22 minute read

Art & Performance

artperformance & year round, more than ever

Now that the hustle and bustle of summer have faded—yes, even in a pandemic year, there were public and private events competing for our attention—the region’s venues continue to debut art exhibitions and live performances, offer film screenings, host holiday tours, and more. Throughout the fall and winter, solo and group exhibits open at The Clark, Norman Rockwell

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Museum, Berkshire Museum, MASS MoCA, and the Bennington Museum. Berkshire Theatre Group and the Mahaiwe offer a robust roster of in-person concerts and other events, the Metropolitan Opera and Bolshoi Ballet resume in-person HD screenings, and Close Encounters With Music celebrates its return to live performances with a varied lineup that stretches into the spring. As the pandemic continues to disrupt even the best-laid plans, be sure to check each venue’s website for last-minute cancellations, as well as additions.

VISUAL ART

Beginning November 20, MASS MoCA debuts “Ways to Baffle the Wind,” featuring new and recent work by French-Moroccan artist Yto Barrada. The exhibit includes sculpture, textile, films, and games assembled to model, parody, and learn from attempts to regulate and organize nature. A highlight of the show is Barrada’s film Tree Identification for Beginners.

On March 12, 2022, three solo shows also take up residence at the Museum, by artists Lily Cox-Richard, Amy Hauft, and Marc Swanson. Lily Cox-Richard’s Weep Holes, featuring all new work, addresses ideas of stewardship, beauty and threat, collective action, and the building and dismantling of systems. The sculptor’s show will include large-scale works celebrating Shaker ideas of labor and reuse, with these ordinary objects made uncanny by the fact of their scale and placement.

Amy Hauft’s architectural installations reorient our experience of the landscape and of planetary living. The centerpiece of the exhibition, 700,000:1, takes its title from the mathematical odds of a person on Earth being hit by a meteor. Constructed from two enormous spheres on the floor and the ceiling, viewers will be invited to ascend the lower sphere and place their heads in the upper sphere, invoking the feeling of being simultaneously on the ground and in the sky. “A Memorial to Ice at the Dead Deer Disco” is Marc Swanson’s multimedia exploration of the relationships between humans, culture, and nature. Two separate large-scale immersive environments—A Memorial to Ice, inspired by the dioramas found in natural history museums, and The Dead Deer Disco, a reimagined disco exploring feelings of freedom and mourning caused by the AIDS crisis—both confront loss and our inability to control human nature and the world around us.

Beginning November 19, the Berkshire Museum’s large second-floor Crane Room changes into UK artist Luke Jerram’s “Museum of the Moon.” Suspended in the center of the space is a radiant representation of the Moon’s surface, measuring 10 feet across and accompanied by an ethereal soundscape created by composer Dan Jones. The internally-lit “moon” allows visitors to have a scientifically accurate, up-close experience with their nearest celestial neighbor through January 9, 2022. The Crane

Room’s translucent glass ceiling will be temporarily transformed into a black expanse of winter night sky, allowing visitors to experience “moonlight” any time of day.

“Museum of the Moon” will be brought to life in a series of events that explore the science and culture of the Earth’s Moon, along with extended hours on select Fridays. Special events include an opening night reception for adults with talks by an astronomy professor and a NASA fellow, drop-in crafts for kids, and space-themed film screenings in the Museum’s Little Cinema.

The exhibit joins “Muh-he-con-ne-ok: The People of the Waters That Are Never Still”—contemporary oral histories and historical profiles of members of the Stockbridge-Munsee Community—and “The Land of the Thunder Dragon: Bhutan Through the Lens of Mead Eagle Photography,” both on view through January 9, 2022. The Clark Art Institute expands programming for an exhibit already on view, Erin Shirreff’s “Remainders,” and opens two new shows, one in November, and one the following Opposite left: Lily Cox-Richards, Thunder Egg. Top: Kawase Hasui (Japanese, 1883–1957), The Kintai Bridge in Suō Province, 1924, color woodblock print. Left: Luke Jerram, Museum of the Moon.

month. On November 16, the auditorium at the Clark hosts a free screening of Shirreff’s Son (2018). This large-scale video projection, based on a solar eclipse, combines appropriated images with ones made by the artist into a seamless, meditative work. Visitors can come or go any time during this looped, 45-minute silent film. A live conversation with the artist follows that evening, at 6 p.m., where Shirreff will discuss her latest body of work. “Remainders” runs through January 2, 2022.

“Competing Currents: 20th Century Japanese Prints,” November 6, 2021–January 30, 2022, explores two parallel Japanese print-making movements, shin-hanga and sōsakuhanga, through the Clark’s collection. By focusing on two key moments in the international exchange of Japanese prints in the 20th century—the inter-war period and the post-war period— ”Competing Currents” considers how travel, tourism, and commercialism intersected within the medium of printmaking during that period.

Beginning December 11 and on view through March 6, 2022, “Hue & Cry: French Printmaking and the Debate over Colors” explores the opposition to printed color in 19th-century France. The exhibit showcases the Clark’s holdings of prints by Pierre Bonnard, Mary Cassatt, Paul Cézanne, Camille Pissarro, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and others. Both difficult and expensive to achieve at the time, printed color was also frowned upon for aesthetic reasons and described as “garish” and “cheap.” My, how times have changed.

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From November 26–December 31, Bennington Museum hosts an exhibition and closed-bid auction to benefit both the Museum itself and the regional artists featured in the show. “Transient Beauty: Responding to “Snowflake” Bentley” features 25 contemporary artists responding to the work of Wilson “Snowflake” Bentley. The self-taught Bentley began creating photomicrographs of snowflakes and frost in 1885 and continued making them, almost obsessively, until his death in 1931, having caught pneumonia while photographing in a snowstorm. His capture of more than 5,000 images of crystals proved that, indeed, no two snowflakes are identical.

The contemporary responses will range from snow and ice imagery to more conceptual works. Many of the exhibiting artists are photographers whose work uses historic technologies and/ or pushes at the possibilities of the photographic image. Artists include Jack Metzger, Erik Hoffner, Janet Van Fleet, Judith Klausner, Joanna Gabler, Rhonda Ratray, Tom Fels, Thomas Brennan, Corwin Levi, Gail Skudera, Liz Deschenes, Angus McCullough, Jon Gitelson, Jonathan Kline, Misa Chappell, Jessica Smith, Anima and Paul Katz, Daisy Rockwell, Katie Cleaver, Shanta Lee Gander, Rachel Portesi, Leslie Park, and Michaela Harlow. Meet them and place a bid to purchase your favorite work at the November 23 reception.

As the Norman Rockwell Museum’s “enchanted” summer exhibits wind down, endings make way for beginnings, and “Jan Brett: Stories Near and Far” debuts November 13. With more than 40 million books in print, Brett is one of the nation’s most widely read author/illustrators for children. The Museum’s exhibit explores the breadth of her art, and the travel experiences that have inspired her books and characters. More than 80 original artworks, along with reference materials, objects from Brett’s personal collection, a video interview with the illustrator, recorded readings, and more will be featured in the galleries and online through March 6, 2022. In addition, a book launch and signing will be held at the Museum December 18 for Jan Brett’s The Nutcracker, a reimagining of the classic Christmas tale, was released November 2.

Jan Brett, Hedgie, Watercolor on paper Thomas Wilkins

MUSIC

Two November live concerts at MASS MoCA show how the Museum helps keep creativity alive, for both artists and listeners, all year long. On November 5 and 6, composer Wayne Shorter and performer Esperanza Spalding present Iphigenia, a modern operatic re-imagining of the ancient tale of a daughter sacrificed to the gods. Against a set designed by architect Frank Gehry, classical and jazz forms collide as Iphigenia stares down opera’s history. These preview performances take place following a two-week residency at the Museum. Nine vocalists lead a local 10-person chorus and chamber orchestra, accompanied by members of the Wayne Shorter Quartet and Jeff “Tain” Watts in this production directed by Obie Award winner Lileana Blain-Cruz.

On November 20, composer and percussionist Susie Ibarra’s Fragility Etudes explores humanity’s interdependence with the natural environment through sound. One of SPIN’s “100 Greatest Drummers of Alternative Music,” Ibarra brings together six musicians in a dynamic score of overlapping rhythms experienced in the round. Up-and-coming musical acts of all genres can be seen at Hi-Lo, a smaller venue also located in North Adams. The Fisher Center at Bard College, in Annandale-onHudson, New York, continues its lineup of in-person events with “Songs from the Real World: The French Cabaret” on November 6. Vocalist Stephanie Blythe, pianist Kayo Iwama, and members of the Bard Vocal Arts Program and the Conservatory Collaborative Piano Fellowship explore the

beginnings of French cabaret. On December 4, Thomas Wilkins, principal conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, leads the Conservatory Orchestra in a performance featuring James Lee III’s Sukkot Through Orion’s Nebula, Delius’s The Walk to The Paradise Garden, and Gustav Holst’s The Planets.

A tribute to a beloved ‘70s songstress, a local group’s 25th anniversary, and a free concert from the Eagles Community Band ring in Berkshire Theatre Group’s return to live concerts at its majestic Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield. On November 6, The Linda Ronstadt Experience with American Idol star Tristan McIntosh showcases all the singer’s hits—“You’re No Good,” “When Will I Be Loved,” “Blue Bayou”—along with tunes by Jackson Browne, Elvis Costello, Tom Petty, Neil Young, and more. Ronstadt retired from performing in 2011, so this is the closest you will get to the real deal! The Rev Tor Band returns to the Colonial stage to celebrate its 25th anniversary on November 20. Since 1996, Rev Tor and and his band have shared the stage with members of The Grateful Dead, Phish, The Allman Brothers, and more. This year brings the release of Rev Tor’s eighth album, Snake Oil, and this anniversary jam will feature guest appearances by Max Mercier of Max Creek, Wanda Houston, Gina Coleman, and Jason Webster, as well as surprises.

A free Eagles Community Band concert will be held at the Colonial on November 5 at 7 p.m., followed by a second performance December 12 at 3 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church in Pittsfield.

More intimate performances, including comedy shows and community open mics, can be found at The Egremont Barn in South Egremont, which will hold its annual Holiday Spectravaganza December 18, and The Foundry in West Stockbridge, which will welcome jazz pianist Armen Donelian and his quartet November 13. The Metropolitan Opera’s 15th Live in HD season returns October 9–June 4 and local fans can view the operas, livestreamed from New York City’s Lincoln Center, at either The Mahaiwe in Great Barrington or The Clark Art Institute in The Metropolitan Opera, Eurydice

Roseanne Cash

Williamstown. The season lineup includes composer Matthew Aucoin’s Eurydice on December 4, Jules Massenet’s Cinderella on January 2, Bartlett Sher’s new take on Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto on January 29, Richard Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos on March 19, Verdi’s Don Carlos on March 26, Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot on May 7, Gaetano Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor on May 21, and concludes with Australian composer Brett Dean’s Hamlet on June 4. At the Mahaiwe, lecturer Scott Eyerly will again offer talks corresponding with each production.

The Mahaiwe’s live music this season also includes the inimitable country music star Rosanne Cash on November 6. Cash has released 15 albums, earned four Grammy Awards and 12 nominations, and charted 21 top-40 hits. Her latest album, She Remembers Everything, follows her triple Grammy-winning 2014 album The River & the Thread and marks her return to more personal songwriting.

On November 27, An Evening with Hot Tuna offers both acoustic and electric performances, and features special guest David Grisman’s Dawg Trio. Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady founded Hot Tuna in 1969 as a side project during their Jefferson Airplane days. Half a century later, they’re still at it, earning Lifetime Achievement Awards at the 2016 Grammys. Mandolinist David Grisman began his career in the 1960s, working in the Even Dozen Jug Band before launching a career as a solo artist and a collaborator. His trio includes his son Sam Grisman on bass, and banjoist Danny Barnes.

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John Pizzarelli

A Swingin’ Little Christmas, on December 10, stars two very familiar television faces: Jane Lynch (Glee; Hollywood Game Night; The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) and Kate Flannery of The Office fame who has also appeared on Dancing with the Stars, New Girl, American Housewife, and Brooklyn Nine Nine. The pair have been collaborating on cabaret and “anti cabaret” acts, and bring along singer and music producer Tim Davis and jazz aces The Tony Guerrero Quintet to round out this festive performance.

Freqent Mahaiwe-goers and avid radio fans will be thrilled to be back in the real-life presence of world-renowned guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli. On December 18, this contemporary interpreter of the Great American Songbook will perform an evening of new standards, including songs by Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Tom Waits, Antônio Carlos Jobim, and The Beatles.

After successful turns at virtual concerts and outdoor performances, Close Encounters With Music is beyond thrilled to share an inspired and varied lineup with live audiences at The Mahaiwe and Saint James Place. Its season kicks off November 21 with Café Music: Jazz, Rap and Grand Reopening, at The Mahaiwe. Paul Schoenfield’s runaway classical hit, Café Music for piano trio—comprising elements of classical, jazz, klezmer, and whimsy. Claude Bolling’s Suite for Cello and Jazz Trio, Gershwin’s Three Preludes for Piano, Beethoven’s Romance No. 2 in F Major for Violin and Piano, and a cameo appearance by hip-hop artist Christylez Bacon, round out the program.

On December 12 at the Mahaiwe, CEWM presents The Roaring Twenties: Berlin, Paris, New York, a panorama of composers and styles that defined and shaped the era, including Samuel Barber, Kurt Weill, Alexander Zemlinsky, Hanns Eisler, Cole Porter, and Erwin Schulhoff. The first concert of the new year, Folk and Baroque on February 22 at Saint James Place, offers the two styles in the title alongside indigenous South American and liturgical music. Bridging worlds that grew out of common ground, the evening will feature works by Bach, Villa Lobos, Monteverdi, Handel, Couperin, Rameau and Vivaldi. A Night of Chopin and Brahms with Van Cliburn Gold Medalist Yekwon Sunwoo, at the Mahaiwe on March 22, highlights Chopin’s Four Scherzi and Brahms’s Piano Quartet Opus 25 in G minor. Looking toward spring, Close Encounters offerings include the a cappella group Skylark on April 30, Reeds and Strings on May 29 with first oboist of the New York Philharmonic Liang Wang, and, on June 12, Musica Latina with classical Spanish and flamenco dancer and choreographer Irene Rodriguez. Sandisfield Arts Center welcomes Berkshire favorite Jeewon Park, on November 7, in a solo piano recital of works by Robert and Clara Schumann, Johannes Brahms, and Francis Poulenc’s The Story of Babar the little Elephant narrated by Ben Luxon. Park returns November 21 with her husband, cellist Edward Arron, for a concert at The Clark in Williamstown.

The Clarion Concerts season winds down at Saint James Place on December 5 with violinist Randall Goosby, acclaimed for the sensitivity and intensity of his musicianship, his determination

LECTURE/WORSHOPS

From beginner chainsaw skills to herbal gift-giving and mushroom-growing in between, Berkshire Botanical Garden is keeping up its eclectic array of workshops and in-person events throughout the winter. Its 6th annual Rooted in Place ecological gardening symposium, “Growing Resilience: The Climate Crisis, Our Gardens and Communities,” will be held November 14 at the Mahaiwe. Jennifer Jewell, author of the award-winning book The Earth in Her Hands and the forthcoming book Under Western Skies, will give the lecture “How a Place-Based Garden Culture of Care Strengthens Places and Their People”. The program explores the philosophy behind Jewell’s radio show and podcast, Cultivating Place: that gardens and gardeners are powerful spaces and agents for positive change. Pete Grima, a Forester at the Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation Service, will speak on “Envisioning a Future Forest”, describing how he helps landowners make informed decisions about their forests. Sam Hoadley will give the presentation “Knockout Native Species and Cultivars,” and in “Lessons in Built Ecology,” Rebecca McMackin will discuss Brooklyn Bridge Park, an 85-acre, organic park created with ecology in mind.

Heather Johnson performs for CEWM on December 12

to make music more inclusive and accessible, and his focus on under-represented composers. Zhu Wang joins him on piano.

An exciting world premiere performance of Leonard Bernstein’s Music for String Quartet is the centerpiece of a benefit for the Stockbridge Library, held November 6 at Tanglewood’s Linde Center. The concert will also include Bernstein’s rarely performed Piano Trio, and Elegies, an unpublished work by Aaron Copland. The evening’s ensemble of musicians includes Malcolm Lowe, violinist and recently retired concertmaster of the BSO; Natalie Rose Kress, a violinist currently studying at The Juilliard School; violist Daniel Kim, who holds the Lois and Harlan Anderson chair at the BSO; Ronald Feldman, retired BSO cellist and music director of the Longwood Symphony Orchestra and the Berkshire Symphony at Williams College; and pianist Melvin Chen, deputy dean of the Yale Music School and director of the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival.

THEATER

Shakespeare & Company in Lenox celebrates its annual Fall Festival of Shakespeare, both in person at 10 local high schools November 12 and 13, and with performances for the larger community at its Tina Packer Playhouse November 18–21. From December 28–31, Shakespeare & Co. offers free virtual performances of The Breath of Life by David Hare, featuring Company favorite Annette Miller and founder Tina Packer. An in-person play reading series is planned for the new year, on January 15 and 16.

In December, PS21 in Chatham, New York, welcomes celebrated French author and director Pascal Rambert to develop The Art of Theater and With My Own Hands with American actors Jim Fletcher and Ismail Ibn Conner. A work-in-progress showing of the pieces will be held in PS21’s Black Box Theater December 10. A second work-in-progress, Untitled 29 Theater Company’s BLASTED by Sarah Kane will be shown December 16. The piece focuses on three people in a war zone, where the destruction occurring outside and inside blend into one. Ancram Opera House’s season concludes with Real People Real Stories, featuring young storytellers from Taconic Hills Central School. Paul Ricciardi leads 200 students in storytelling workshops, culminating in a final performance showcasing volunteers from the program telling their stories. This event will be available for free streaming on November 20.

Looking toward the new year, stay tuned for an announcement of dates for the 2022 10x10 Festival in downtown Pittsfield, which will include Barrington Stage Company’s beloved 10x10 New Play Festival.

DANCE

The Pillow Lab, a year-round incubator of new work at Jacob’s Pillow in Becket, welcomes jumatatu m. poe and Jermone Donte Beacham, Indigenous Enterprise, Taylor Stanley and Shamel Pitts, and Yve Laris Cohen for residencies October–December. Go behind the scenes with these dancers and many others via online videos, podcasts, talks, and a host of other Pillow-exclusive content available from the comfort of your home. PS21 in Chatham, New York, hosts the North-American premiere of Hêtre and Phasmes, written and choreographed by Fanny Soriano of France’s Cie Libertivore, on December 21 and 22. Circus and danced movement induce a slow metamorphosis of humans and organic matter, as performers confront nature, accompany it, dodge it, collide, and merge with it.

The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center presents the Bolshoi Ballet’s 2021-22 HD broadcast season, November 7, 2021–May 1, 2022. Five ballets will screen from the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia, to the Mahaiwe, offering high definition, multi-camera angle views of each production. The season begins with Spartacus, set to score by Aram Khachaturian, on November 7, followed by an encore production of The Nutcracker on December 19. Jewels starts off the new year on January 23, followed by an encore of Swan Lake March 6, and concluding with The Pharaoh’s Daughter May 1.

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Sheffield Historical Society, Festival of Holidays

HOLIDAY

Get a jump on holiday shopping, locally, at Berkshire South Regional Community Center’s Fall Arts & Crafts Festival on November 6. The outdoor event (rain moves it indoors) offers giftable goodies from Berkshire-based jewelers, potters, weavers, blacksmiths, woodworkers, and other artisans. Live music and food from NOSH food truck add to the festive atmosphere.

On weekends from November 5–December 24, the Sheffield Historical Society hosts its Festival of Holidays, a gift shop featuring Berkshire-made, fair trade, and sustainable gifts, at the Old Stone Barn. The Historic Sheffield Winter Wonderland display, running nightly from December 1–January 9, will light up the night with more than 20 trees decorated by local businesses and organizations. On December 11 and 18, enjoy carolers, crafts, refreshments, and cozy fire pits while you complete your holiday shopping.

In what has become just one of Naumkeag’s growing number of annual traditions, “Winterlights” returns November 26–January 9. The Trustees of Reservations Stockbridge property will dazzle the eyes with thousands of artfully designed holiday light displays. The mostly outdoor event, complete with hot drinks to keep you toasty, will also include a peek inside the site’s late 19th century mansion.

FILM

The Little Cinema at the Berkshire Museum is back with regular screenings and special space-themed events in tandem with its new exhibit, “Museum of the Moon.” Shakespeare & Company will offer an in-person screening of Speak What We Feel, a documentary about its very own Fall Festival of Shakespeare, on November 6 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Herman Melville’s Arrowhead will host three films at Berkshire Museum’s Little Cinema this season. The first, on November 5 at 7 p.m., is Call Us Ishmael. The 2019 film chronicles director David Shaerf’s journey into the world of Moby-Dick through his encounters with artists, musicians, professors, and performers including Laurie Anderson and Frank Stella. Following the screening, professor Michael Hoberman will make his case that Melville is an ideal writer for skeptical romantics. The next evening, November 6, will focus on Mark Blumberg’s 2021 film The Act of Reading in which a retired high school English teacher is confronted by a former student who failed her class 15 years ago for not reading Moby-Dick. Arrowhead and the Berkshires are heavily featured in this film. A final film, on November 13, chronicles the life of Blanche Ames Ames. Borderland: The Life and Times of Blanche Ames Ames tells the story of a woman of privilege who became an artist, activist, inventor, birth control maverick, and leader of the women’s suffrage movement in Massachusetts.

On November 13, the

Sandisfield Arts Center

will host actor, director, and local fiber artist Karen Allen for a screening of the new film Colewell, in which she stars as the postmaster of a Pennsylvania town. When the USPS closes her office, she must decide whether to relocate or retire.

The Mahaiwe continues its return to in-person film screenings, which it began this summer, with the classic The Wizard of Oz on November 26 and It’s a Wonderful Life on December 17. It’s a Wonderful Life

Lenox’s Ventfort Hall will be decked out for holiday tours beginning Thanksgiving week. Check the Gilded Age mansion’s website for other holiday events, lectures, and workshops. Berkshire Theatre Group promises a snowy holiday this year as it mounts Irving Berlin’s White Christmas,The Musical at its Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield. This timeless tale of joy and goodwill about a song-and-dance team putting on a show in a magical Vermont inn, is full of dancing, laughter, and some of the greatest songs ever written, including “Blue Skies,” ‘’Count Your Blessings,” and its classic title song. Previews begin December 2 and the show runs through December 23.

The Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce’s Holiday Shop, Sip & Stroll returns to downtown Great Barrington December 11 with a menorah and tree lighting, a performance by the Vocalis Youth Choir, a visit from Santa, the chance to meet the Library Llama, holiday refreshments, fireworks, and more fun, free activities. Shakespeare & Company adds seasonally appropriate merriment to the region with its annual costumed reading. This year’s play, The Wickhams Christmas at Pemberley by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon, runs, in-person, December 16–19.

Those who sincerely missed this year’s canceled Harvest Festival at Berkshire Botanical Garden will be heartened to know its Holiday Marketplace returns December 4 and 5. Along with its popular Gallery of Wreaths, which includes more than 100 one-of-a-kind handmade decorations, the market offers holiday-blooming amaryllis and paperwhites in decorative containers, succulent arrangements, and gift items. Holiday Lights at Arrowhead, on December 8, is a special tour of Herman Melville’s former home decorated for the holidays. This free event includes seasonal readings, 19th Haochen Zhang century holiday recipes, and a peek at holiday-themed objects NightWood, The Mount

from the museum’s collection that are not often on view. On December 15, Arrowhead welcomes local author Kevin O’Hara for a free reading of tales included in his new illustrated book, A Christmas Journey. The Mount, Edith Wharton’s Home dons its finest period-appropriate seasonal attire for self-guided Holiday House Tours, on Saturdays and Sundays, from November 27–January 2. “NightWood: An Outdoor Sound and Light Experience,” which debuted on the mansion’s grounds last year, returns November 4–December 31. The landscape comes alive through a combination of music, lighting, and theatrical elements to create seven uniquely magical scenes, several of them brand new. On December 7, The Mount hosts an online book release for Home: A Celebration with author Charlotte Moss and contributor and Mount director Susan Wissler. One of Moss’ inspirations for this project is Edith Wharton’s The Book of the Homeless (1916), a fundraiser for refugees and children during WWI. In that same spirit, a portion of this book’s profits will benefit No Kid Hungry.

On December 12 at 3 p.m., the Berkshire Concert Choir will perform holiday favorites under the magnificent “Museum of the Moon” at Berkshire Museum. First Congregational Church in Lee hosts its Sound of the Seasons concert on December 17 and 18, with the Bell Choir kicking things off at 6:20 p.m., followed by the Choir at 7 p.m. The concert is free, but donations are accepted. Check the Church’s website for updates on its annual Christmas Eve service. Berkshire Museum helps guests of all ages ring in the new year with two daytime magic shows on December 31. Award-winning, Boston-based magician George Saterial performs jaw-dropping magic with lighthearted humor, and plenty of audience participation.