MILLERTON — A new documentary film, “Housing Our Neighbors” engagingly explores the housing pressures prevalent throughout towns in Litchfield County’s Northwest Corner and eastern Dutchess County.
The film was shown for the first time to a sold-out audience at The Moviehouse in Millerton on Wednesday, Nov. 9.
Producer Felicia Jones, who serves as development director for the Falls Village Community Development Corp., said, “Our goal was to highlight the intersections between housing and the things most people really care about in the community: education, healthcare, small business including food production, as well as the environment.”
The film’s director is Yonah Sadeh, who took six months to produce the documentary.
“I think sometimes we don’t realize that moderately priced housing and an abundance of rental properties are essential to a sustainable and thriving community,” Jones added.
To view the film, go to the website of the Falls Village Community Development Corporation at www.fallsvillagecdc.org or find it on its YouTube channel.
Aerial view of The Shed at Tanglewood in Lenox, Mass.
Now is the perfect time to plan ahead for symphonic music this summer at Tanglewood in Lenox, Massachusetts. Here are a few highlights from the classical programming.
Saturday, July 5: Shed Opening Night at 8 p.m. Andris Nelsons conducts the Boston Symphony Orchestra as Daniil Trifonov plays piano in an All-Rachmaninoff program. The Piano Concerto No. 3 was completed in 1909 and was written specifically to be debuted in the composer’s American tour, at another time of unrest and upheaval in Russia. Trifonev is well-equipped to take on what is considered among the most technically difficult piano pieces. This program also includes Symphonic Dances, a work encapsulating many ideas and much nostalgia.
On Sunday, July 6 at 2:30 p.m., the next master pianist, Yefim Bronfman, joins Andris Nelsons as he conducts the BSO in the Shed. Bronfman features in an All-Beethoven program. Hear the Leonore Overture No. 2 followed by the Piano Concerto No. 3, a deeply expressive work that highlights the lively interplay between the BSO strings, winds, and Bronfman’s piano. After intermission, experience the epic Symphony No. 5.
On Saturday, July 12 at 8 p.m. in the Shed, the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Andris Nelsons join pianist Seong-Jin Cho in celebrating the 150th birth year of Maurice Ravel. Expressive, sincere, and wonderful, Cho’s playing is bound to create a rich evening of music that includes “Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun” (Debussy), “Piano Concerto in G” (Ravel), “Piano Concerto for the Left Hand” (Ravel), and “La Mer” (Debussy).
On Sunday, July 13 at 2:30 p.m. in the Shed, the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Finnish conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen will be a superb combination, along with the energetic young Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto. Kuusisto comes from distinguished musical lineage, and he’s equally captivating whether performing classical works or masterfully weaving Northern European folk melodies. The program includes “Tumblebird Contrails” (Gabriella Smith), “Violin Concerto” (Sibelius), and “Symphony No. 5” (Sibelius).
On Saturday, July 19 at 8 p.m. in the Shed, the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Andris Nelsons present the Piccini’s “Tosca,” with special guest singers Kristine Opolais, Seok Jong Baek, Bryn Terfel, Patrick Carfizzi and the entire Tanglewood Festival Chorus, with James Burton conducting. Expect an unforgettable evening in the Shed, with beauty and brilliance at full volume—star power layered on star power.
Beginning Thursday, July 24 at 8 p.m. in Ozawa Hall, the TMC Festival of Contemporary Music kicks off with Ortiz and the Mexican Tradition. This year’s festival runs through Monday, July 28 and features music of Mexican music educator and composer Gabriela Ortiz Torres, Carnegie Hall’s composer in residence for the 2025 season. This superb Festival within a Festival is a proverbial “Box of Chocolates”, where you never quite know what flavor is in the middle until you bite.
On Friday, July 25at 8 p.m. in the Shed, the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Andris Nelsons welcome Spanish-born violinist María Dueñas. At a mere 18 years old, Dueñas has already won the 2021 Menuhin Competition, including the audience award. The BBC also named her as its “New Generation Artist 2021-2023.” This program includes “Air,” from Orchestral Suite No. 3 (J.S. Bach), and “Adagio from Symphony No. 10” (Mahler) before Mendelssohn’s “Violin Concerto”,“Calm Sea”, and “Prosperous Voyage.”
On Sunday, July 27 at 2:30 p.m. in the Shed, the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Andris Nelsons welcome pianist Lang Lang.Lang Lang is squarely in the 100% not to be missed category, and this afternoon the audience will be indulged with “La Calaca” (Gabriela Ortiz) for string orchestra, Piano Concerto No. 2 (Saint-Saëna), and Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 6, Pastoral.”
On Saturday, August 16 at 8 p.m. in the Shed, the Boston Symphony Orchestra join with German conductor and concert pianist Anna Handler and young Italian-German-American violinist Augustin Hadelich to present the Brahms’s “Tragic Overture,” “Symphony No. 4” (Schumann), andTchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto. The constellation this evening looks to become especially bright, colorful, and passionate. Plan to come early and stay late.
On Sunday, August 17 at 2:30 p.m. in the Shed, the Boston Symphony Orchestra welcomes conductor Dima Slobodeniouk, who was born in Moscow and settled in Finland.Pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet is another musician not to miss; every appearance is fresh and lively. This program includes “Threnody (In Memory of Jan Sibelius)” by William Grant Still, “Piano Concerto No. 2” (Liszt), “Valse triste” (Sibelius), and “Symphony No. 3.” (Sibelius).
The 2025 Tanglewood season promises to be another exciting one. A quick note: the BSO has faced issues with ticket resellers posing as official sources and charging inflated prices. To avoid this, be sure to purchase tickets in advance only through bso.org.
FALLS VILLAGE — Richard Stone of Main Street passed away June 25, 2025, at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington.
Born Feb. 12, 1942, in Ossining, New York, Richard was son of the late Howard Stone and Victoria (Smith) Stone.
He attended public schools in Ossining and then studied architecture at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. After graduation he became a licensed architect.
Richard admired contemporary architecture by Corbusier, Philip Johnson, and Louis Kahn, but also many earlier and folk designs. His projects included re-erecting, at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts, the 18th century Chinese house “Yin Yu Tang”, and also restoration of the historic Delaware & Hudson office building in Albany, New York. Broad cultural interests led him to travel around the world, but especially in Caribbean lands and Latin America.
Long a resident of Falls Village, Richard had a concern for the built environment surrounding him. More importantly, he cherished neighbors, church, and friends near and far.
Richard is survived by his three brothers; Thomas of Peabody, Massachusetts, William of Canaan, New Hampshire, and Kenneth of Medford, Massachusetts, their wives, and many nieces, nephews, and step siblings.
A service will be held at Trinity Episcopal Church, 484 Lime Rock Road, Lakeville, Connecticut, on Thursday, July 31, at 11:30 a.m.
The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.
Peter Cusack teaching at the Scoville Library.
When Peter Cusack first moved from New York City to Torrington, Connecticut pre-Covid, he thought he was going to be alone. “Wasn’t that ridiculous?” he said now, laughing. “I thought I was the only artist up here. Then I quickly learned that if you throw a stone, you hit an artist.”
In 2019, Cusack launched the Journal of Cornwall Contemporary Art (COCOA), originally imagined as a sort of art salon-meets-magazine-meets-espresso bar. “I realized I could channel this energy and give all these artists something to do and write about,” he said. “I had this idea of creating an exhibition space modeled after the Center for Italian Art in Soho,” he continued. “It would be beautiful, with a library and an espresso machine... but I couldn’t pull it off. I just needed more money than I had.”
So instead, he built the magazine. “I thought, let’s create a space for conversation. It was a literary magazine for artists.” COCOA ran quarterly for four years but quickly became a full-time endeavor, filled with deeply considered layouts and writing.“Production took over and it just became 24-7. I wasn’t painting. It was too much.”
Today, Cusack balances painting, teaching, and mentoring and infuses it all with his own blend of formal rigor and improvisational warmth. He teaches regularly at the Scoville Library and White Hart Inn in Salisbury, as well as one day a week at The Art Studio NY. His program, “The Vivid Color of Experience,” combines traditional skill-building with Zen-inflected awareness and encouragement. “The idea is that all of your life’s experience gives you momentum for learning,” he explained. “Everyone already comes with so much; they just need to be shown the path.”
Cusack’s teaching style is hands-on but reflective. His curriculum is structured, but always responsive to the individual. “When someone’s doing independent study, they come to a block, and that’s when I start really teaching. When their teacup is empty, that’s when I add a little.”
His students often express amazement at what they can do under his guidance. “People say, ‘I didn’t know I could draw this,’ or ‘This is the first time anyone has actually taught me.’ That’s why I’m so passionate about it.”
Rebecca Schweiger, founder of The Art Studio NY, said of Cusack, “He’s devoted to his students, and they adore him. People are so surprised at how much they can learn in such a short time.”
After graduating from Syracuse University as an English major, Cusack spent five years in publishing, including at “Consumer Reports.”
“I was sitting in front of a computer all the time, and I hated it,” he said. So, he left it behind and moved to rural France to study painting under Ted Seth Jacobs, the late master draftsman and Zen-influenced teacher. “There was no cell service, just a pay phone in the village,” Cusack recalled. “I was 28, 29 years old. I became very romantic about it. I learned French, taught my girlfriend to drive stick shift in the fields. It was a movie.”
That year changed everything. “Everything I teach here really comes from that time,” he said. “He (Ted Seth Jacobs) really showed me how to actually do things. Once it clicked, I was off and running.”
He now draws from his hybrid background in painting, publishing, and illustration and distills it into clear lessons for his students. At 53, Cusack says he’s enjoying a creative life he only once dreamed about.
His paintings have been shown at Mary MacGill in Germantown, Judy Black Memorial Park in Washington Depot, and Craven Contemporary in Kent. His work is in the permanent collections of the New York Transit Museum, the Museum of American Illustration, and the United States Air Force Art Collection. His name appears in the pages of “Architectural Digest,” “New England Home,” and “An Illustrated Life.”
Yet, it’s teaching that most feeds him. “Painting is a wonderful way to interact with the world,” he said, “and teaching — especially up here — connects me to the community. That’s the most important thing for me. I feel like I’m giving. I’m playing a role.”
Asked if he still meditates, Cusack said, “Every day… but even with meditation, I’m at the point where I’m letting go of the form. It’s like teaching,” he continued. “I use the form, but I’m more interested in what happens in the space. Then I follow that.”
Learn more about Peter Cusack’s workshops at petercusack.com
Wednesdays & Saturdays at the White Hart Inn
Thursdays at Scoville Memorial Library
SALISBURY — Mary Cooney, 63, a beloved daughter, sister, aunt, and friend, died suddenly of a previously undiagnosed medical condition on Feb. 14, 2025.
Mary was born in Barre, Vermont on Dec. 22, 1961, the first child of Lucy Wright Cooney and George Scatchard. Mary spent her early childhood in Vermont, later moving with her mother and siblings to Brookline, Massachusetts, Little Compton, Rhode Island, and settling in Salisbury, Connecticut in 1973. Mary attended Salisbury Central School and graduated from Housatonic Valley Regional High School. At Housatonic, Mary discovered her love of theater, choral singing, and was a dedicated member of Future Farmers of America.
During her high school years, Mary, who never lost her joy in play, became the beloved babysitter for many local families. She delighted in playing with the kids, teaching them, loving them, and treasuring all the shared moments inherent in spending time with children.
Mary’s love of animals, and especially horses, blossomed during this time. A keen student of horseback riding, Mary acquired her own pony, Queen Anne, when she was 14 years old.Despite her seemingly quiet demeanor, with animals Mary was fearless, and she handled lively Queen Anne with bravery and spirit.
After graduating from Housatonic in 1980, Mary studied at Warren Wilson College in Asheville, North Carolina, and then at Confederation College in Thunder Bay, Canada, graduating in 1988 with a degree in Arts Management. After college, Mary moved to Vancouver, Canada where she worked for a music management group, Michael Godin Management. Mary never enjoyed the spotlight but preferred working hard behind the scenes. Her childhood role as the eldest in a large family prepared her well for the varied demands of managing performing artists.
Mary relocated to Edmonton, Canada in 1998. She loved the relaxed, informal feel of the city, enjoyed shopping for organic food at the local farmers’ markets, and developed a strong interest in natural living and regenerative farming. A longtime vegetarian, she enjoyed cooking and sharing meals with friends. She was an exceptionally skilled knitter and was never without a knitting project. She hated injustice of all kinds and believed passionately in the possibility of a fairer, more peaceful world.
Mary had an adventurous streak, which saw her backpacking through Europe as a college student in the 1980s. Later, she fulfilled a lifelong dream of traveling to Australia and working on a sheep ranch. Yet no matter where she was in the world, Mary maintained an intense loyalty and closeness to her family. Despite living her adult life in Canada, far from her roots in New England, Mary traveled home for family gatherings in the US and the UK and could always be relied upon to turn up whenever anyone needed her help. She had a special connection with her nieces and nephews and genuinely loved playing with them and joining in their games. A visit from Auntie Mary invariably resulted in shrieks of laughter from her young relatives.
Mary’s sudden death came as a devastating shock to her family, who mourn the loss of her wonderful sense of humor, her incredible generosity and selflessness, and most of all, her loving heart.
Mary is survived by her parents, Lucy Wright Cooney, Michael Cooney and his wife, Margot Bridgett, her sisters, Ellen and her husband Peter Mullin, Lorien and her husband Adam Smyer, Beecher Grogan, Alison and her husband Sasha Hinkley, Kelly Cooney, her brothers Bill Cooney and his wife Andrea Reyer, Sam, Chris, and, Aaron Cooney and his wife Cammi Fulvi, and fourteen nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her father, George, and her cherished niece, Lucy Grogan. Mary also leaves behind her beloved Canadian friends, Tristan Spearing, his fiancée Sara Wollstein, and Carol and Joe Lewis.
Mary’s memorial service will be held on Saturday, July 26, at 3:00 p.m., at Trinity Episcopal Church, 484 Lime Rock Road, Lakeville, Connecticut. Light refreshments will be served after the ceremony.
The family hopes to reconnect and share stories with local friends in the Salisbury area. We hope you can join us.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Clemmons Family Farm at clemmonsfamilyfarm.org or Oxfam at oxfamamerica.org.
