Lenox, MA in the Berkshires

Lenox, MA town hall on Walker St.

Lenox, MA is the hub of the Berkshires’ cultural industry. Dubbed “the inland Newport” in the 19th century, Lenox was the location of scores of mansions – the famous Berkshire cottages. With the passing of the Gilded Age, many of the estates were converted to other uses. The Highwood Estate now is part of Tanglewood, summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra; Canyon Ranch, perennially rated the #1 spa in the US, is located at the former Bellfontaine, and the nationally prominent Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health occupies the property where Andrew Carnegie’s last residence, Shadowbrook, stood (destroyed by fire in 1956). The popular Shakespeare & Co. is located near the site where Fanny Kemble built her home in the mid-1800s. Find hotels in Lenox, MA.

Besides all the great classical music presented at Tanglewood by the Boston Symphony and the students of the Tanglewood Music Center, there are popular artists concerts such as the annual visit of A Prairie Home Companion, with Garrison Keillor on the Saturday before the Fourth of July. On BerkshireLinks.com, see this map showing Lenox venues, attractions, and points of interest

Lenox restaurants and hotels

These Lenox businesses participate in the Berkshires.co Niche project. get information on how you can claim your Berkshires.co niche.

Lenox restaurants

Luau Hale

Lenox hotels

how Lenox was settled

“The Rev. Peter Reynolds of Somers, Conn., was one of seven men who had purchased from an inhabitant of Stockbridge who was an undesirable citizen, certain lands in that town, in order the community might be relieved of his further residence there. To compensate these men, the government gave them 4000 acres of uncleared land lying north of Stockbridge.

This tract covered all of what is now the present town of Lenox, and perhaps the township; and in the records of the time it was called the Ministers’ Grant, in as much as five of these men were ministers. (The implication, made in a history of the town, that this tract of land belonged to any Minister of the town by virtue of his office and that the title to it was commuted later to his obvious loss, is misleading.)”

Excerpted from Rev. Clayton J. Potter’s “Historical Address” given at the Centennial Anniversary of the Dedication of the Old Church on the Hill, Lenox, Massachusetts, June 12, 1906. Read the full text plus see other material.

Shadowbrook, Stokes, Carnegie, Jesuits, Fire, Kripalu

Shadowbrook was built in 1893 for Anson Phelps Stokes, who hired Frederick Law Olmsted to design the 900 acre grounds. The estate was purchased in 1917 by Andrew Carnegie, who died there in 1919. The 100 room house burned in 1956.

In 1922, the New England Province of the Society of Jesus purchased the Shadowbrook estate, which the Jesuits used as a seminary. The entire structure burned to the ground in a tragic fire in 1956, in which four of the Jesuits died. The Society then built the current brick structure on the site, maintaining their operation of the property until 1970, when they could no longer support it. The building stood empty for many years (13) until the New Age Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health purchased it in 1983.

Lenox, Mass information and links:

• Lenox Town Hall: 6 Walker St.
• Phone: (413) 637-5506
• Town website: http://www.townoflenox.com/
• Population: 5,077
• Settled/Inc’d: 1736/1767
• Named for: Charles Lennox, Duke of Richmond
• Elevation: 1,210′
• Latitude: 42º21’23″ N
• Longitude: 73º17’07″ W
• Area: 21.2 mi²(land), 0.3 mi²(water)

Map and Directions to Lenox, MA:

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The June 2013 Tanglewood schedule is broad and deep. It shows a cleverness that makes one think that the people in the Boston Symphony programming office were challenged to entice the James Taylor demographic during the summer that JT transforms from turnstyle spinner to tunesmith. And there’s at least one program which has room for a guest appearance by Taylor, who makes his home and has his recording studio in the Berkshires, just a few miles from Tanglewood – A Prairie Home Companion at Tanglewood, with Garrison Keillor.

• Melissa Etheridge with Special Guest Eric Hutchinson – June 21, 2013 – 7pm – Shed
• The Boston Pops performs a Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebration – June 22, 2013 – 8:30pm – Shed
• Joan Baez and the Indigo Girls – June 23, 2013 – 2:30pm – Shed
• Tanglewood Family Fun Fest – June 28, 2013 – 3pm – Registration suggested.
• Terence Blanchard Group – June 28, 2013 – 8pm – Ozawa Hall
• A Prairie Home Companion at Tanglewood with Garrison Keillor – June 29, 2013 – 5:45pm – Shed
• Tanglewood Music Center – Brass Extravaganza – June 30, 2013 – 10am

Here is an overview of the whole 2013 Tanglewood schedule.

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The 2013 season schedule at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival opens with Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) in the Ted Shawn Theatre June 19-23. Led by founding member and former principal dancer, Artistic Director Virginia Johnson, the company will present a range of classic and new ballet work including George Balanchine’s Agon, The Lark Ascending by Alvin Ailey, and Far But Close by Canadian contemporary choreographer John Alleyne.

The company performs three neo-classical and contemporary ballet works that span multiple eras of American and dance history. George Balanchine’s Agon is a challenging work for 12 dancers, and features an iconic pas de deux originally created in 1957 for DTH founder Arthur Mitchell and ballerina Diana Adams as members of New York City Ballet. Created in in collaboration with composer Igor Stravinsky, Agon is one of Balanchine’s most notable ballets. In an article reflecting on Agon’s 50th anniversary, Alastair Macaulay of The New York Times called the work “astounding, full of shapes, phrases, rhythms, sounds that hadn’t been encountered before, but embodied New York modernism itself.”

Alvin Ailey’s The Lark Ascending (1972) is set to an eponymous score by English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams created for violin and orchestra in 1920. While the music is inspired by the English countryside of Vaughan Williams’ youth, Ailey’s choreographic interpretation is a depiction of a young girl’s maturation to young womanhood. As part of the American Masterpieces program of the National Endowment for the Arts, DTH received a grant to help reconstruct The Lark Ascending for inclusion in the repertoire of its revived professional company. One of the most balletic of Ailey’s creations, DTH is the first American company to perform the work sur les pointes.

Far But Close (2012) is a narrative work by Canadian choreographer John Alleyne, with spoken word poetry by award-winning actor, singer, and writer Daniel Beaty and music by composer and violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain. In addition to commissioned works for major orchestras, Roumain has collaborated with Philip Glass, Bill T. Jones (with whom he performed at Jacob’s Pillow), Savion Glover, and Lady Gaga. Commissioned by DTH and based on a short spoken word play conceived and written by Beaty, this modern day ballet tells the story of a young man and woman who meet on the subway and their journey toward trust. Alleyne’s work has previously been performed at Jacob’s Pillow in DTH’s last appearance here in 1997, and by Ballet British Columbia (the company now known as Ballet BC who returns July 17-21).

The dancers of DTH come from a variety of backgrounds including Dance Theatre of Harlem School, American Ballet Theatre’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, School Pacific Northwest Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Kirov Academy of Ballet, The Australian Ballet, Boston Ballet, and The Ailey School. Michaela DePrince, the company’s youngest member, was recently featured in the documentary First Position, which will be shown at the Pillow’s Member Appreciation Film Event on June 9.

In addition to the six performances, a DTH-related PillowTalk on Saturday, June 22 at 4pm will feature excerpts from the company’s film and television appearances with commentary by artistic director Virginia Johnson. This programming serves as part of the Lift Ev’ry Voice Festival, a celebration of African American culture and heritage in the Berkshires, which kicks-off June 19 at Jacob’s Pillow. Correlated events continue throughout Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. For a full listing visit: http://www.jacobspillow.org/festival/2013/06/lift-evry-voice-festival/

Dance Theatre of Harlem – Ted Shawn Theatre – schedule and tickets

Wednesday, June 19 through Saturday June 22 at 8pm
Saturday, June 22 and Sunday, June 23 at 2pm

Free Pre-Show Talks with Jacob’s Pillow Scholars-in-Residence are offered in Blake’s Barn 30 minutes before every performance.
A Post-Show Q&A with DTH Artistic Director Virginia Johnson and Pillow Scholar Maura Keefe will take place onstage on Friday, June 21.
Tickets $39-$75. Now on sale online at jacobspillow.org, via phone at 413.243.0745, or in person at the Jacob’s Pillow Box Office. Under 35 Friday Tickets are available for $19 on Friday, June 21 (ages 18–35), two per person, must show I.D. when picking up tickets. $10 Youth Tickets, sponsored by ALEX®, are available for Friday, June 21 at 8pm and Sunday, June 23 at 2pm (must be accompanied by an adult ticket). Under 35 Fridays Tickets and Youth Tickets are available by phone and in person only.
Jacob’s Pillow is located at 358 George Carter Road in Becket, MA, 01223 (10 minutes east on Route 20 from Mass Pike Exit 2). The Jacob’s Pillow campus and theatres are handicapped-accessible.

Jacob’s Pillow schedule June 19-23, 2012 – Free events

Lift Ev’ry Voice Festival Kick Off
Wednesday, June 19 through June 23, 2013
A celebration of African American culture and history in the Berkshires kicks off with DTH at the Pillow with dancer meet-and-greets, open rehearsals, free classes, and family-friendly events. Sampling of events marked in red below. For full event listing visit: http://www.jacobspillow.org/festival/2013/06/lift-evry-voice-festival/

Guided Tour – African American History at Jacob’s Pillow – Lift Ev’ry Voice Event
Wednesday, June 19, 4:30pm
Director of Preservation Norton Owen will lead a guided tour of the Pillow’s National Historic Landmark grounds, highlighting deep historic and cultural connections with African-American artists and community. FREE

Inside/Out Performance: Jamal Jackson Dance Company – Lift Ev’ry Voice Event
Wednesday, June 19, 6:15pm
Jamal Jackson Dance Company (JJDC) founded in 2004, combines traditional African dance with contemporary movement to create energetic, engaging, and aesthetically-pleasing performances that challenge audiences to investigate the balance between individuality and group acceptance. FREE

Inside/Out Performance: Oyo Oro Afro-Cuban Dance Ensemble – Lift Ev’ry Voice Event
Thursday, June 20 at 6:15pm
Oyu Oro, founded and directed by an internationally renowned folklore artist Danys “La Mora” Pérez, is committed to the preservation of Afro-Cuban culture through dance, song, and music. Their repertoire pays tribute to Latin-Caribbean and African cultural lineages derived from the Yoruba, Congo, Carabali, Arará, and Dhomean cultures of West Africa and Haiti. FREE

Inside/Out Performance: inDANCE
Friday, June 21 at 6:15pm
inDANCE presents two iconoclastic works adapted for the Inside/Out series. Artistic director Hari Krishnan performs The Frog Princess, a tour-de-force Bharatanatyam solo. Dancers Paul Charbonneau, Benjamin Landsberg, and Hiroshi Miyamoto perform an excerpt from I, Cyclops, a postmodern, pan-Asian work. FREE

PillowTalk – Dance Theatre of Harlem Onscreen – Lift Ev’ry Voice Event
Saturday, June 22, 4pm
A celebration of some Dance Theatre of Harlem’s most memorable films, from Creole Giselle to Gabrielle Lamb’s short feature about the current company, with commentary from Artistic Director Virginia Johnson. FREE

Inside/Out Performance: The School at Jacob’s Pillow Ballet Program
Saturday, June 22 at 6:15pm
To conclude their study in the Ballet Program, dancers of The School at Jacob’s Pillow present classical ballet variations coached by Program Director Anna-Marie Holmes and a new work by Helen Pickett that will have its premiere performance by the dancers at the June 15 Gala. FREE

Shooting Stars Photography Exhibit
Blake’s Barn at Jacob’s Pillow
Open June 19 – Aug 25
Wednesday through Saturday, noon to 10pm, Tuesday and Sunday, noon to 6pm
To experience dance through the eyes of other dancers is a rare treat, and this exhibit encompasses uncommon sights and vantage points, photos taken by professional dancers, that will be totally new to most viewers. New York City Ballet star Wendy Whelan reveals what goes on in the dressing rooms of New York City Ballet while Miguel Anaya shares his backstage view from last season’s production From the Horse’s Mouth: The Men Dancers, and much more. FREE

Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival Archives
Blake’s Barn at Jacob’s Pillow
Open June 19 – Aug 25
Wednesday through Saturday, noon to 10pm, Tuesday and Sunday, noon to 6pm
This informal library and reading room allows Pillow visitors to view videos, browse through books, access the Pillow’s computer catalog, or peruse permanent collections of Pillow programs and photographs. Pillow Interactive, the popular touch-screen kiosk, provides instant access to rare film clips ranging from the present day back to the 1930s, and the Dance Heritage Coalition’s new Secure Media Network features videos from other archives throughout the country. FREE

Contact info. and Directions to Jacob’s Pillow

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The 2013 Chesterwood Vintage Motorcar Festival is scheduled for Sunday, May 26, 2013 at Chesterwood, a National Trust Historic Site. The event will take place 10am-4pm, rain or shine. Located in Stockbridge, MA, and initiated in 1974, this show has always been one of the region’s most popular antique and vintage car meets. Chesterwood is the country home, studio and gardens of America’s foremost public sculptor, Daniel Chester French (1850-1931), who created such iconic works as the Minute Man in Concord, MA, and Abraham Lincoln for the Lincoln Memorial. The breathtaking vistas of the Berkshire Hills and the artist’s beautiful country estate and grounds provide a fitting venue to display antique cars.

Each year, during the month of May, he left his permanent home and studio in New York for six months and moved with his family to Chesterwood, where he worked on over 200 public and private commissions. Many of French’s plaster sketches, including models of his Abraham Lincoln for the Lincoln Memorial, are on view today in his Studio as well as in the permanent exhibit, Daniel Chester French: Sculpting an American Vision, in Barn Gallery.

Chesterwood contact info:

Lincoln Memorial created by Daniel Chester French at Chesterwood, Stockbridge, MA

Photo: Jeff Kubina

• 4 Williamsville Rd. – Rt. 183
• PO Box 827 – Stockbridge, MA 01262
• 413-298-3579
• Chesterwood info. and link

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Here are photos taken Sunday, May 18, 2008, during a mid-day hike along the section of the Appalachian Trail that crosses the MA turnpike near Becket and leads to Upper Goose Pond. On a cool, overcast day, the highlights of the hike included several red-spotted eastern newts (Notophthalmus viridescens), and the placid Upper Goose Pond itself, which displayed reflections of the surounding hills in stunning Impressionistic fashion.

See the full-sized set of 26 photos on Flickr.
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Andris Nelsons, has been appointed Music Director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, becoming the the 15th man in that position since the BSO’s founding in 1881. Maestro Nelsons, born in Latvia on November 18, 1978, is the 3rd youngest and first Latvian to head the orchestra. Nelsons will take on the title of BSO Music Director in the 2014-15 season for an initial five year commitment, leading 8-10 weeks of programs during the BSO’s 2014-15 subscription season in Symphony Hall in Boston; he will lead 12 weeks of programs each subsequent year of the five-year contract. Mr. Nelsons will also lead several programs each season at Tanglewood, the orchestra’s summer music festival in the Berkshire hills of western Massachusetts.

Maestro Nelsons conducted a segment during last year’s Tanglewood 75th anniversary concert.

Andris Nelsons on 2013 Tanglewood schedule

Andris Nelsons is on the 2013 Tanglewood schedule, leading the BSO, on July 27, in a performance of Verdi’s monumental Requiema, on a program that includes a quartet of internationally acclaimed singers, and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus.

Nelsons succeeds James Levine

Mr. Nelsons succeeds James Levine, who was music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 2004 to 2011. Mr. Nelsons is the third youngest conductor to be appointed BSO music director since the orchestra’s founding in 1881: Georg Henschel was 31 when he became the orchestra’s first music director in 1881, and Arthur Nikisch was 33 when he opened his first season with the orchestra in 1889.

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Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos scheduled to open Tanglewood 2013 season.

The Tanglewood 2013 schedule of the Boston Symphony Orchestra opens July 5 with an all-Tchaikovsky program led by Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos with violinist Joshua Bell. Maestro Frühbeck de Burgos continues the weekend with Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 (7/6), and returns to lead the BSO with Lynn Harrell performing Haydn’s Cello Concerto No. 1 (7/14).

On August 17, BSO Conductor Emeritus Bernard Haitink returns to Tanglewood for a program pairing Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 and Mahler’s Fourth Symphony, then concludes the BSO season with the traditional performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 to close the BSO season on Aug. 25.

Tanglewood 2013 guest conductors

While the music world awaits the naming of James Levine’s replacement as conductor of the BSO, UPDATE: the Tanglewood 2013 schedule includes an impressive roster of guest conductors, headed by Andris Nelsons, named to replace James Levine. Vladimir Jurowski will be leading Jean-Yves Thibaudet in Liszt’s Totentanz for piano and orchestra on July 17; Christoph Eschenbach appears as conductor-pianist in an all-Mozart program with soprano Christine Schäfer on July 26, and then leads Garrick Ohlsson in Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 on July 28.

Stéphane Denève is scheduled to conduct Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 with Leif Ove Andsnes and Poulenc’s Stabat Mater on August 2, in a program that features the Tanglewood Festival Chorus. The Aug. 3 program has Charles Dutoit conducting, with Lang Lang performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1, along with Ravel’s complete Daphnis et Chloé. The next day, Yo-Yo Ma will perform Dvorák’s Cello Concerto under the direction of Maestro Dutoit.

Christoph von Dohnányi conducts three concerts this summer, on Aug. 9 with violinist Gil Shaham, pianist Yefim Bronfman on Aug. 10, and then with pianist Emanuel Ax on Aug. 18. Christian Zacharias is both conductor and pianist for an all-Beethoven program including the Piano Concerto No. 2 and Pastoral Symphony on Aug. 11.

West Side Story and The Goat Rodeo Show highlight Tanglewood program

Other highlights include a one-time-only Tanglewood performance on July 13 that will have the BSO playing the score to the film West Side Story while a newly remastered print is displayed on large high-definition screens. On Aug. 15, The Goat Rodeo Show, featuring cellist Yo-Yo Ma, bassist Edgar Meyer, mandolinist Chris Thile, and fiddler Stuart Duncan presents a landmark performance expanding beyond classical music to a new kind of chamber ensemble.

Five Boston Pops concerts on Tanglewood 2013 schedule

Also this season, the Boston Pops and Keith Lockhart perform with special guests Vince Gill on July 7, and with Michael Feinstein on Aug. 16. The Pops also presents the annual Film Night at Tanglewood with guest Audra McDonald on Aug. 24, and a Sept. 1 program conducted by Thomas Wilkins.

Jackson Browne, Melissa Etheridge, Warren Haynes, Esperanza Spalding, Vince Gill, Garrison Keillor among the popular artists on Tanglewood 2013 schedule.

Garrison Keillor and A Prairie Home Companion return to Tanglewood

On June 29,, Garrison Keillor returns for his annual broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion at Tanglewood. Tanglewood on Parade is scheduled for Aug. 6, featuring the BSO, Boston Pops, and the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra with conductors Stéphane Denève, Charles Dutoit, Keith Lockhart, and John Williams followed by the annual festive fireworks display. New shows added: Joan Baez on 2013 Tanglewood schedule.

Ozawa Hall program features

Ozawa Hall hosts a wide variety of offerings in 2013, including the Orchestra and Chorus of Emmanuel Music in a concert performance of Harbison’s opera The Great Gatsby on July 11, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra with Daniel Harding conducting July 24, a double bill with the Mark Morris Dance Group performing Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas and Mark Morris directing TMC Fellows in a fully staged performance of Britten’s Curlew River July 31 and Aug. 1, the Emerson String Quartet Aug.14, and jazz pianist Monty Alexander Aug. 25.

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Berkshire Lyric will present a gala concert at Tanglewood’s Seiji Ozawa Hall on Sunday June 9 at 3PM as the sixth and final concert of its 50th Anniversary season. Ozawa Hall is one of the foremost concert halls in the world, having opened in 1994 at the Boston Symphony’s world famous summer campus in Lenox. The chorus is excited to return to this elegant venue after having performed there several times in the early years of the hall’s opening. The 90 voice Berkshire Lyric Chorus will be joined by our own Blafield Children’s Chorus in an afternoon of great choral music from several centuries. Choral masterpieces by Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Brahms and Rachmaninoff will be sung as well as contemporary American choral works by Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber, Stephen Paulus, Eric Whitacre and Morten Lauridson. The program will be led by Berkshire Lyric artistic director Jack Brown and accompanied by Joe Rose.

Berkshire Lyric’s founder back in 1963 and guiding spirit until his retirement in 2006, Robert Blafield, will make a special appearance. Bob is writing a special work for this concert to be sung by both choruses, and will also be accompanying Jack Brown in a performance of Schubert’s An die Musik. The guest soloist for the concert is internationally acclaimed soprano Maureen O’Flynn. A native of Stockbridge and student of Robert Blafield as a teenager, she went on to sing leading roles at all the major opera houses of the world including the Metropolitan Opera. In her very early days, she was a frequent soloist with Berkshire Lyric. In this concert she will join the chorus in the gorgeous Mozart Laudate Dominum and also sing some surprise solos on her own. This promises to be a very special afternoon with a look back at half a century of community music making at the highest level.

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If you want to go for a hike in Berkshire county, you can access the Berkshires section of the Appalachian Trail, which wends its way from Connecticut through to Vermont. According to AMCBerkshire.org, there are 15 campsites and shelters along the portion of the trail. Privys and water are available at each; 2 night maximum stay; ordered north to south in this list. The map below displays in approximate locations; if you have precise GPS data, please email it, and we’ll make necessary adjustments.:

Directions to shelters and campsites along the Appalachian trail in the Berkshires

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BerkshiresJazz.org presents two free programs in Pittsfield the first weekend of May. On May 3 by the Williams College Jazz Group, an ensemble comprising talented students and headed by Andy Jaffe. The 7:30pm concert will take place at Baba Louie’s Backroom, , 34 Depot Street, Pittsfield.

The student members come from around the country and around the world: Max Dietrich, baritone sax (Newton, Mass.); Nina Kumar, drums (Larchmont,N.Y.); Thobo Mogojwe, vocals (Botswana); Chris Janson, bass (Darien,Conn); Jack Schweighauser guitar (Lake Forest, IL). The pianist and leader is Andy Jaffe, the Lyell B.Clay Artist in Residence in Jazz and Director of Jazz Activities at Williams College.

On Sunday, May 5, percussionist, author, activist, and Pittsfield native Royal Hartigan brings the Blood Drum Spirit ensemble to his home town, to honor our ancestors. The 3pm concert will take place at the Zion Lutheran Church at 74 First Street, Pittsfield.

Royal will be joined by saxophonist David Bindman, pianist Art Hirahara, and bassist Wes Brown. His performance will include selections from two of the group’s CDs, “Ancestors” and “Blood Drum Spirit Live in China.” A free will offering is suggested and all proceeds from offerings will be donated to the Pittsfield Area Council of Congregations Emergency Fuel Fund and to Berkshires Jazz, Inc. More info at BerkshiresJazz.org.

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