Berkshire Music School Announces Talent and Merit Scholarship Auditions

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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

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

Housing Planned for Former St. Joe's High School

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Nearly a decade after the facility last operated as a high school, the former Saint Joseph's is staged for new life as housing. 

Last week, the Community Development Board determined that subdivision approval was not required for a plan of land the Roman Catholic Bishop of Springfield submitted for 22 Maplewood Ave.

CT Management Group is under contract to purchase the property for conversion into market-rate housing, developer David Carver confirmed on Monday when contacted by iBerkshires. The closing date and related matters are in process. 

In 2017, the then 120-year-old St. Joseph Central High School ceased operations. After the COVID-19 pandemic hit, it sheltered people without homes before The Pearl, a 40-bed downtown shelter, was finished a few years ago. 

Brian Koczela of BEK Associates, who submitted the plan on behalf of the diocese, explained to the board that the diocese is conveying out the former St. Joseph's High School. (The bishop is listed as owner on deeds on behalf of the church.)

The high school is comprised of four parcels with different owner in the middle, he said, and they need to be combined for the conveyance. This refers to the transfer and assignment of a property right or interest from one individual or entity to another. 

"At the very southerly end, at the back of the high school, there's a 66-foot-wide strip, I believe, and that strip goes all the way from North Street to Maplewood, and it includes a rectory," Koczela explained.  

"In essence, what we're really doing is just separating out that small parcel from the rectory."

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