Community Calendar

Established 13 years ago, Kids 4 Harmony, a youth development program of 18 Degrees, is a youth string ensemble serving over 65 students each year in grades 3-12 in Pittsfield and North Adams at no cost to families. The program builds musical excellence, family support, life skills, access to opportunity, and community. The Summer Gala Concert is the single largest fundraiser for Kids 4 Harmony.

At this year's event we welcome accomplished cellist and guest artist Francesca McNeeley and honor the dedicated longtime support of Ed Bride of Berkshires Jazz. Sponsorships now available! General admission tickets available in May.

TIME: 5pm reception at the Tent Club, 7pm performance in Ozawa Hall

COST: $150 General Admission (please visit our web page for further ticketing and sponsorship information)

Celebrated for creating diverse, timely and relevant opera, activist opera company White Snake Projects (WSP) returns to The Strand Theatre, June 28, 2025, for the world premiere of To The People Like Us, in a season dedicated to addressing the climate crisis through art. Marking the company’s inaugural community opera, To The People Like Us was collaboratively written by local teenage students of 826 Boston’s Youth Literacy Advisory Board. To The People Like Us is an original timely story exploring issues of gentrification, climate change, and development in Boston. Set to original music by Mexican-American composer Jorge Sosa, a quartet of singers will be accompanied by a classical musical ensemble.

Closing Night of the 9th Season of Music at the Southfield Church

An Evening of Musical Mastery Featuring Acclaimed International Artists

Music lovers are invited to join an extraordinary evening of classical music as the 9th Season of Music at the Southfield Church comes to a grand conclusion. The concert will take place on Saturday, June 28th at 7:00 pm in the picturesque and acoustically divine Southfield Church, located at 234 Norfolk Road in Southfield Village, New Marlborough.

This remarkable event will feature performances by a distinguished roster of internationally celebrated musicians:

• Ms. Suzuki, a virtuoso violinist originally from Japan, who has graced stages globally and is currently an esteemed member of multiple orchestras across the Northeastern United States. With a diverse repertoire ranging from classical to contemporary jazz, her artistry continues to captivate audiences.

• Bram Fisher, a talented violist and composer whose accolades include numerous festival appearances and prestigious prizes, including the NEC’s Honors Ensemble Fellowship and Entrepreneurial Musicianship Nova Fellowship. He performs on a viola generously loaned by the Virtu Foundation.

• Julian Müller, a cellist hailed for his haunting and mesmerizing performances. A passionate advocate for community engagement through music, Julian has collaborated with world-renowned artists and holds a DMA from Rutgers University.

• Manon Hutton-DeWys, an acclaimed American pianist praised for her sensitive and lyrical interpretations. An expert in early twentieth-century American music, Hutton-DeWys served as Visiting Assistant Professor of Music at Bard College at Simon's Rock and is a frequent performer in classical music’s most prestigious venues.

The program for the evening promises to be both emotionally rich and technically dazzling:

• Mozart’s Piano Sonata in G minor – A deeply emotional and introspective work showcasing Mozart’s mastery of the classical sonata form.

• Brahms’ Piano Sonata in G minor – A piece that highlights Brahms' expressive depth and compositional brilliance, culminating in the famous Hungarian rondo—a thrilling and energetic finale described as a “real barn burner” by Dr. Hutton-DeWys.

This performance marks the perfect culmination of a vibrant season of music, offering an intimate glimpse into the beauty and power of classical music. Come and be inspired by the talents of this stellar ensemble against the serene backdrop of Southfield Church.

Don’t miss this opportunity to celebrate the enduring magic of classical music and support these exceptional artists!

The 9th Season of Music is proudly funded in part by the New Marlborough Cultural Council, the Mass Cultural Council, and the dedicated members of The Sostenuto Circle, whose commitment to fostering cultural vibrancy ensures this concert series continues to enrich the community.

Admission to the concert is entirely free, allowing all to experience this artistic evening. A retiring collection will be taken to benefit the artists as a gesture of appreciation for their talent and dedication.

Following the concert, join us for a delightful reception on the lawn, weather permitting. It will be an excellent opportunity to meet the performers, connect with fellow attendees, and enjoy the serene surroundings of the church.

Mark your calendars and come experience the magic of the 9th Season of Music at Southfield Church. Together, let us celebrate the power of music to unite, inspire, and elevate the soul.

A protégé of András Schiff, this Hungarian pianist’s poetic musicianship has led to multiple appearances on our Schenectady series. He plays Czech and German masterworks for his only North American recital appearance in 2025.

Dvořák: 8 Humoresques, Op. 101
Janáček: On an Overgrown Path, Book II
Schumann: Kinderszenen, Op. 15
Brahms: C-major Sonata, Op. 1

Making his debut, this Colombian cellist was an audience favorite at the 2019 Tchaikovsky Competition and has since performed recitals at London’s Wigmore Hall and throughout the world. His solo program features Bach’s beloved 5th Suite and Chaconne along with Latin works.

Bach: Fifth Suite, BWV 1011
Ponce de León: La Ruta de la Mariposa
Bach: D-minor Chaconne, BWV 1004
Golijov: Omaramor
Valencia: Ascenso Hacia lo profundo

Philadelphia Orchestra Guest Conductor Marin Alsop returns to SPAC for the first time since 2017 leading the orchestra in a dazzling evening of Tchaikovsky featuring the 1812 Overture with live cannon fire and a brilliant fireworks display. Philadelphia Orchestra Principal Cellist Hai-Ye Ni performs Tchaikovsky’s beautiful and elegant Variations on a Rococo Theme, inspired by the composer’s love for Mozart. And Hamlet Overture, originally conceived as incidental music to Shakespeare’s play, receives its SPAC premiere.

Learn more and buy tickets now at spac.org

One of the foremost conductors of our time, Marin Alsop, leads Gustav Holst’s iconic The Planets, a work that has inspired generations of sci-fi film composers, featuring the ferocity of “Mars, the Bringer of War”, the high-spirited “Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity,” and the ghostly suspense of “Neptune, the Mystic.” Holst’s exciting, cosmic score features a seven-movement orchestral suite, with each movement named after a planet of the Solar System and its corresponding astrological character as defined by Holst.

Learn more and buy tickets now at spac.org

The Philadelphia Orchestra Principal Guest Conductor Marin Alsop returns to SPAC leading the Orchestra in Leonard Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. Bernstein mentored and inspired Alsop throughout her career, establishing her as one of the foremost conductors of his music.

The program is bookended by the music of another American icon, George Gershwin. The evening begins with his rousing Cuban Overture, inspired by a trip to Havana and combining traditional Cuban rhythms with Gershwin’s original themes. The program closes with Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F Major featuring American pianist Clayton Stephenson. At just 26 years old, Stephenson has been praised for his joyous charisma on stage and natural ease at the instrument. In 2022, he became the first Black finalist at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and has received critical acclaim for his “extraordinary narrative and poetic gifts” and interpretations that are “fresh, incisive and characterfully alive” (Gramophone).

Learn more and buy tickets now at spac.org

GRAMMY-winning jazz singer, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Laufey brings a spell-binding sonic journey performing alongside The Philadelphia Orchestra for her new “Night at the Symphony” program. Last summer, Laufey (pronounced lāy-vāy) made her SPAC debut at our Saratoga Jazz Festival. Now, the “Gen Z It Girl” (The New York Times) will return to the SPAC stage for her Philadelphia Orchestra debut with her “Night at the Symphony” program, which premiered at the Hollywood Bowl and was made into a film directed by Sam Wrench (Taylor Swift |The Eras Tour).

Learn more and buy tickets now at spac.org

Philadelphia Orchestra Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin returns to Saratoga to lead two unique programs that can only be heard at SPAC. The program opens with the suite from Igor Stravinsky’s The Firebird. One of the most beloved ballets of all time, The Firebird was originally written by a then relatively unknown Stravinsky for Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes in the early 1900’s. The imaginative score is equal parts thrilling and ethereal, bringing to life an old Russian tale and launching the composer’s now storied career.
Italian pianist, Beatrice Rana, returns to SPAC for the first time in more than a decade, performing Rachmaninoff’s inventive Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Since her first visit to SPAC, Rana has become one of the most sought-after pianists of her generation, earing praise for her “underlying calm command” (The New York Times) and refined approach.
Through SPAC’s and The Philadelphia Orchestra’s continued efforts to explore works by underrepresented composers, the program closes with the rarely performed Second Symphony by William Grant Still. A prolific composer who produced dozens of major orchestral works over his 50-year career, Still had a storied relationship with The Philadelphia Orchestra and longtime maestro Leopold Stokowski who proclaimed Still as “one of our greatest American composers.”

Learn more and buy tickets now at spac.org