ADAMS, Mass. — Berkshire Music School cut the ribbon at Adams Theater on Thursday to celebrate its new instruction space.

 

The school will offer voice, violin, viola, cello, guitar, bass and piano lessons on Wednesday afternoons and evenings in four-week sessions. 

 

Executive Director Luis Granda said it has always been the Pittsfield school's goal to reach the entire Berkshire County community and that this partnership with the Adams Theater helps make that happen.

 

"This whole idea came about because I was starting to think about how we could get into North County, how we could have a location here," Granda said. "And Jim Wojtaszek, who is on our staff, he's on our faculty, and he's also on our board, had a long-standing relationship not only with Yina, but also with this space in general."

 

Yina Moore purchased the 90-year-old movie theater in 2021; the following four years has seen substantial progress in fundraising and in renovating the long-vacant structure, as well as a strong schedule of performances and events as the theater transitions to a year-round facility.

 

The music school has done collaborations with after-school programs and organizations to reach more of areas of the county. Granda is excited to see how being in the Adams Theater helps to establish the school in the North County.

 

"I am very interested to see how this expansion goes and how it will inform what our other strategic choices are in the future. I could see a future where there are other kind of options in maybe South County or other areas," he said.

 

Woljtaszek, a guitarist, had been on the board of Topia Arts, the theater's former incarnation, and facilitated the connection to Moore. 

 

He, Moore and Granda discussed how to bring the school in to teach lessons. Wojtaszek said this was a great place because North County students have been asking about taking in-person lessons closer to home. This combined a long-thought project at the same as promoting school outreach, he said.

 

"And, you know, all the kids or even adults who just don't have the time to make that drive [to Pittsfield] and come back on a selectmen's meeting night or something, we're here, and we're here for anybody," he said.

 

Moore was excited to collaborate with the music school and thinks it helps uplift downtown Adams.

 

"This partnership perfectly demonstrates what Adams Theater wants to do. We always have a dual mission. One of them is to revitalize the arts and culture in Adams and its vicinity, and the other is to activate downtown," Moore said. "So having a downtown presence on weekdays is a dream come true, because so far, our programming has already been happening during the weekend. We do have rehearsals and residency during the week, but not a street-facing kind of presence. 

 

"So having this collaboration on Wednesdays I hope to kick off the presence that Adams Theaters door is always open."

 

The private lessons will take place every Wednesday from 3 to 8 p.m. starting Sept. 10 and will go through May. Instruments are available for rental and classes run from 30 to 60 minutes; tuition rates for the four-week sessions range from $168 to $336. Financial aid may be available. 

 

"If they're interested in coming here and they are concerned about the finances, of the cost of that, we have a financial aid application online that is incredibly simple to fill out," Granda said. "And again, I have yet to have to turn anybody away that is interested in taking lessons no matter what age."

 

For more information or to sign up, go the website or call 413-442-1411.