Tanglewood, Taconic Festival Blossoms; Sevenars Upcoming

By Stephen DanknerSpecial to iBerkshires
Print Story | Email Story

The Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood opens its classical season Friday, July 5, as BSO Music Director Andris Nelsons takes center stage in the Shed with a powerhouse all-Beethoven program consisting of his supremely lyrical Violin Concerto, Op. 61 and concluding with the transcendental masterpiece Symphony No. 3 (‘Eroica'). On Sunday afternoon, July 7 Maestro Nelsons again directs the BSO, featuring the celebrated  Metropolitan Opera diva Renée Fleming in an all-Richard Strauss program of operatic selections from "Die Frau ohne Schatten," "Intermezzo" and "Der Rosenkavalier."

Be sure to also consider attending the spectacular Taconic Music Festival for intimate and brilliantly performed chamber music in Manchester, Vermont.

Finally, plan to enjoy the convivial atmosphere at Sevenars Concerts, located in bucolic South Worthington, Mass. This season marks their 56th anniversary, as they present a festival season of six weekly Sunday afternoon concerts, beginning July 14.

There's so much music to experience in our culturally rich corner of the world! Read on for the details:

Tanglewood Shed Concerts

Friday, July 5, 8:00 p.m. in the Shed: Opening Night at Tanglewood with BSO Music Director Andris Nelsons leading the first Boston Symphony Orchestra concert of the 2024 Tanglewood season. Maestro Nelsons, conductor, with the stellar violinist Gil Shaham performing Beethoven's Violin Concerto, Op. 61, composed in 1806, and Symphony No. 3, Op. 55, (‘Eroica'), composed in 1803-1804.

Saturday, July 6, 8:00 p.m. in the Shed: The Boston Pops Orchestra: Maestro Keith Lockhart leads the Pops in a spectacular and wide-ranging program of Broadway showstoppers.

Sunday, July 7, 2:30 p.m. 2:30 p.m. in the Shed: The Boston Symphony Orchestra will be led by Andris Nelsons, with operatic soprano Renée Fleming in an all-Richard Strauss program.

Monday, July 8, 8:00 p.m. in the Shed: The Tanglewood Music Center (TMC) Orchestra will be conducted by Maestro Andris Nelsons in a program of Dvorak ("Carnival Overture"); Coleridge-Taylor ("Ballade in A Minor"), and Shostakovich (Symphony No. 5).

Taconic Music Summer Festival

With four concerts over two weeks of great programs in this exhilarating music festival, be sure to include Taconic Music on your "not-to-be-missed" concert agenda.

Why go? Based in Manchester, Vermont, co-founders Ariel Rudiakov and Joana Genova will showcase their outstanding festival-resident teaching/performing artists and young artists.

For information, including tickets, and Taconic Music's year-round programs, call (802) 362-7162 or visit online at directors@taconicmusic.org. Chamber Music Saturdays are $30. for adults, free for students and kids. Reservations are recommended. Concerts will also be livestreamed.  

Arrive early for an informal pre-concert reception on every Chamber Music Saturday, beginning at 6:30, when the box office also opens. Enjoy a glass of wine or Töst, and mingle with friends before the concert begins.

Here's a listing of the Taconic Festival's programming over the next two weeks:

Saturday, July 6 at 7:30pm:

AN EVENING OF POPS
Ariel Rudiakov conducts the Taconic Pops Orchestra in an evening of light classical music and hits from Hollywood and Broadway, and themes from James Bond movies, TV shows. Featuring guest vocalist Maxine Linehan.

Wednesday, July 10 at 7pm:

MASTERCLASS with violinist Eugene Drucker. Experience firsthand how chamber music is refined and brought to a whole new level. Former Emerson String Quartet violinist Eugene Drucker will offer insights and guidance to Taconic's Young Artists as they prepare for their July 15th  concert.  


Saturday, July 13 at 7:30pm:
CHAMBER CONCERT III: Brahms and Mendelssohn
Eugene Drucker and Joana Genova, violins; Ariel Rudiakov and Stefanie Taylor, violas; Raman Ramakrishnan and Roberta Cooper, celli; Drew Petersen, Piano perform 19th century Romantic chamber music masterworks.

 

Monday, July 15 at 7pm:

YOUNG ARTISTS CONCERT II
Taconic's 2024 Young Artists perform works for string quartet, quintet and piano quartet in the final concert of Taconic Music's summer festival.

Sevenars Celebrates 56th Anniversary Season 

Six Upcoming Sevenars Concerts

 

Opening Concert: Family and Friends:

Sunday, July 14, 4:00 p.m.: The Opening Concert of Sevenars Music Festival's 56th anniversary season offers exciting masterpieces for piano duo, piano solo, and cello -  with Clifton J. ("Jerry") Noble, Rorianne Schrade, Lynelle James, and Christopher James. The program will include masterworks composed by Brahms, Rachmaninoff, Liszt, Holst (celebrating his 150th anniversary), and Gershwin (the "Rhapsody in Blue," in honor of the 100th anniversary of its 1924 premiere). In addition, Jerry Noble will perform his own composition written in memory of recently departed Sevenars family member David James, along with several other tribute performances by family members to be announced.

Looking ahead: 

July 21, 4:00 p.m.: Sevenars welcomes revered violist Ron Gorevic in music especially composed for him; composers include - along with Bach, Reger, and Stravinsky - Laurence Wallach, Tasia Wu, Salvatore Macchia, and Kenji Bunch.

July 28, 4:00 p.m.: Sevenars is excited to present internationally renowned cellist Inbal Segev performing three Bach solo Cello Suites. 

August 4, 4:00 p.m.: Exciting pianist Junwen Liang is Sevenars "Young Artist to Watch," performing Bach, Chopin, Liszt, Debussy, and Prokofiev.

August 11, 4:00 p.m.: Outstanding pianist Sayuri Miyamoto and oboist Joel Bard join Atlanta violinist/violist Jun-Ching Lin for a beautiful and varied program of solos, duos, and trios by Mozart, Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann, Respighi, Loeffler, Wallner and Paderewski.

August 18, 4:00 p.m.: The Sevenars season is capped off with the inimitable jazz of Jerry Noble, Kara Noble, Chris Devine, and John Van Eps. 

Location: Sevenars Academy, 15 Ireland Street just off Rte. 112 at Ireland Street, South Worthington, Mass. Phone: (413) 238-5854 (please leave a message for return call) Website: www.sevenars.org.

Admission:  There is no admission fee, but donations are welcomed at the door (suggested $20). Refreshments are offered free of charge.

 

 

 

 

 

 


Tags: The Classical Beat,   

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Letter: Real Issue in Hinsdale Is Leadership Failure

Letter to the Editor

To the Editor:

The Hinsdale Select Board recently claimed they are "flabbergasted" by the Dalton Police Department's decision to suspend mutual aid. This public display of confusion is staggering. It reveals a severe lack of leadership and a deep disconnect from the established facts.

Dalton did not make a rash or emotional choice. They made a strict, calculated decision to protect their own officers. Dalton leadership clearly stated their reasons. They cited deep concerns about officer safety, trust, training consistency, and post-incident accountability. These are massive red flags for any law enforcement agency.

These concerns stem directly from the fatal shooting of Biagio Kauvil. During this tragic event, Hinsdale command staff failed to follow their own policies. We saw poor judgment, tactical errors, and clear supervisory failures. When a police department breaks its own rules, it places both the public and responding officers at strict risk. No responsible outside agency will subject its own team to a command structure that lacks basic operational competence.

For elected officials to look at a preventable tragedy, clear policy violations, and the swift withdrawal of a neighboring agency, yet still claim confusion, shows willful blindness. If the Select Board cannot recognize the obvious institutional failures staring them in the face, they disqualify themselves from providing meaningful oversight.

We cannot accept leaders who dismiss documented failures and deflect blame. We must demand true accountability. The real problem is not that Dalton withdrew its support. The real problem is a Hinsdale leadership team that refuses to face its own failures.

Scott McGowan
Williamstown Mass.

 

 

 

 

View Full Story

More Lee Stories