Berkshire Bach Society Concludes Harpsichord Festival

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The Berkshire Bach Society concludes its 2026 Harpsichord Festival on Saturday, Oct. 10, 3pm, at the Berkshire Waldorf HS (Old Town Hall) in Stockbridge.

Distinguished American harpsichordist Peter Sykes presents Bach at Home, a program with music from the Bach family circle played on clavichord and harpsichord, two iconic instruments of the Baroque period.

"We are so accustomed to hearing public music of the Baroque era," said Terrill McDade, Executive Director of the Berkshire Bach Society, "that we forget that musicians such as Bach also had a family life in which music-making figured prominently in a world before musical recordings.  What he played in the privacy of his own home is subject to debate, but if we take our cue from the music he copied into a notebook for his second wife, a professional singer, we see a combination of works by Bach—father and sons—as well as pieces that impressed him by other composers. For his recital Peter Sykes has chosen works from the 1725 Anna Magdalena Notebook and gives us an aural comparison of two 18th century keyboard instruments in a rare double header—a peek into the Bach family’s musical tastes, and a bit of keyboard organology to boot."

The works played on clavichord include the iconic Prelude in C Major that is the first number of the Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I, three two-part inventions, and works by C.P.E. Bach and the Dresdner composer Christian Pezold originally attributed to J.S. Bach.  The works played on harpsichord include the Aria from the ‘Goldberg’ Variations, the French Suite No. 4, and the Solo per il Cembalo by C.P.E. Bach.

Peter Sykes is a core faculty member and principal instructor of harpsichord in the Historical Performance Department of the Juilliard School, a lecturer at Boston University, teaching harpsichord and organ performance, and Music Director Emeritus at First Church in Cambridge, where he served for forty years. A founding board member and current president of the Boston Clavichord Society, a board member of Early Music America, and past president of the Westfield Center for Historical Keyboard Studies, he has performed with Berkshire Bach since 1999.

Tickets $50 for nonmembers; $45 for BBS Members; $10 Card to Culture (with card). Children and students under 25 always admitted free.

Visit www.berkshirebach.org/events for more information and tickets.

Greenagers Founder Will Conklin Honored as Business Person of the Year

By Breanna Steele12:17PM / Saturday, October 03, 2026

Casey Pease of state Sen. Paul Mark's office presents William Conklin, right, with a state Senate proclamation.

EGREMONT, Mass. — The Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce honored a local businessman and nonprofit leader on Sept. 24 at Catamount Mountain Resort.

 

William Conklin was this year's Business Person of the Year, recognizing his work as founder and executive director of Greenagers, a nonprofit that helps youth and children engage in work in environmental conservation, sustainable farming, natural resource management, and vocational skills building. 

 

Conklin and his family also run Sky View Farm and he is a managing partner of Konkapot Tree and Timber, a small-scale forest products business.

 

"If you spent any amount of time in Southern Berkshire, chances are you've heard his name, whether you realize the connection at the time or not," said board member Sierra King Watson, who emceed the event. "You might be having a conversation about farming, a new barn or structure that was built, students learning hands-on skills in sustainable agriculture, or a family that receives donated firewood to help keep their home warm through a cold Berkshire winter, or maybe you're simply talking about one of those community leaders who somehow manages to show up, support everyone, and seemingly be everywhere all at once.

 

"Well, one name has a way of continuously popping up, and that is Will Conklin."

 

Board President Mark Rulison said the region has more than 1,200 nonprofits. One in four jobs in the county is in the nonprofit sector, which ranks 27th nationally for nonprofit employment. He said the economic impact on the community is huge, thanking those who help.

 

For the event on Thursday, Conklin requested that as much of the food as possible was sourced locally. Most of it came from Greenagers, Sky View Farm, Indian Line Farm and Fancy Feast Supper Club, creative dinner series.