Berkshire Bach Society Presents Peter Sykes in Organ Masters Series Finale

Print Story | Email Story
GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The Berkshire Bach Society will conclude its Organ Masters series with a recital by Peter Sykes on the Roosevelt Organ at the First Congregational Church in Great Barrington on Saturday, May 3, at 4 p.m. 
 
This performance is the second of two recitals on historic instruments.
 
Terrill McDade, Executive Director of the Berkshire Bach Society, stated that the Organ Masters series aims to highlight organ music, organists, and significant instruments in the region. The program will feature settings of the Lord’s Prayer by composers who influenced Bach and those who followed him, including Samuel Scheidt, Bach’s teacher Georg Böhm, and Felix Mendelssohn.
 
The 1883 Roosevelt Organ at the First Congregational Church is noted as a large historic organ in the U.S. Upon installation, it was considered the largest and most important organ in America. Built by Hilborne Lewis Roosevelt, the organ is described as the largest surviving example of his work in near-original and playable condition. Roosevelt, a cousin of U.S. Presidents Teddy and Franklin, founded Roosevelt Pipe Organ Builders in 1870 and incorporated electricity and other innovations into his instruments.
 
The performance by Peter Sykes is scheduled for Saturday, May 3, at 4 p.m. at the First Congregational Church in Great Barrington. Tickets are priced at $45 for nonmembers, $40 for Berkshire Bach Members, and $10 for Card to Culture participants. Admission is free for children and students with valid ID.
 
Further information and ticket purchasing options are available at www.berkshirebach.org/events.
 
The Berkshire Bach Society is a nonprofit organization.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Letter: Southern Berkshire Ambulance Expresses Gratitude for Support

Letter to the Editor

To the Editor:

Over the next nine months, the Southern Berkshire Ambulance Squad (SBAS) will take delivery of two new ambulances, at a cost of roughly $1 million, to replace two vehicles that are very much on their last wheels. Lacking that $1 million, SBAS had to put out an emergency call of its own. I write to share the wonderful news that Berkshire Preservation Inc. (BPI) more than answered our call.

BPI's board, which includes Carole Owens, Louis Schroeter, Wende and David Carver, Nelson Furlano, and Todd Ehrlich worked tirelessly to organize a benefit concert at the Colonial Theatre that netted $98,877 for SBAS. We saw firsthand how hard they worked to bring it off, and we could not be more grateful to be the beneficiaries of their efforts and generosity.

SBAS answers your emergency calls 24/7/365. It means a great deal to us that when we were the ones in need, BPI answered ours. If you would like to learn more about BPI, and you should, please go to preservationinc.org.

With deep gratitude,

Ken Schumacher
Great Barrington, Mass. 

Ken Schumacher is president of the board of directors
of the Southern Ambulance Squad

 

 

 

View Full Story

More South Berkshire Stories