2026 ArtsAlive! Schedule
Join us in Daniel Chester French’s Studio for music, dance and theatrical performances, plus poetry readings and compelling conversations. Tickets may be purchased online through the links below, or by calling our Admissions Box Office at 413.298.2023, 10 am - 5 pm daily except for Tuesdays.
Thursday, June 11, 5:30 pm
Latin Pianist and Composer Leo Blanco’s
The Sugar Road Project
The music of pianist and composer Leo Blanco pulses with global rhythmic elements, equally influenced by his South American roots and European classical traditions, and interwoven with improvisatory developments. His acclaimed Sugar Road Project explores the profound historical connection between the global sugar trade, the African diaspora, and the evolution of music in the Americas (Members: $31.50, Non-members: $35).
Tuesday, June 23, 5:30 pm
Music and the Mind with Mark Shapiro – Part 1
Last season the witty and “insightful” (The New York Times) American conductor Mark Shapiro took us on a tour of recent thinking about the musical mind, exploring how we perceive, process, and respond to music. In two follow-up sessions this summer, Maestro Shapiro recapitulates this material and applies it to classic repertoire, with demonstrations from Beethoven’s groundbreaking Symphony No.1. (Members: $22.50, Non-members: $25).
Ian Bell
Tuesday, July 7 & Thursday, July 9, 5:30 pm
Dancer Ian Spencer Bell w/Pianist Lauren Aiola
Returning this season, Ian will dance Isadora Duncan's Third Moment, Maria-Theresa Duncan's Fifth Moment, and a movement of his own in the style of Duncan. Ian will also perform a new work with poems or live music. Lauren will play Schubert's complete Moment Musicaux (Members: $27, Non-members: $30).
!SOLD OUT!
Wednesday, July 8, 5 pm
Patriotism in Practice: History, Media, and Civic Life
A conversation with Governor Deval Patrick, journalist Martin Baron and historians Kendra Field and Michael S. Roth
Chesterwood will host a timely panel discussion examining how patriotism has been defined, challenged, and reimagined across generations. Moderated by Governor Deval Patrick, the conversation will feature journalist and author Martin Baron, Tufts University Associate Professor and historian, Kendra Field, and Wesleyan University President Michael S. Roth, offering historical insight and contemporary perspectives on national identity, civic responsibility, and the evolving meaning of patriotism in America (Members: $45, Non-members: $50).
Friday, July 10, 5:30 pm
Reson8 Vocal Octet presents Hero Songs
A chamber music ensemble of Pittsburgh’s acclaimed Resonance Works, this group will present the song cycle Hero Songs by Petter Hilliard and Matt Boresi. Hero Songs is a meditation on heroism and service, contemplating the past, present, and future of fortitude, effort, and sacrifice (Members: $31.50, Non-members: $35).
Wednesday, July 15, 5:30 pm
We (too) the People: Voices from the New England Poetry Club
The New England Poetry Club is presenting poetry by two NEPC members. Patrick Donnelly, former poet laureate of Northampton and program director of The Frost Place, is the author of five books of poetry, most recently Willow Hammer (Four Way Books, 2025). Cammy Thomas’s most recent work is Odysseus’ Daughter, poems written in response to the Odyssey (Parkman Press chapbook, 2023). Four Way Books published three of her previous poetry collections (Members: $10, Non-members: $15).
!SOLD OUT!
Wednesday, July 22 & Thursday, July 23, 5:30 pm
Reviving Chesterwood’s Tableaux Vivants with Doria Bramante
Bramante returns with two evenings of her much-acclaimed interpretation of master works of art, using Daniel Chester French’s original picture frame. A popular art form during the Victorian period, and a favorite of Daniel Chester French at Chesterwood, a tableau vivant (French for "living picture") is a static, silent scene featuring one or more actors in costume, meticulously posed to recreate an artwork, historical scene, or a passage from literature (Members: $36, Non-members: $40).
Sunday, July 26, 3 pm
Close Encounters with Music presents the Berkshire High Peaks Festival
This performance continues the festival’s tradition of bringing chamber music to the region’s most treasured cultural destinations. An ensemble of talented young international string players, pianists, vocalists, and faculty will present a dynamic program featuring works by Beethoven (Two Scottish Folk Songs, for voice and piano trio), Dvořák's String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat Major, Op. 51 performed by the Dakiti String Quartet, Vaughan Williams's "Is My Team Ploughing" from On Wenlock Edge, and Zoltán Kodály's Duo for Violin and Piano, along with additional vocal and faculty performances (Members: $22.50, Non-members: $25).
Friday, July 31, 5:30 pm
Latin Jazz with Richard Peña Trio
Puerto Rican guitarist Richard Peña intricately blends the traditional sounds of Afro-Caribbean music with the modern raw energy of jazz and bebop improvisation through his guitar’s warm and cutting sound. In addition to his latest 2025 album, The Latin Side Of Jazz Guitar, he has recorded five award-winning albums (Members: $31.50, Non-members: $35) .
Saturday, August 1, 5:30 pm
Boston Baroque’s The X-Tet performs Sounds from Spain
This subset of the Grammy Award-winning period instrument ensemble Boston Baroque makes its debut at Chesterwood with music from the Spanish Baroque and arrangements by Spanish composer Olivia Pérez-Collellmir, joined by tenor Karim Sulayman (Members: $36, Non-members: $40) .
Tuesday, August 4, 4:30 pm
Artists’ Gardens in New England with Author and Garden Designer Jana Milbocker
Enjoy an armchair tour of the private havens of Edith Wharton, Julian Alden Weir, Childe Hassam, Emily Dickinson, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Celia Thaxter and others along with a guided tour of Chesterwood’s newly restored Studio Garden by Grounds Superintendent Benjamin Perrett (Members: $22.50, Non-members: $25) .
Wednesday, August 5, 5:30 pm
We (too) the People: Voices from the New England Poetry Club
The New England Poetry Club returns to Chesterwood for a second program of poetry by NEPC members, Tim Mayo and Pamela Wax. Mayo’s poetry collections include Muscle Memories of Love and Disaster, published in March, 2026 by Bainbridge Island Press. Wax is the author of Every Single Beast of My Heart (Sheila-Na-Gig, 2026) and previous collections including Walking the Labyrinth (Main Street Rag, 2022), and Starter Mothers (Finishing Line Press, 2023) (Members: $10, Non-members: $15).
Thursday, August 6, 5:30 pm
Pablo Casals, a Cellist in Exile: A conversation with historian and journalist Pedro Reina-Pérez
When Pablo Casals first set foot in Puerto Rico —his mother’s native land—in 1955, his life took a dramatic turn. One hundred years later, Pablo Casals scholar Pedro Reina-Pérez, takes us into a deep examination of the artistic journey after Casals’ exile (Members: $22.50, Non-members: $25).
Friday, August 7, 5:30 pm
Opera Night! - American Music from the Operatic Stage
An evening featuring America opera repertory with soprano Emily Misch, baritone Evan Bravos, and pianist Christopher James Ray (Members: $31.50, Non-members: $35).
Wednesday, August 12, 5:30 pm
The Bel Canto Duo in Concert: The Making of a Master
The dynamic husband and wife duo of Darci Gamerl and David Downing return to Chesterwood after a one-month music composition residency last season. This summer they will present The Making of a Master inspired by Daniel Chester French (Members: $27.50, Non-members: $30).
Saturday, August 15, 5:30 pm
Sherman Chamber Ensemble with Mezzo-Soprano Sandra Piques Eddy
Artistic director, cellist, composer and teacher Eliot Bailen returns to Chesterwood this season in a program for string quartet that will include Samuel Barber’s Dover Beach and Ottorino Respighi’s Il Tramonto for mezzo-soprano. The ensemble will feature Metropolitan Opera artist mezzo-soprano Sandra Piques-Eddy (Members: $27, Non-members: $30).
Tuesday, August 18, 5:30 pm
Music and the Mind with Mark Shapiro – Part 2
Our 2nd session this summer with American conductor Mark Shapiro exploring how we perceive, process and respond to music (Members: $22.50, Non-members: $25).
Wednesday, August 19, 5:30 pm
Harold Holzer on Lincoln’s Favorite Music
Returning to Chesterwood, Harold Holzer is joined by a special guest singer to present Lincoln’s favorite music. Holzer is a scholar of Abraham Lincoln and the political culture of the American Civil War Era. He is the author of Monument Man: The Life and Art of Daniel Chester French (Members: $31.50, Non-members: $35).
Thursday, August 20, 5:30 pm
Classic Meets Jazz with pianist Anastasia Dedik and saxophonist George Michael
Enjoy solo classical repertoire performed by Anastasia Dedik, followed by a 30-minute jazz set featuring saxophonist George Michael. Dedik’s performances have been described as “very expressive, emotive and deeply poetic” (Nick Peros at Phoenix Classics) (Members: $31.50, Non-members: $35).
Wednesday, August 26, 5:30 PM
Bright is the Ring of Words:
Scottish Poets and the 19th–20th Century Titans of Art Song
Join Berkshire Opera Festival's Resident Artists for an intimate recital celebrating the enduring partnership between Scottish poetry and the great composers of the 19th- and 20th-century art song tradition.
About the Resident Artist Program:
Launched in 2026, BOF's Resident Artist Program is an eight-week paid residency that provides valuable performance opportunities and intensive professional development for promising emerging singers and early-career pianists. Learn more about the Resident Artist Program and explore this summer's events by visiting www.berkshireoperafestival.org/resident-artist.
Thursday, August 27, 5:30 pm
An Evening of Ten Minute Plays: Presented by Great Barrington Public Theater
Ten-Minute Plays are a unique theatrical form; a complete story, a whole world conjured by a writer, spinning out in ten short minutes. Great Barrington Public Theater brings six very different short play readings by 5 talented Berkshire writers to Chesterwood for a delightful evening of comedy, song and a few wildcards (Members: $27, Non-members: $30).
Sunday, September 6, 3 pm
Salsa Dance Party with Manolo Mairena and his Salsa Band, featuring the Salsa y Control Dancers
What better way to end the season than with a Salsa Dance Party featuring singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Costa Rican artist Manolo Mairena. His captivating music and dynamic stage presence have garnered him an international following (Members: $31.50, Non-members: $30).