats was spotlighted as a preview of how the theatre will look when all of the paint is scraped off, cleaned and otherwise restored. The company also purchased an adjacent building, the former Gans building at 31 Railroad Street. Officials hope to turn the first floor into an art gallery and gift shop and reception hall for intermissions and other social events. The second floor will provide dressing rooms, costume and wig-fitting areas, and the basement will be used for set and prop storage. Architect Hugh Hardy is directing the restoration. During off-season months, the company plans to make the theatre available for lectures, movies, children's programming and other events. According to Hearn, opera is experiencing growing popularity, and 125 opera companies now operate in the United States. "It's a happening thing. There's been exposure in modern movies like 'Moonstruck.'" The Broadway hit "Rent" is based on an opera. Hearn points out that, of all things, MTV may have also contributed to the interest, because of the multi-media showcasing of music. "It's the multiple disciplines," he says. Where else can they get it?" The appearance of "supertitles," which translate the operas into English, has also made opera more accessible.

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North Adams Unveils Hometown Heroes Banners

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
04:30PM / Friday, May 22, 2026

Carol Ethier-Kipp holds up the first aid kit her father used as an Army medic in World War II. See more photos here.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The City of North Adams honored its own on Friday afternoon, unveiling 50 downtown street banners representing local veterans who served — and continue to serve — the community and the country.

More than 300 residents packed the front lawn of City Hall as the community took a moment to reflect on its "Hometown Heroes" during the morning unveiling ceremony.

"In a city like North Adams, service is personal. The men and women we honor today are not strangers to us. They are our neighbors, our classmates, our parents, our grandparents," Mayor Jennifer Macksey told the crowd. "... These banners are far more than names and pictures hanging along our streets. They are visible reminders of the values that define North Adams: courage, sacrifice, humility, duty, resilience, and the love of country. They remind every person who passes by that this community remembers our veterans."

The banner program launched exactly a year ago. Veterans Services Agent Kurtis Durocher opened applications in October and spent the next six months working with families to bring the project to Main Street and over the Hadley Overpass.

"We gather to recognize the brave men and women from our community who have served or who are currently serving in the United States armed forces," Durocher said. "These banners are more than images. They bear a tribute to service, sacrifice, courage, and pride, and they remind us that the freedoms we enjoy every day have been protected by our neighbors, family members, friends, and Hometown Heroes."

Each banner features a portrait of a veteran alongside their military branch and dates of service.

Durocher noted that the program was something residents clearly wanted, pointing to how fast applications flooded his desk. He praised the volunteers who stepped up to get the banners made and displayed — including city firefighters and Mitchell Meranti of Wire & Alarm Department, who were installing them as late as Thursday night.

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