The Classical Beat: Tanglewood, Sevenars Festivals Begin; Taconic Blossoms

By Stephen DanknerGuest Column
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Tanglewood commences its classical concert season this week with BSO Music Director Andris Nelsons at center stage in the Shed for three spectacular orchestral programs: the brilliant pianist Daniil Trifonov is featured in Prokofiev's monumental Third Piano Concerto on July 7, and violinist Hilary Hahn will perform Brahms' supremely lyrical Violin
Concerto with the BSO on Sunday afternoon, July 9. Maestro Nelsons will also conduct the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra in its first concert the next evening in a program of masterworks by Debussy, Ravel and Stravinsky.
 
Be sure to also consider attending the remarkable Taconic Music Festival in Manchester, VT. for brilliantly performed chamber music. 
 
There is also the welcoming atmosphere and musical artistry of Sevenars Concerts in Worthington, MA. This season marks their 55 th anniversary, as they present a festival season of seven weekly Sunday afternoon concerts.
 
Tanglewood Shed Concerts
  • Friday, July 7, 8:00 p.m.: Opening Night at Tanglewood with BSO Music Director Andris Nelsons leading the first Boston Symphony concert of the Tanglewood 2023 season, featuring Wynton Marsalis' "Herald, Holler, and Hallelujah," Prokofiev's scintillating Third Piano Concerto with the electrifying Daniil Trifonov as soloist, and Tchaikovsky's ultra-passionate Symphony No. 4. 
  • Saturday, July 8, 8:00 p.m.: Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops Orchestra will reprise their highly acclaimed presentation of "Ragtime: The Symphonic Concert," prepared by original creators Terrence McNally, Lynn Ahrens, and Stephen Flaherty for the Pops.
  • Sunday, July 9, 2:30 p.m.: Andris Nelsons and the BSO, joined by classical singer Julia Bullock and the superb violinist Hilary Hahn, present a program including the world premiere of Iman Habibi's "Zhiân," Jessie Montgomery's "Freedom Songs," and Brahms' magisterial Violin Concerto. 
  • Monday, July 10, 8:00 p.m.: Maestro Nelsons conducts the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra (TMCO) in a program of Debussy ("La Mer"), Ravel ("Alborado del grazioso" and "Mother Goose Suite") and Stravinsky ("Jeu de cartes").

Tanglewood Ozawa Hall Concerts

  • Saturday, July 8, 6:00 p.m.: Prelude Concert, Tanglewood Music Center chamber music; works by Schumann/arr. Debussy, David Roche, and Stravinsky. The program features the world premiere of "Thousandth Hymnal," a TMC-commissioned composition by David Roche, TMC '22. 
  • Sunday, July 9, 10:00 a.m.: Tanglewood Music Center chamber music; works by Grieg, Ligeti, Osvaldo Golijov, and Mozart. The program features the world premiere of "Breathing Chords," a TMC- commissioned composition by Peter Shin, TMC '22.
  • Sunday, July 9, 6:00 p.m.: Tanglewood Music Center vocal music: works by Lili Boulanger, Osvaldo Golijov, Ruth Crawford Seeger, Henri Dutilleux, Oliver Knussen, Charles Ives, and Charles Fussell.
Tanglewood Music Center and Tanglewood Learning Institute
Activities in Studio E of the Linde Center
 
  • Wednesday, July 5, 1:30 p.m.: Open Piano Workshop with Marc-André Hamelin and TMC Fellows (joint presentation by TLI and TMC) 
  • Thursday, July 6, 1:00 p.m.: TLI In Conversation with Boston Pops Conductor Keith Lockhart. 
  • Friday, July 7, 5:30 p.m.:TLI Immersion: Themes from "Ragtime" with Angela M. Farr Schiller, Ph.D. 
  • Saturday, July 8, 2:30 p.m.:TLI Immersion: Themes from "Ragtime" with Nicholas Phan, tenor, and TMC Fellows. 
  • Sunday, July 9, 8:00 p.m.: TLI Pamela Z, composer/media artist.

Taconic Music Festival

  • Monday, July 10, 7:00 p.m.: Young Artists Concert II at the Riley Center for the Arts at Burr and Burton Academy, 57 Seminary Avenue, Manchester, VT. The program will feature the following works and performers:

Sergey Prokofiev: String Quartet in F Major, No. 2, op. 92 ("Kabardinian"). Performers: Christina Shari and Paula Lastra-Cancela, violins; Samantha Rehorst, viola; Robert Feifan Hurley, cello.

Florence Price: Piano Quintet in A Minor. Performers: Olena Kaspersky and Nathaniel Parker, violins. Samantha Rehorst, viola; Benjamin Adams, cello; Rosa Burke, piano.

Caroline Shaw: "Blueprint." Performers: Paula Lastra-Cancela and Olena Kaspersky, violins; Rachel O'Connor, viola; Benjamin Adams, cello.

Felix Mendelssohn: String Quartet in F Minor, Op. 80. Performers: Nathaniel Parker and Christina Shari, violins; Rachel O'Connor, viola; Robert Feifan Hurley, cello.
 
This concert is free, though reservations are recommended. Free-will offering at the door. Suggested: Adults $15, Students/Kids Free.
 
This concert will also be livestreamed; the virtual concert hall opens at 6:45 p.m.
 
For specific repertoire listings during the season and other information, including tickets, and Taconic Music's year-round programs, call (802) 362-7162 or visit online at taconicmusic.org.
 
Sevenars Music Festival
Founded in 1968, Sevenars Concerts is showcasing its 55th anniversary season of six summer concerts, held at the Academy in the historic village of South Worthington, Mass, located at 15 Ireland Street, just off MA Route
112. Phone: (413) 238-5854 (Leave return call phone number). Web: www.sevenars.com . Admission by donation (suggested $20.) Free refreshments will be available.
 
  • Sunday, July 9, 4:00 p.m.: Opening Concert of Sevenars MusicFestival 55th anniversary season - piano, cello, duos, solos, including twoUS premieres. Schrade and James family musicians play piano and cello solos and duos by Debussy, Lalo, Milhaud, Rachmaninoff, Rorem, Sibelius, and selections from "Amazing Africa" by Sören Sieg.
 
 
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A Boutique Hotel is Bringing Guests a Luxury Stay in Lenox

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

LENOX, Mass. — A new Inn is bringing a boutique-style stay for visitors and locals to enjoy.

Owners, Sullivan Capital LLC, purchased the property, located on 135 Main Street, in 2024. After a year or renovations, Garden Gables Inn is open for business. 

"Garden Gables started off as one of the many Berkshire cottages, 1790 was the date on that, and it's always operated as an inn," said Hospitality Manager Yvonne Walton. "It's just a great gathering place and relaxation spot for people to come and get the feel of Lenox, and just slow down and enjoy the nature and the surrounding area...get culture and art and see some great concerts. I think it'll be a wonderful place, definitely does more of the upper-scale hospitality." 

Owners Niko Giallouis and Eric Sullivan bought the property from the former owner. Sullivan had his eye on Lenox since attending a wedding almost 10 years ago.

"I came to a wedding in Lenox, probably six or seven years ago. Personally, just kind of fell in love with the area, and I guess that's kind of how it got on my radar. So you know from that perspective, as we got into the hotel business out towards an area, it was a place I was kind of monitoring and waiting for the right property to show up."

After purchasing the two underwent a full renovation, a project that cost around $1.5 million. The building, first built in 1780, required some TLC. Sullivan's wife, Jessica, who owns Jessica Sullivan Design, designed the inn.

Sullivan said they installed a new roof, repainted everything, renovated the bathrooms, installed new floors, a new HVAC system, and new plumbing.

"We really touched everything from the outside...I mean, all the aesthetics and layouts changed a bit," he said. "As I said, put about a million and a half into it. All new furniture, fixtures, everything. The design's completely different. It wasn't a full gut, but it was a heavy, heavy renovation."

The two like to collaborate with local businesses, and they make a point to direct visitors to local restaurants, businesses, and attractions.

"If guests are asking for recommendations, our customer service team, our guest services team, will relay that kind of information. Even if we can call and make a reservation for somebody, happy to do it," he said. "We aren't doing breakfast, but what we do is we have partnerships with a lot of the breakfast places downtown. We actually purchase a gift certificates for each person each day, so that they can use that to go downtown."

Sullivan hopes that guests don't see their inn as just a place to sleep and dump their bags, but make it an experience for anyone who stays.

"We really focus on kind of the experience side of things, so again, we want to give you the best experience you can have here...and we want that not just to be the place you put your bag and go do things. It's important to think of everything," he said.

Sullivan said partnerships are important to their business and are a way to connect with locals.

"The local partnerships, I can't stress that enough, because no matter how much and how great the room is, people are still going to want to go do other things," he said. "So, I think it just benefits everybody if we're all working together and so forth, and supporting the community, being neighborly too, because we are surrounded by residential homes...But we really try to put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, a lot of love into the building, all the details, really care about the senses," Sullivan said.

The Inn's check-in and reservations are completely online. When guests arrive, all they have to do is check in online and receive their code that they will use to enter their room. Sullivan hopes this helps create less stress for guests and gets them to their room as fast as possible, especially after a long trip.

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