Erika Larskaya

"As an abstract artist, I search for ways to represent the invisible, subtle, and unexpressed. I am driven to lay out fleeting and intangible experiences on physical surfaces". —Erika Larskaya

Erika Larskaya Studio at 79 Main St. Torrington, CT www.erikalarskaya.art

JULY 20-31

Close Encounters With Music presents Berkshire High Peaks Music Festival which mounts its 14th annual season on the bucolic campus of Berkshire School, in Sheffield, Massachusetts, welcoming back string players and pianists from around the globe and adding a vocal department. Performances, talks, masterclasses, and gifted students on the cusp of careers.

At the core of the festival are 50 international students of exceptional promise and demonstrated accomplishment who gather for intensive study, are coached as part of performing ensembles and enjoy discussions and workshops by prominent composers, renowned pedagogues, and notable figures in the music world as they prepare for professional lives.

This year’s theme is “Pathways.” At a time when the music business is fraught with uncertainties and career paths aren’t as prescribed and predictable as previously, faculty will give a series of talks about how they found their individual places in the music world. All concerts, master classes, and talks will be open and free to the public.

The ten-day festival, directed by internationally acclaimed cellist Yehuda Hanani, will continue to make its offerings of “Moonlight Sonatas” concerts (faculty and participants perform), lectures, and master classes open to the public. Hanani and his renowned colleagues infuse students with love and enthusiasm for their musical vocation, instilling them with an appreciation for past traditions and a spirit of adventure and discovery—as well as connecting them to the Berkshire community and beyond with daily events. Highlights include a faculty concert on Tuesday, July 25, and a wallto-wall farewell concert on July 30.

Close Encounters With Music - Post Office Box 34, Great Barrington, Massachusetts 01230; 800843-0778;

Web: cewm.org; e-mail: cewmusic@aol.com; Facebook: @closeencounterswithmusic; Instagram: @closeencounterswithmusic; Twitter: @CEWMusic.

This summer see artist Carolyn Newberger’s art in two Berkshire venues, in Becket and North Adams.

FutureLab(s) Gallery in North Adams will feature Carolyn’s paintings in a group exhibition entitled Out of the Gate. The exhibit runs July 7 –30, 2023 with a First Friday Reception on July 7, 6-8pm and a closing reception on July 29, 8-9pm.

FutureLab(s) Gallery was conceived when three community minded Boston area artists decided they were ready to move away from Boston. And as so many had before them, they realized that this place was the Berkshires. Totally gorgeous! Overflowing with art and culture! After only one year FutureLab(s) Gallery is transitioning into a fully shared resource for 20 incredible member artists from this area. The gallery is located at 43 Eagle St., North Adams, MA Drawing Dance, at the Becket Art Center, 7 Brooker Hill Rd, Becket, Massachusetts runs from July 13-31, and features a sampling of Carolyn’s drawings, impelled and inspired by the passion and artistry of some of the best dancers, choreographers, and musicians in the world today.

“On many summer evenings you will find me, sketchbook on lap and pen in hand, in the front row of a darkened theater at the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in Becket, Massachusetts. As the performance unfolds, my hand flies across the paper, tracing the arch of a dancer’s back, the tension and release of a pas de deux, or the collective energy of an ensemble. My husband Eli sits beside me, taking notes. Together we turn these images and observations into dance reviews in The Berkshire Edge, a publication of news, arts and ideas in Western Massachusetts.”

Carolyn Newberger - 617-877-5672, www.carolynnewberger.com, cnewberger@me.com,

TW McClelland has been making jewelry for over fifty years. His work is known the world over by jewelry connoisseurs and those who seek out originality, beauty, and quality. Engagement rings from his Wildflower Collection are worn by editors of Vogue, Vanity Fair, W, Town & Country, Martha Stewart Weddings, and acclaimed by many more.

In addition, his original pieces have adorned the red carpets of the Oscars and Cannes. In his work Tim is inspired by nature, light, and humor, and traditional metalworking methods. He uses his jewelry to create a joyful expression in a tiny space.

Most importantly, Tim hopes to be of service to his community, his customers, and the world around him.

Please see the website and feel free to contact TWM directly in relation to all things jewelry.

TW McClelland - 413-645-3399 info@twmcclelland.com www.twmcclelland.com

“There’s a time for casting silver; a time for casting cannon. If that isn’t in the red, it should be!

—Paul Revere

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