Sumaj Chasquis, Bolivian musicians in the BCC Diversity Series

12:00AM / Tuesday, November 21, 2000Print Story | Email Story

Itâ€™s like American kids playing rock and roll in the basement, said Juan Carlos Ferrufino, the founder and director of the Andean musical group Sumaj Chasquis, who performed at Berkshire Community College last Thursday, Nov. 16. They play the music they hear at home, at family gatherings, at celebrations. They compile music, rather than composing, and they return to Boliva every year to gather more. Bolivia is a high-elevation, inland country, and has preserved its culture very well, Ferrufino said. He founded Sumaj Chasquis, which means â€œGood Messengerâ€ in Quechua, in 1989. There are five members of the group, but the youngest, 12 years old, was in school during the BCC performance. Sumaj Chasquis plays wind and percussion native music and mestizo music with Spanish influence â€” including the guitar and the charango, a smaller 10-string guitar invented in Bolivia. Ferrufino explains that when the Spanish controlled Bolivia, they did not allow the Indians to play guitars, so the Indians made their own out of armadillo shells, and made them small enough to hide easily. Their music is energetic and rhythmic, repeating short melodic phrases and building harmonies around them; audience members sway and try to restrain themselves from clapping, until Ferrufino invites them to â€œjoin in with your hands.â€ He explains each song before it begins; the group sings in Quechua, Aymara and Spanish. They sing in reverence for old men, in praise of the harmony of earth, and later of blue eyes; they sing party songs about dancing, and laments about leaving home. The Bolivian Aymara and Quechua Indians live on the shore of Lake Titicaca in the Altiplano plateau, 12,000 feet above sea level. Around the lake are statues and ruins of the temples of the Tiwanaku civilization that flourished before the Inca. The band performs under a banner with the condor and leopard and other Tiwanaku symbols. Audience members often come up to congratulate Sumaj Chasquis on their â€œgreat Peruvian music,â€ Ferrufino said; because Machu Pichu has become such a heavy tourist attraction, people see the multiple pipes and drums and they think of Peru. In fact, 80 percent of Andean music is Bolivian, and the Bolivians have invented many musical instruments. Sumaj Chasquisâ€™ instruments are handmade; Ferrufino shows the way the bamboo pipes have been cut through the reedsâ€™ knots, forming a natural block. They play multiple pipes in four sizes, from the hand-sized Ica to the 55-inch Toyos, and wooden and cane recorder-like flutes, and the wangara and tambora, the bass goatskin drum and the higher pitched, stringed drum, and the chullus, rattles made from goatsâ€™ hooves. Sumaj Chasquis performs in traditional dress: knitted, peaked hats, red-orange ponchos patterned with blue and green worn over loose white or black shirt and pants, and bare feet. Ferrufino says the native people of the Altiplano do not wear shoes; they develop calluses an inch thick and burned black with the cold. The Sumaj Chasquis musicians spend part of every year in Bolivia, but not long enough to build up such protection. When they stand barefoot on the BCC sidewalk, waiting for Diversity Series director Susan Pinsker to introduce them, they feel the cold. They have performed annually in the Harvard Anthropology Conference since 1991, and they founded the not-for-profit Centro Cultural Andino in Providence, R.I. in 1992. The Bolivian government elected the group as its representative at the 1994 World Cup soccer game in 1994, and they played as an invited group at Woodstock that summer. They have also recorded with PBS, and produced two albums. They came to the Berkshires through the BCC diversity series, which has been active nearly as long as the group has been together. In 1991, two black students at BCC came to Pinsker and another faculty member with ideas and plans to promote cultural awareness. In that first year, BCC sponsored a diversity film series including Do the Right Thing and hosted a conference on diversity in education for teachers and faculty at local schools. The two-day event ended with a Gospel Choir performance for the whole community. The series has grown by months, Pinsker says: it began with Black History Month and Womenâ€™s History Month and has grown to include Lesbian Gay Bisexual Month, and recently November, Native American and Latino Heritage Month. These months provoke discussion, Pinker said; some worry that remembering a minority group in its own special month will be an excuse to ignore it for the rest of the year. The school tried, one year, to schedule cultural events throughout the year and do away with the traditional months. Students got very upset and wrote to the Berkshire Eagle, saying these months were nationally recognized; now, the committee takes the best of both worlds: they keep the traditional months and schedule further events outside of them. The students, faculty and staff on the diversity committee educate themselves about diversity issues, Pinsker says, and try to respond to events in the news. They held a poetry reading and spoke out â€” Chimes of Freedom â€” after the Rodney King beating, and another â€” Tolerance: Building a Community of Hope â€” after the hate killings of Matthew Shepherd and James Byrd. They work with the Berkshire Museum and the Berkshire Stonewall Community Coalition. They may also influence other BCC departments. â€œWe do our own thing and hope to encourage others,â€ Pinsker says; they have had no hand in planning the Indian weaving forum in December and the three forums scheduled already for Womenâ€™s History month. The committee also sends its calendar to local schools, which accounted for the rows of Sacred Heart Elementary School students at the Sumaj Chasquis performance, sitting on the floor in front of the crowded audience. Ferrufino invited audience volunteers to join the musicians, one to dance a traditional dance in knitted hat and Poncho, and one to try blowing into the multiple pipes. He explained that it was difficult to blow the pipes, especially the Toyos that were taller than the girl trying to play them. People who live in the thin air in the Andes have a greater natural lung capacity than most, he said. Ferrufino dedicated the last song in the program, â€œTresoritoâ€ or â€œLittle Treasure,â€ to the children in the audience. They called out â€œthank you!â€ from around the room. After the concert, adults in the audience tried turns on the bass drum. One mother brought her adopted South American son to talk to the performers. It was, as Ferrufino said, a very receptive audience. Those who enjoyed the encounter may want to keep an eye out for next semesterâ€™s Diversity Series programs. The Senegalese musician and composer Youssoupha Sidibe will perform religious bayefall chants Feb. 8 on the Djimbe, Sabar, Doumdoum and West African stringed Kora. The committee is hoping to bring together step teams from Pittsfield and Williams College. A percussive dancer is coming for Womenâ€™s History Month, and there will be a presentation on hate crimes and an aikido demonstration in April.

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Friday Front Porch Feature: A Charming House Like New

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
06:57PM / Friday, December 19, 2025

The home prior to renovations.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Are you looking for a newly renovated home with great space? Then this might be the perfect fit for you!

Our Friday Front Porch is a weekly feature spotlighting attractive homes for sale in Berkshire County. This week, we are showcasing 100 Autumn Drive.

This three-bedroom, two-bathroom split level was built in 1965 and is 1,396 square feet on 0.32 acres.

The house was completely renovated recently. It includes a one-car garage, and comes with appliances including a dishwasher and stove/oven, and other major appliances.

The house is listed for $359,500.

We spoke with owners Michael Zeppieri and Chris Andrews, who did the renovations. Zeppieri is an agent with Alton and Westall Real Estate Agency.

What was your first impression when you walked into the home?

Zeppieri: I purchased this home to do a full renovation flip and saw tremendous potential in this mid-century split level home that had not been updated since it was built in the 1960s, in a great North Adams neighborhood.

Andrews: The house was a much different house when we first purchased it in 2022 (photo attached is from about 2010.) The interior was painted all in dark colors and we brightened it up with neutral colors. The transformation makes you feel like you are in a totally different house.

What were the recent renovations, any standout design features?

Zeppieri: The house has had a complete reconfiguration including new kitchen with high-end appliances, ceramic tiled baths, hardwood floors, new windows and roof ... just to name a few. All a buyer has to do is move in and enjoy.

Andrews: Yes, we renovated the entire house. New windows, new roof, all new custom black gutter system, new blacktop driveway, hardwood floors were installed through out the house. New kitchen and bathrooms as well as painting the exterior and interior of the house. New paver patio in the back yard.

What kind of buyer would this home be ideal for?

Zeppieri: The buyer for this home could be a first-time homebuyer or a retiree ... the location is close to attractions in North Adams ... and the property is located in Autumn Heights, which is a very small residential development with several long-term owners.

Andrews: This home is truly ideal for a variety of buyers. Whether a first-time homebuyer, a small family or even someone looking to downsize from a larger home.

What do you think makes this property stand out in the current market?

Zeppieri: The location, price and move-in condition of this home make it a true market leader in the North Adams Market.

Andrews: This house is completely renovated and in a desirable location of North Adams. The natural light in the home really makes the interior pop. And with all the upgrades the home stays quite cool in the summer months.

Do you know any unique stories about the home or its history?

Zeppieri: This home was built for the Gould family in 1969 and they lived there till 2010. It was always a family home during that time in which the Goulds had two children ... and Virgina Gould managed Mohawk Forest Apartments and was a very active resident of North Adams.

Andrews: Built in about 1965.

What do the current owners love about this home?

Zeppieri: As the current owner it was a fun project to transform this home and get it ready for its next adventure with a new family to enjoy for many years.

Andrews: No one has lived in the house since we purchased the home. The new owners would be the first to live in the house since the renovations have been completed.

What would you say to a buyer trying to imagine their life in this space?

Andrews: I would suggest seeing the house either on a sunny day or at twilight to really get a vision of how special the home feels.

You can find out more about this house on its listing here.

*Front Porch Feature brings you an exclusive to some of the houses listed on our real estate page every week. Here we take a bit of a deeper dive into a certain house for sale and ask questions so you don't have to.

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