CALENDAR OF EVENTS 2024

MUSIC AND WORDS EVENTS

June 22 2:00 pm
ONE TOWN, ONE READ
Edith Wharton’s classic coming-of-age novel, Summer, is likely set in the Berkshires. Her themes — class divisions, female empowerment, desire and rejection—still resonate today, more than 100 years after its publication. Get a copy from your local bookstore or library or download it. Then come and participate in a freewheeling discussion. Wharton scholar Alan Price will provide important background. A panel of local readers will jumpstart the conversation. Then it’s your turn! This free event is co-sponsored by The Mount (Edith Wharton’s home), Friends of the New Marlborough Public Library, and the New Marlborough Meeting House.

July 13 4:30 pm
HEARD WORLD JAZZ
Get ready to open your ears and hearts and get up dancing! The musicians and dancers of Heard World Jazz bring passion for world music, jazz and improvising together to create irresistible grooves set in a unique sonic tapestry. Together for 15 years, their vibrant sound incorporates influences from West Africa, Brazil, the Caribbean and beyond. Their CDs Karibu and the daring Flyway have garnered much critical acclaim. Heard World Jazz is a four- time Eddy Music Awards nominee in the World Music category. This is a family-friendly event you won’t want to miss!

July 20 4:30 pm
CHALLENGES! TRUE STORIES, LIVE ON STAGE!
Come hear the compelling and moving true stories of some adult learners from the Literacy Network community as they share personal vignettes (Moth Radio Hour style). The theme for the event will be Challenges. Stories shared will center on life as an immigrant and will include perspectives on learning a new language and culture. The program will be followed by light refreshments. This is a free event co-sponsored by LitNet. You can learn more about the Literacy Network at: litnetsb.org

August 3 4:30 pm
TAYLOR MAC AND HEATHER CHRISTIAN TALK CREATIVITY
In one of the highlights of the summer, New Marlborough resident Taylor Mac and Heather Christian will discuss their individual work in the theater, their past collaborations and their music theatre consideration of Clarence Thomas entitled “Clarence, in a Pause” (a song or two from this work-in-progress will be presented). Taylor Mac is an American actor, playwright, performance artist, director, producer, singer-songwriter, recipient of a “Genius Grant” from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and a finalist for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Singer, playwright and composer Heather Christian is a Drama Desk and a two-time Obie Award-winning composer/performer.

August 24 4:30 pm
Eric Foner And Kerri Greenidge Discuss THE LEGACY OF SLAVERY Moderated By Alice Kessler-Harris
Eric Foner, one of the country’s most prominent historians of the Civil War and Reconstruction, will be joined by Kerri Greenidge, acclaimed author of The Grimkes: The Legacy of Slavery in an American Family (finalist for the National Book Circle Award), to discuss her book and the legacy of slavery in the U.S. today. Moderating the discussion is the distinguished feminist historian of 19th-and-20th century America, Alice Kessler-Harris.

September 14 4:30 pm
FROM MOZART TO PIAZZOLLA: A PANORAMA OF MUSICAL EXPRESSION
Join world-class musicians, violinist Eugene Drucker (a founding member of the renowned Emerson String Quartet), cellist Roberta Cooper (winner of the Artists International Competition), and pianist Gili Melamed-Lev (an engaging, multi-faceted artist known for her vision, innovative programming, and unique artistry), as they thrill the audience with the music of Brahms, Beethoven, Piazzolla, Bartok, and Mozart in a fast-moving and fun-filled afternoon. Harold Lewin Memorial Concert.

September 21 4:30 pm
ARKAI - Crossroads
Prepare for a thrilling, rocking afternoon as the award-winning electroacoustic violin and cello duo, Arkai, appears in concert at the Meeting House. Arkai has inspired audiences around the world through their genre-defying string music, blending everything from classic ballads to fascinating and exciting new music. Graduates of The Juilliard School, their past engagements have included performances at such diverse venues as the MET, Joe’s Pub, US Air Force Academy, Lincoln Center, Musikfest, Carnegie Hall and TED. They recently opened for Oscar and Grammy-winning musician Jon Batiste at New York City’s Javits Center. Prepare to be amazed by their stunning musicianship and incredible music!

September 28 4:30 pm
CELEBRITY INTERVIEW: JOE DONAHUE!
WAMC’s legendary on-air personality becomes the interviewee instead of the interviewer. Come hear all about Joe’s background and listen to engaging stories of high and low lights of his career on the radio and the countless celebrities he’s interviewed. There will be plenty of time for questions and an opportunity to chat with Joe after the event. CANCELLED!

October 5 4:30 pm
SIMON WINCHESTER IN CONVERSATION WITH JOURNALIST LINDA GREENHOUSE: “ELECTION 2024”
In a timely event, Simon Winchester, widely acclaimed author of more than 30 books, most recently Knowing What We Know, and Linda Greenhouse, longtime reporter on the Supreme Court for The New York Times and winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1998, will discuss what is at stake in the upcoming elections. There will be plenty of time for questions.

ART EVENTS

June21 - July21
Small Works
Opening Reception Friday, June 21
The New Marlborough Meeting House Gallery opens its 2024 season with “Small Works.” Just as the name implies, this show features works of twenty-two artists that may be small in dimension but are large in heart and soul.

July26 - August25
Farm and Table
Opening Reception Friday, July 26
The Meeting House Gallery’s second show of the 2024 season is a celebration of the reinvigorated role of farming in the Berkshires and the resultant benefits to the culinary arts of our region.

August 30 - October 6
26th Annual New Marlborough Artists Show
Opening Reception Friday, August 30
Following long tradition, this final show of the Meeting House Gallery’s 2024 season is comprised of a selection of artists residing in New Marlborough in an opportunity to put a spot- light on the amazing talents of our neighbors.