2026 ArtsAlive! Schedule

Join us in Daniel Chester French’s Studio for music, dance and theatrical performances, plus poetry readings and compelling conversations.

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).

July 8, 5 pm: Patriotism in Practice: History, Media, and Civic Life – A conversation with Governor Deval Patrick, journalist Martin Baron, historian Kendra Field and more!

Chesterwood will host a timely panel discussion examining how patriotism has been defined, challenged, and reimagined across generations. Moderated by Gov. Deval Patrick, the conversation will feature Tufts University Associate Professor and historianKendra Field, Wesleyan University President Michael S. Roth, and journalist and author Martin Baron, offering historical insight and contemporary perspectives on national identity, civic responsibility, and the evolving meaning of patriotism in America (Members: $45, Non-members: $50).

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).

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 tothe Odyssey (Parkman Press chapbook, 2023). Four Way Books published three of her previous poetry collections (Members: $18, Non-members: $20).

July 22 & 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).

July 26, 3 pm: Close Encounters with Music presents the Berkshire High Peaks Festival

A performance by an ensemble of young, international string players, pianists and vocalists, and faculty (Members: $22.50, Non-members: $25) .

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) .

August 1, 5:30 pm: Boston Baroque’s The X-Tex 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-Collemir, joined by tenor Karim Sulayman (Members: $36, Non-members: $40) .

August 4, 4:30 pm: Artists Gardens in New England with author and Garden Designer Jana Milbocker

Some of our most beloved painters, sculptors and authors were inspired by the gardens they created. Their New England gardens were a dynamic form of artistic expression, and we are fortunate to be able to visit them today. 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 in Daniel Chester French's Berkshires estate. Start the evening with a guided tour of the newly restored Studio Garden with Grounds Superintendent Benjamin Perrett (Members: $22.50, Non-members: $25) .

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: $18, Non-members: $20).

August 6, 5:30 pm: Pablo Casals, a cellist in exile – A conversation with historian and journalist Pedro Reina-Prez

When Pablo Casals first set foot in Puerto Rico in 1955—his mother’s native land—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).

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).

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).

August 15, 5:30 pm: Sherman Chamber Ensemble with Mezzo-Soprano Sandra Piques Eddy and guest violinist Victoria Lewis

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 and guest violinist with Victoria Lewis (Members: $27, Non-members: $30).

August 18, 5:30 pm: Music and the Mind with Mark Shapiro – Part 2

Last season the witty and “insightful” (The New York Times) American conductor Mark Shapirotook 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. Participants will enjoy and benefit from attending either or both sessions (Members: $22.50, Non-members: $25).

August 19, 5:30 pm: Harold Holzer on Lincoln’s Favorite Music

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).

August 27, 5:30 pm: Great Barrington Public Theatre -Ten Minute Plays

In partnership with Great Barrington Public Theater, Chesterwood welcomes Artistic Director Jim Frangione for a series of ten-minute plays (Members: $27, Non-members: $30).