Clark Art Hosts Free Outdoor Classical Concert, Family Concert

08:19AM / Tuesday, August 26, 2025Print Story | Email Story

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.—Over Labor Day weekend, The Knights return to the Clark Art Institute to present two free concerts.

The first is an outdoor concert on Saturday, Aug. 30 at 4 pm on the Fernández Terrace. The second is an indoor, family-friendly concert on Sunday, Aug. 31 at noon in the Manton Research Center auditorium. Both performances complement the Clark's "A Room of Her Own: Women Artist-Activists in Britain, 1875–1945" exhibition, which spotlights women artists working in Great Britain who created spaces for themselves and others in a field that was dominated by men.

Outdoor Concert

Saturday, Aug. 30, 4 pm

In celebration of the A Room of Her Own exhibition, the orchestra's program includes a work by celebrated British female composer Dame Ethel Smyth and a piece written for and premiered by the acclaimed English female violinist, Marie Hall.

Dame Ethel Smyth

Scherzo: Allegro vivace from her Suite in E Major for String Orchestra op. 1a

Ralph Vaughan Williams

The Lark Ascending (string arrangement; written for and premiered by Marie Hall)

Felix Mendelssohn

Octet for Strings

Bring a picnic and your own seating. Rain moves the performance to Aug. 31 at 4 pm.

Family Concert

Sunday, Aug. 31, noon

Music lovers of all ages will delight in a family-friendly concert that celebrates world-class music and complements the A Room of Her Own exhibition. In this accessible afternoon performance, children and their parents/grandparents/caregivers discover the limitless imaginative possibilities that exist in classical music. This performance is designed specifically for younger audiences and is intended to provide a fun and engaging introduction to classical music.

Based in New York City, The Knights are a collective of musicians dedicated to transforming the orchestral experience and eliminating barriers between audience and music. Led by an open-minded spirit of camaraderie and collaboration, they seek to engage with contemporary culture through vibrant performances that honor the classical tradition and their passion for musical discovery.

Both concerts are free. For accessibility concerns, call 413 458 0524.

These performances are presented through the support of the Sea Island Foundation.

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Mount Greylock School Committee Hears Budget Requests, Pressures

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
05:32AM / Wednesday, February 18, 2026

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Mount Greylock Regional School Committee Thursday heard the final rounds of fiscal year 2027 budget requests and heard why those — or any — discretionary increases in spending will be difficult in the year that begins July 1.

Williamstown Elementary Principal Benjamin Torres and middle-high school Principal Jake Schutz each presented the spending priorities formulated by their respective school councils. The requests followed a presentation by Lanesborough Elementary Principal Nolan Pratt at the January meeting.

Superintendent Joseph Bergeron then told the School Committee that state and federal aid to the district is going to be slightly lower than FY26 and reminded the panel that the district spent the last two years spending down its reserve accounts, as requested by the member towns, to the point where those reserves — School Choice, tuition and excess and deficiency — cannot be applied to the operating budget.

"Spending the exact same amount of money from this year to next year — that alone will mean a 4 percent increase [in appropriations] to each of our towns," Bergeron said. "That's the baseline on top of which everything else will happen.

"We know we're seeing an 8.75 percent increase in health insurance, but we also have an increasing number of employees who are taking our health insurance, so that health insurance line is increasing substantially. When it comes to out-of-district tuition as well as transportation, both of those are seeing marked increases as well."

District staff and the School Committee will further refine its FY27 budget over the next five weeks, with a budget workshop scheduled for Tuesday, March 3, and a public hearing and final budget vote on March 19.

The district's appropriations to Williamstown and Lanesborough, which each pay a proportional share of the prekindergarten-Grade 12 district's operating expenses, will face an up-or-down vote at each town's annual meeting, in May and June, respectively.

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