Opera Singer to Conduct Vocal Class

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Opera singer Winifred Brown will conduct a vocal master class at Berkshire Music School. The public is invited to observe for a $10 donation at the door. This is a joint venture between BMS and Berkshire Lyric. BMS is located at 30 Wendell Ave.; free parking is available.

Brown, a soprano, is well known throughout Europe and the Americas. She has performed major roles such as Norma, Violetta, the Marschallin, Donna Anna, Mimi and Musetta. She has been a guest artist of the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, as well as the opera houses in Berlin, Paris and Rome. She has appeared with the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra and many regional orchestras. 

Founder and artistic director of CandleOpera and NOVA, the New Organization for Vocal Artistry, she has conducted, stage directed and given master classes in New York City, Chicago, Italy, Germany, France and Mexico. A music gypsy since 17, Brown lives in Chicago and is actively involved with family, church, local classical, avant garde, and jazz groups.

She has degrees from the College of Wooster, the University of Illinois, was a member of the Lyric Opera of Chicago Center and was a first-place winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Auditions.
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Former Harry's Supermarket Under Construction for Restaurant

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Construction is underway to transform the former Harry's Supermarket into a restaurant

Late last month, the Conservation Commission greenlit some tree pruning on the property. New windows and a new door can be seen in the front of the building. 

"It's a substantial renovation that's currently underway here," Brent White of White Engineering said, speaking on behalf of the applicant and owner, Huajie Zhu. 

A fire gutted the longtime Wahconah Street supermarket in 2023, and the following year, Zhu purchased the property for $460,000 two years ago to build a restaurant with hibachi in the existing footprint of the more than 100-year-old building. 

White explained that the project has been ongoing for over a year, and the Community Development Board granted the property a waiver to reduce the minimum required number of parking spaces so that additional spaces aren't needed.  

He noted that, looking at the site plan, there is very little room to do so. A mirror will be installed near the sharp turn on Bel Air Avenue to alleviate traffic concerns. 

Pruning will be done on trees in the southeast corner of the existing paved parking lot, as a number of branches are hanging over. The new owners also intend to patch, sealcoat, and re-stripe the parking lot. 

A fire tore through the building less than an hour after the supermarket closed for the day three years ago. An automatic sprinkler system is required for the new use. 

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