Berkshire Music School Announces Talent and Merit Scholarship Auditions

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Music School announce the upcoming Talent and Merit Scholarship Auditions for aspiring musicians.

These auditions are scheduled for Saturday, June 27, 2026, from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM in the Taft Recital Hall at Berkshire Music School, located at 30 Wendell Ave, Pittsfield, MA 01201.

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

Audition Details:

  • Instrumentalists, Guitarists, and Electric Bassists are required to come prepared with:

    • Major and minor scales in two octaves

    • Two songs of their choice in contrasting styles

  • Vocalists are asked to prepare:

    • Two songs of their choice in contrasting styles
      Note: Berkshire Music School will not provide an accompanist, so vocalists are encouraged to bring pre-recorded accompaniment if needed.

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.

To Register for the Auditions:

Visit berkshiremusicschool.org/scholarships to register.

For additional information or questions, contact Berkshire Music School at 413.442.1411 or email Tristan Manzolini at tmanzolini@berkshiremusicschool.org.

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

EPA, GE Conducting Vernal Pool Study on Housatonic River

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A pilot study will determine the best way to remediate PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, from vernal pools in the Housatonic River. 

Last month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and General Electric held an open house for the Vernal Pool Pilot Study on Reach 5A, a five-mile stretch between the river's confluence and Lenox border.  Despite the rain, several people attended the event at the Berkshire Athenaeum. 

EPA project manager Josh Fontaine explained that it is an evaluation of which remediation method to use for the remaining vernal pools in Reach 5A. 

"We're going to be testing two different methods. One is an excavation method, which we already know has been very successful with another vernal pool cleaned up much earlier in the project," he said. 

"And then the other is the application of two different carbon amendments. It would be the application of powdered activated carbon and the application of granulated activated carbon." 

Ten vernal pools will be cleaned using these methods: five with excavation and five with active carbon; seven additional vernal pools will be monitored as controls. Construction will be complete around October, but the pools will be left to their natural processes and monitored with surveys and sampling for three years. 

Fontaine said there is no frontrunner for methodology. 

"We know the excavation method is effective, but we would like to see if the less invasive method of using the amendment will be as effective for potential use," he said. 

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