LENOX, Mass. — Area businesses are banding together to add a little kick to winter and the local economy. Next month, more than 22 inns, restaurants and retailers are dipping into Chocolate Berkshires, a month-long event sponsored by the Berkshire Visitor's Bureau. Lindsey Hammond, the Bureau's director of sales and marketing, says Chocolate Berkshires provides an opportunity for local businesses to liven up an otherwise sleepy time in the Berkshires.
"This is a county-wide promotion. There's not a lot going on in February and it's a good way to extend the Valentine's Day season," she said in a phone interview. "This isn't just limited to lodging and restaurants. We want to cast the widest net possible."
Delectable chocolates from the Red Lion Inn.
That net includes the Red Lion Inn, the Berkshire Bach Society, Chocolate Springs, Gypsy Layne burlesque, Qualprint and the Berkshire Historical Society, each of which will include the delectable dessert on their menus, rooms, performances and more. Joshua Needleman, owner and head chocolatier of Chocolate Springs, said that Chocolate Berkshires is the perfect testing ground for future multi-business collaborations.
"The inspiration for this was to see a little more collaboration around Berkshire County," he said. "Chocolate is a great medium to express creativity. Restaurants are making special desserts, there will be screenings of chocolate-themed movies in the county, [and] people are doing artistic pieces. Everybody can really do their own twist on it."
Chocolate martini glasses, chocolate tours and chocolate spa treatments are among the many creations Chocolate Berkshires has inspired. It also may have gotten the ball rolling for future event-based collaborations.
"Let's see if this can get some legs," Hammond said. "We are doing this with no money – no funding. It's sort of been people doing it out of the goodness of their hearts. We all want to get more visitors here. And what a fun way to go out and explore your community and see what's happening in your own backyard. We're going to see how this works."
Collaboration is not the only goal of Chocolate Berkshires. According to Needleman, chocolate provides a more obvious opportunity as well.
"It's the ultimate comfort food," he said. "It's also a neutral item, it's not political, you don't have to pay to be involved. It's fun and hopefully it will be a springboard for other events."
Chocolate Berkshires is still accepting applications for participants. For more information visit its website or Facebook page.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
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The Classical Beat: Look For a Profusion of Events at Tanglewood From Fall and Into Next Spring
by Stephen DanknerSpecial to iBerkshires
LENOX, Mass. — Come late August, classical aficionados are grateful for the cornucopia of extraordinarily sonorous riches the Boston Symphony has bestowed upon audiences within the incomparably bucolic setting that is Tanglewood. It's been, as ever, a magical summer of glorious music making.
But wait – it's not over; for a cool, refreshing stylistic change of pace, with a tincture of Jazz, Broadway, Dance, Classical, Pops and Local Community events to buoy the spirits, be sure to check out the complete schedule of upcoming events at the storied Tanglewood Learning Institute, beginning in September. Read below for the complete TLI listings.
Tanglewood Learning Institute Announces Fall/Winter/Spring Season, Presenting Over 50 Events September 2026 through May 2027
TLI's most expansive season to date brings classical, jazz, Broadway, and dance talent to Tanglewood's Linde Center. Tickets now on sale.
The Tanglewood Learning Institute (TLI) has announced the 2026–'27 fall/winter/spring season, the most expansive yet, with over 50 events at the Linde Center for Music and Learning on Tanglewood's campus and in the Berkshires community. Marking the third year of year-round TLI programming, the upcoming season offers a wide-ranging performance lineup of exciting classical, jazz, Broadway, and dance talent as well as the TLI Cinematics film series, new TLI Focal Point photography classes, and community engagement events.
The season begins in late September with TLI Jazz: Mark G. Meadows & The Movement (Sept. 18) and TLI Presents: Beijing Guitar Duo (Sept. 25). Berkshire-based artists appear throughout the season, including a dedicated weekend of TLI Close to Home performances (Oct. 30–Nov. 1). BSO musicians curate and perform five TLI Chamber Concerts (Oct. 18, Nov. 8, Feb. 28, April 11, and April 25). Last year's inaugural Berkshire Bach Portals series, a collaboration with Berkshire Bach Society, continues with four programs about the impact of Bach's music across artistic disciplines (Nov. 7, Jan. 30, March 20, and May 15). As currently planned, the TLI fall/winter/spring season concludes May 23 with a performance by Grammy-winning vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth. TLI events continue during the 2027 Tanglewood summer season.
Single tickets and choose-your-own subscriptions for the upcoming TLI season go on sale Wednesday, August 12 at 10 a.m.
TLI Presents
A wide-ranging lineup of soloists and ensembles will visit the Linde Center for TLI Presents programs, beginning with the Tanglewood debut of the Beijing Guitar Duo (Meng Su and Yameng Wang) in a program that shows the expressive range of classical guitar and includes works by Telemann, Giuliani, and Chinese American composer Tan Dun (Sept. 25, 7 p.m.). Award-winning Moldovan accordionist Radu Ratoi follows with a varied recital that reveals the remarkable expressive range of his instrument with pieces by Rameau, Bach, Philip Glass, Gubaidulina, Tchaikovsky, and others (Oct. 23, 7 p.m.).
Broadway comes to the Linde Center by way of two-time Tony-nominated singer and actress Christine Andreas ("My Fair Lady," "Oklahoma!," "The Light in the Piazza"), who brings classic and contemporary selections from the American songbook in her show S'Wonderful with Grammy-nominated composer and pianist Martin Silvestri. In a new format for TLI, this event will feature cabaret-style table seating with bites and beverages available for purchase (Nov. 13, 7 p.m.). Later that weekend, the Grammy-winning and four-time nominated wind quintet Imani Winds, renowned for blending classical masterworks with newly commissioned works and diverse musical influences, performs an adventurous chamber music program (Nov. 15, 3 p.m.)
Founded by retired Boston Ballet principal dancer John Lam, who led TLI 101: Dance at the Linde Center in July, Lam Dance Works returns to Tanglewood for an intimate evening where dance, live music, and the human voice illuminate memory, identity, and our shared humanity. The program features works by internationally acclaimed choreographers Peggy Baker, Jorma Elo, and Yury Yanowsky, with Artistic Director Lam offering audience insights before each work and a post-performance conversation with the artists. (Nov. 21, 7 p.m.).
Newly installed as a Berkshire tradition, BSO Holiday Brass returns to the Linde Center for four presentations, including a morning performance geared towards families (Dec. 18–20).
Colombian cellist Santiago Cañón-Valencia, Silver Medalist and "Audience Favorite" at the 2019 XVI International Tchaikovsky Competition, presents a recital that pairs music by Bach and George Crumb with several of his own compositions (Feb. 26, 7 p.m.). Concert pianists Alessio Bax and Lucille Chung, each in-demand soloists in their own right, offer an afternoon concert featuring repertoire for four hands, including works by Bach, Mendelssohn, Debussy, Poulenc, and Piazzolla (March 7, 3 p.m.).
Actor and singer Jarrod Spector, most recently seen on Broadway as King George III in "Hamilton," shares his musical journey in "Jukebox Life," a cabaret-style evening of Broadway, rock n' roll, and crooner classics that traces his career from winning "Star Search" at age six to the bright lights of Broadway (April 9, 7 p.m.).
In a highlight of the season, pianist and composer Conrad Tao and choreographer and dancer Caleb Teicher give two performances of their collaborative and original program Counterpoint. The stylistically diverse music of "Counterpoint" includes the Aria from Bach’s Goldberg Variations, Art Tatum’s brilliantly virtuosic stride piano, Arnold Schoenberg’s ironic/modernistic take on the Viennese waltz, a delicate miniature from Tao and Teicher’s More Forever, and threading it all together, Gershwin’s perennially beloved "Rhapsody in Blue." Tao and Teicher’s earlier work," More Forever," is a Bessie Award-winning, New York Times critic’s pick which was lauded for "constantly extending the sonic aspects of dance" (April 17, 7 p.m., and April 18, 3 p.m.).
Senator Paul Mark today launched "Declarations Across the District," a district-wide initiative commemorating the approaching 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence by presenting local officials with commemorative copies of the historic document in every city and town... click for more
Cassidy Flynn scattered five hits in a complete-game effort in the circle as Lenox upset top-seeded Hoosac Valley, 3-2, in the quarter-finals of the Division 5 State Tournament. click for more
Brayden Durant struck out seven and walked one in a complete-game effort on the mound Saturday to pitch the Drury baseball team to a 6-0 win over Keefe Tech in the quarter-finals of the Division 5 State Tournament at Joe Wolfe Field. click for more
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