Jazz in Dialog: An Evening with Peggy Stern and Alex Coke at The Mount

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LENOX, Mass — The Mount, Edith Wharton's Cultural Center, presents Jazz in Dialog, an evening curated by Michael Junkins that explores the creative pulse behind the music.

The talk will be held on July 23, from 5:30 to 7 pm. It will be held in  The Stable, The Mount, Edith Wharton's Cultural Center — 2 Plunkett Street, Lenox

Acclaimed jazz musician Peggy Stern takes the stage in a performance interwoven with stories and conversation with the audience, joined by Alex Coke, a tenor saxophonist, flutist, and composer based in Austin and Amsterdam, according to a press release.

"Every bit of a musician's training and history goes into the creative process — you are what you eat, you play what you hear," said Peggy Stern. "I was classically trained at Eastman and NEC, so I have a strong background in Bach, Brahms, Ravel. I didn't begin to improvise until much later, but my compositional tools were already in place, and the transition became clear once I'd written my first tune."

The program spans historical jazz, original and contemporary compositions, world music, and moments of free improvisation. A bar will be open one hour before the show for attendees.

Stern and Coke have been longtime collaborators, co-leading a weekly series in Austin called The Art of the Duo.

Tickets: Mount Members $30 | Non-Members $35, available at EdithWharton.org

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Josh Billings Athletes Can Support Local Non-Profits

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. - A new fundraising initiative is giving participants in  one of the Berkshires’ most recognized community traditions a simple way to support local  nonprofits.
 
Launched this year by the Josh Billings RunAground and Mill Town Foundation, the Finish Line Fund allows participating teams to select a Berkshire-based nonprofit and invite friends, family members, colleagues, and others to support the organization through a  team fundraising page.
 
With time still remaining before the Sept. 20 event, participating teams already have raised more than $16,000 for local nonprofits.
 
“The Finish Line Fund is about expanding participation in local philanthropy,” said Andy Wrba, Program Director at Mill Town Foundation. “You don’t need to make a large gift to have an impact. When hundreds of people contribute $10 or $20 to organizations they care about, those individual gifts can add up to something significant. We want to make local  giving accessible, personal, and connected to an event people are already excited to be part of.”
 
Rather than directing all fundraising to a single beneficiary, the Finish Line Fund places the  choice in the hands of participants. Teams select a Berkshire nonprofit that is meaningful to them and use their own networks and personal stories to build support for the organization.  Donations made through each team’s fundraising page go directly to its selected nonprofit.
 
The initiative reflects a peer-to-peer approach to philanthropy in which individuals become  ambassadors for the organizations and causes they value. In addition to raising funds, the  program is designed to introduce more people to Berkshire nonprofits, expand their networks of supporters, and encourage community members to see themselves as active participants in local giving.
 
To encourage broad participation, Mill Town Foundation will also contribute an additional $500 to the nonprofit represented by each of the five teams that attracts the greatest number of individual donors. The incentive is based on the number of unique supporters – not the total amount raised – reinforcing the message that gifts of every size matter.
 
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