The Mahaiwe Celebrates the Arts

Days after the debut of the great American soprano Deborah Voigt as Brünnhilde in Wagner’s “Die Walküre” at the Met, New York Times critic Anthony Tommasini wrote, “I have seldom heard the role sung with such rhythmic accuracy and verbal clarity. From the start, with those go-for-broke cries of ‘Hojotoho,’ she sang every note honestly. She invested energy, feeling and character in every phrase.” Next Saturday, May 21, area music lovers will have the opportunity to witness Voigt in this defining role, singing alongside the powerful baritone Bryn Terfel (as Wotan), when the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington screens “Die Walküre” as part of its “Live in HD” Series. Limited tickets are available (for $25, $23 for seniors, and $18 for students under 13) for this performance, which begins at noon and runs for 5-1/2 hours. (With Wagner, you get the works.) And that’s just for starters. Fresh from her putative triumph, the diva herself will appear in person as the headliner at the Mahaiwe’s Gala on Saturday, May 21, at 8 p.m. Accompanied by pianist Brian Zeger, Voigt will sing an eclectic mix of opera arias, American songbook standards, and Broadway show tunes — all perfectly suited to her rich, soaring soprano voice. Booking a star of this caliber is a coup for the Mahaiwe, which has really come into its own as a multimedia, varied center for culture and entertainment. Mahaiwe executive director Beryl Jolly sees this as more than a performance or a gala; it is “a celebration of a beautiful voice and year-round arts at the Mahaiwe.” It promises to be a “very upbeat evening,” she says. Originally built as a vaudeville theater in 1905, the Mahaiwe became a movie house in 1930 and for many decades thereafter. In 2005, it was reinvented as a performing arts center, and a $9 million renovation was completed the following year. The theater was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. Now, the year-round arts programming includes rock concerts, dance, movies, and more – “something for everyone 12 months a year” says Jolly. The Met “Live in HD” series is in its fifth year at the Mahaiwe, and live feeds from the London National Theater were added three years ago. In June, Brian Bedford’s acclaimed “The Importance of Being Earnest” will be broadcast from Broadway. The Mahaiwe Gala will support the center’s year-round arts programming and allow it to continue to attract world-class talent to the region. Limited show tickets are available at $127 and $67; gala tickets at $500 and up include a post-show reception with the artist at the Castle Street Café. For information and tickets for all these events, call 413-528-0100.For gala tickets, call the development office at 413-644-9040 ext. 106.

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Club baseball at Fuessenich Park

Travel league baseball came to Torrington Thursday, June 26, when the Berkshire Bears Select Team played the Connecticut Moose 18U squad. The Moose won 6-4 in a back-and-forth game. Two players on the Bears play varsity ball at Housatonic Valley Regional High School: shortstop Anthony Foley and first baseman Wes Allyn. Foley went 1-for-3 at bat with an RBI in the game at Fuessenich Park.

 

  Anthony Foley, rising senior at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, went 1-for-3 at bat for the Bears June 26.Photo by Riley Klein 

 
Siglio Press: Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature

Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.

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Siglio Press is a small, independent publishing house based in Egremont, Massachusetts, known for producing “uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.” Founded and run by editor and publisher Lisa Pearson, Siglio has, since 2008, designed books that challenge conventions of both form and content.

A visit to Pearson’s airy studio suggests uncommon work, to be sure. Each of four very large tables were covered with what looked to be thousands of miniature squares of inkjet-printed, kaleidoscopically colored pieces of paper. Another table was covered with dozens of book/illustration-size, abstracted images of deer, made up of colored dots. For the enchanted and the mystified, Pearson kindly explained that these pieces were to be collaged together as artworks by the artist Richard Kraft (a frequent contributor to the Siglio Press and Pearson’s husband). The works would be accompanied by writings by two poets, Elizabeth Zuba and Monica Torre, in an as-yet-to-be-named book, inspired by a found copy of a worn French children’s book from the 1930s called “Robin de Bois” (Robin Hood).

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Cyclists head south on the rail trail from Copake Falls.

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For those lucky enough to already possess their own bike, perhaps the routes described will inspire a new way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more, visit lakevillejournal.com/tag/bike-route to check out two ride-guides from local cyclists that will appeal to enthusiasts of many levels looking for a varied trip through the region’s stunning summer scenery.

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