Berkshire Music School Announces Talent and Merit Scholarship Auditions

PITTSFIELD, Mass. – Berkshire Music School announced their upcoming Talent and Merit Scholarship Auditions for aspiring musicians.

These auditions are scheduled for Wednesday, June 25, 2025, from 2:30 PM to 5:00 PM at the Berkshire Music School, located at 30 Wendell Ave, Pittsfield, MA 01201. 

Students are also welcome to participate virtually, by recording a video containing the audition requirements, filling out the registration form linked below, and sending their video to Sarah Prouty at sprouty@berkshiremusicschool.org before June 25. 

Open to talented instrumentalists and vocalists, the scholarship auditions provide an excellent opportunity for musicians to showcase their skills and potentially receive talent or merit-based financial assistance for their music education at BMS. 

Audition Details: 

• Instrumentalists are asked to prepare: 
• Major and minor scales in a key of their choice in one octave  
• Two songs of their choice in contrasting styles 
• Vocalists are asked to prepare: 
• Two songs of their choice in contrasting styles 

?BMS will not be providing an accompanist. Instrumentalists should be prepared to perform without accompaniment; vocalists may perform to pre-recorded accompaniment that they provide. 

Berkshire Music School offers these scholarships to aspiring musicians in the community thanks to the generosity of their donors. These auditions not only provide a platform for showcasing musical talent but also offer financial support for students committed to furthering their musical education. The Talent and Merit Scholarship Auditions are open to musicians of all skill levels and ages, and all interested participants are encouraged to come prepared to perform. 

To Register for the Auditions: 

Visit berkshiremusicschool.org/auditions to register. 

For additional information or questions, please contact Berkshire Music School at 413.442.1411 or email Luis Granda at lgranda@berkshiremusicschool.org. 

Parks Commission Hears Complaints Over Pontoosuc Park Shore Access

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:46AM / Wednesday, July 16, 2025

The site visit preceded a meeting of the Parks Commission 

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— A site visit to the south side of Pontoosuc Lake Park on Tuesday turned combative at times as attendees passionately voiced their discontent on renovation work they say limits access to the water.

 

The city planted 1,088 shrubs along the shoreline — service berry, buttonbush, silky dogwood, and nine other species. Some of the two dozen people who attended the site visit complained that the plantings are obstacles to using the shore for swimming, boating and fishing. 

 

"We gotta remember this lake is used by everybody that belongs to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts," said Daniel Miraglia. "The biggest area we've had for the public to use. We're taking that away. We're losing our land for open space at an incredible rate."

 

The plantings are part of the redesign and revitalization of the park, a project that was years in planning and is now about 90 percent complete. 

 

The site visit occurred before Tuesday's Parks Commission meeting, and although there were fewer attendees at the meeting, the same concerns were voiced. And the commissioners listened. 

 

They voted to recommend to the Conservation Commission that it consider modifying the current vegetation plan to create additional public access points to the water.

 

The project consisted of 2,268 pieces of vegetation, including river birch, ferns, herbaceous perennials, and the shrubs.