Berkshire Music School Hires New Executive Director

PITTSFIELD, Mass. - Berkshire Music School has hired Natalie Johnsonius Neubert as its new executive director, to replace Tracy Wilson, who is retiring in June after a nearly 17-year run in that position. 

The search committee, headed up by BMS trustee Christine Condaris, received applications from individuals across the country, and the selection was made in mid-April. Neubert will begin in early June, to work with Wilson during that month, ensuring a seamless transition in leadership.  

"The board is thrilled to welcome Natalie to the BMS family and looks forward to working with her," Board President Paul Houston said.

"The Berkshire Music School is an invaluable gem in our community, bringing the joy of music into the lives of our neighbors of all ages and backgrounds," Neubert said. "I am honored to follow Tracy’s exemplary leadership, and am excited to work with the school's board, faculty, staff and students to inspire and cultivate the vast diversity of musical voices in the Berkshires." 

Neubert comes to Berkshire Music School with 20 years of experience in arts management specializing in fundraising, programming and marketing for nonprofit music, theatre and dance organizations. She has worked with such institutions as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the Dublin International Fringe Festival, Performance Space New York (formerly P.S. 122), Classic Stage Company, the Nashville Shakespeare Festival, The Kitchen, the Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York, and LUMBERYARD/American Dance Institute.

Most recently, she served as the senior development officer at Shakespeare & Company. As a curator, her productions have been featured in The New York Times, The New Yorker, American Theatre Magazine, and The Village Voice.

Neubert has also served on the board of directors for The Civilians Theater Company in New York City and the venue On The Boards in Seattle, and on the Development, Marketing, and Special Events Committees for the Pacific Northwest Ballet (Seattle), the Berkshire Museum, Community Access to the Arts, the Lenox Library Association, Berkshire Country Day School, and IS183, the Art School of the Berkshires. She lives in Lenox with her husband David and their children Craig and Rose, and is a co-chair of the Berkshire County Development Association and a member of Berkshire Business and Professional Women.

In addition, Neubert is a classically trained musician who plays the piano and saxophone, and is a professional sound designer.  She earned her bachelor of arts and master of fine arts degrees from Sarah Lawrence College, where she studied both music and theatre. 

“I am particularly thrilled that Natalie comes to the school knowing the local community, its rich cultural offerings, the challenges we face now and in the future, with the instincts of a practicing artist/musician," Wilson said.

Founded in 1940 by Winnie Davis Long Crane, the Berkshire Music School is dedicated to fostering the love and pursuit of music for all ages through quality music education activities, community collaborations, and performance opportunities. The school serves more than 250 students taking weekly lessons during the school year from 32 professional musician/educator faculty members, numerous classes for young students, chamber ensembles, workshops, and summer camps. The organization also hosts a variety of collaborations with other cultural organizations, social service agencies, and senior centers as well as recitals, concerts, and residencies at its historic home at 30 Wendell Ave. in Pittsfield and venues across the county.

Pittsfield Celebrates Robert 'Bob' Presutti on Arbor Day

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:33PM / Friday, April 26, 2024

Bob Presutti, right, is presented the Hebert Award in 2017 for his volunteer efforts at Springside Park. He died in 2023 at age 88.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A tree has been planted next to the Berkshire Athenaeum in honor of local "giant" Robert Presutti.

Officials celebrated Arbor Day on Friday by installing a commemorative plaque next to the American elm sapling. This is a tree that James McGrath, the city's park program manager, said Presutti would have been particularly proud of.

"Today is a day where we yes, celebrate trees, but today is also a day where here in the city we intentionally try to acknowledge the good work of folks in our community who spend their time and their efforts and their talents to make Pittsfield a more beautiful place," he said to a crowd of about 20 people.

"Today we are honoring a longtime community volunteer named Bob Presutti. I'm sure a lot of you here know Bob and know his contributions to the city, not only when it comes to trees and parks but also to the Retired Senior Volunteer Program."

The longtime volunteer passed away last year at the age of 88. He contributed more than 10,600 hours to RSVP and had great impacts on the Parks Department over the years from sharing his knowledge and talents to ensuring that workers were safe when working on trees.

"This morning I went through my emails to see how many emails Bob Presutti sent me since the year 2001 when I started with the city. Bob Presutti sent me 14,000 emails and nearly every single one of those was about trees," McGrath said, prompting laughter and smiles from attendees.

One thread struck him as particularly important because it showed Presutti's empathy when it comes to the safety of city workers while caring for trees.

"There were multiple emails from Bob about the need to get the Parks Department maintenance guys into a program learning about chainsaw safety and learning about ladder safety. He was really into making certain that our city workers were well cared for and had all of the instruction that they needed and in fact, he even offered his own time and services after he became certified to teach our city workers," McGrath said.