Berkshire Bach is presenting for its spring choral concert the great oratorio “Judas Maccabaeus” by George Frideric Handel. Giving it added meaning, the performance is dedicated “to promoting tolerance and understanding” through the piece, “which over the centuries has come to represent the struggles of a people to find their place within the community and live in peace,” says the group’s press release. The event comes on the heels of local, national and international incidents that have universally drawn concern, from the defacing of a synagogue in Pittsfield to the shooting of Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords to the controversy of the Islamic center near New York City’s Ground Zero. It has elicited an unusual outpouring of support from musical luminaries. In an open letter (available on the group’s website, www.berkshirebach.org), violinist Eugene Drucker, cofounder of the Emerson String Quartet, writes, “The story of Judas Maccabaeus, especially as told through Handel’s magnificent oratorio setting, has long been emblematic of humanity’s struggle for religious freedom, and, by extension, of the quest for tolerance and peaceful coexistence among countries, ideologies, religions and ethnic groups.” He continues, “In the spirit of Bach and Handel, may the intricate counterpoint of diverse backgrounds and beliefs contribute to a fuller, more harmonious and inclusive sense of our common humanity.” Second in rank only to “Messiah” among Handel’s oratorios, “Judas Maccabaeus” was written five years later and displays more melodic and harmonic daring, as well as a more operatic sensibility. Alternating moods of despair, tranquility and triumph find full expression by the music. The story told, in three movements, depicts the battles of the eponymous Jewish soldier against the Hellenistic King Antiochus, and by extension, the liberation of the Jewish religion from conquest. Handel actually wrote it as a tribute to his contemporary, the Duke of Cumberland, who had just defeated the last Stuart (“the Young Pretender”) to try to capture the British throne. Frank Nemhauser conducts, with the Berkshire Bach Singers, orchestra, and guest soloists Daniel Molkentin (Judas Maccabaeus, tenor), Charles Wesley Evans (Simon, baritone), Katharine Dain (Israelitish Woman, soprano) and Mary Gerbi (Israelitish Woman and Israelitish Priest, mezzo soprano). The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 29, at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, MA.Tickets range from $10 to $35 (children and students with IDs are free) and can be obtained by calling the Colonial Theatre box office, 413-997-4444, or going online at www.thecolonialtheatre.org.
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Greg Fricke and James Boehmer, co-owners of Peggy Mercury in Kent, recently launched their first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts.”
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Fricke and Boehmer are not there to stock their shelves with the same products customers find at standard makeup retailers. They’re there to help customers find what works for them. That usually means asking customers about themselves and learning about their beauty habits, skin, style and the way they like to present themselves. Fricke and Boehmer believe it’s their job to help customers bring out the qualities that suit them and determine what works best for their look.
So much of the Peggy Mercury world is about emboldening people to become more creative, and possibly bolder, versions of themselves. Some of this comes through the store’s creative collaborations with artists, designers and stylists.
It’s part of an ethos that encourages them and their friends to use the shop as a kind of laboratory, trying out new creative experiments without knowing how they might turn out. Whether in fashion, painting, fiber arts or photography, the projects almost always turn out marvelously.
A line of sterling silver charms they sell started as a small project by their friend Nolan Percival. In the beginning, the pieces were for close friends and loved ones. But Boehmer and Fricke encouraged Percival to get a little more serious about the project and create a whole line for the store. Today, it’s one of their top-selling collections.
Classic styles, bold colors, and creative concerts make up the “Imaginary Concerts” line at Peggy Mercury.Provided
“Imaginary Concerts” has the duo taking their own advice.
The project started as a way for Boehmer to connect with his mother, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Taking old concert shirts from his own collection, Boehmer and his mother began cutting out the graphics with the idea that they would make a quilt together. Unfortunately, she died before they could complete the project in 2025. The pieces, which were ready for production, were put on the back burner as Boehmer and Fricke dealt with their loss and the whirlwind of projects that never seemed to cease at Peggy Mercury.
But the harsh winter of 2026 presented an opportunity to take some time and focus on themselves. Part of that meant revisiting and redefining the concert T-shirt project. This time, instead of looking to the warmth and comfort of a quilt, they turned to another passion — fashion.
Taking a page from their own book, they wanted to create something that felt comfortable to them. They took two disparate loves — one rooted in simple preppy style, with clean lines and classic silhouettes, and the other in the nitty gritty worlds of punk rock and pop — and blended them together to create something entirely new. Pulling from the staples of vintage Brooks Brothers and Charvet collections, they applied the graphic elements with bold stitching reminiscent of punk jackets of the ‘70s and ‘80s, but with a much more sophisticated air.
But the remixing isn’t just the pairing of prep and punk. The pieces are not canon. They take liberties with the realities of concert tours, combining one band’s dates with another band’s logos, mixing them all up until the reality is lost and imagination is the only truth.
Shirts from Peggy Mercury’s first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts,” hang on display.Provided
Adding to the mix is an element of perpetual creativity. Art can be messy, both figuratively and literally, and many of Fricke and Boehmer’s artist friends carry evidence of their work on them at all times. As a nod to these tireless creatives, the duo added haphazard splashes of bright color, giving the line an even more distinctive feel.
For them, “Imaginary Concerts” passes the “Peggy Test.” The mythical Peggy Mercury is a fictional figurehead for the company, a character who thrives on creativity and change. The name, much like the clothing line, is a mixture of interests: Mercury is a planet, a deity and an elusive, transformative element, while Peggy is the wonderfully stylish and boundary-pushing Peggy Guggenheim.
Everything Fricke and Boehmer put in their store has to pass this test: Would Peggy Mercury approve? For their first collection, the answer is a resounding yes.
Peggy Mercury is at 9 Maple St., Unit 2, Kent.
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