Westfield News/MassLive 7/29/22

Westfield News/MassLive ArtsBeat 7/29/22. Tony Kushner at Tanglewood, "Don Giovanni" at Berkshire opera Festival, "Dear Erich" at the Mahaiwe and arts news for WMass and NoCT. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2022/07/arts-beat-jazz-great-to-perform-at-white-church-in-blandford.html

ArtsBeat TV/Radio 7/29/22

PROGRAM NOTE: New ArtsBeat TV/Radio FRI 8AM from WCPC15 and 89,5fm/WSKB. Backstage! James Barry, Austin Sasser and Kayode Soyemi at Chester Theatre's Pass Over, and Jennifer Van Dyck and Mitchell Winter at Berkshire Theatre Group’s Dracula. Watch! Listen! Stream! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpiIb7cpIUk

ArtsBeat on Pioneer Valley Radio 7/26/22

New ArtsBeat on Pioneer Valley Radio. Secondo premieres at TheaterWorks. Pass Over plays Chester. Ezell ends KoFest, and arts news for WMass and No.CT. segment begins: 7:08 https://pioneervalleyradio.podbean.com/e/brad-shepard-today-tuesday-july-26-2022/

Westfield News/MassLive ArtsBeat 7/25/22

Westfield News/MassLive ArtsBest 7/25/22. "Pass Over" at Chester, "Secondo" at TheaterWorks, the new UMass Fine Arts Center season, and arts news for WMass and No.CT. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2022/07/arts-beat-north-hall-majestic-theatre-hosting-summer-concerts.html

ArtsBeat TV/Radio 7/22/22

PROGRAM NOTE: NEW ArtsBeat TV/Radio FRI 8AM. Jenn Thompson previews “Anne of Green Gables” at Goodspeed and Jacques Lamarre and Antoinette LaVecchia introduce “Secondo” at TheaterWorks. Watch! Listen! Stream! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jpk9o0K1VA

ArtsBeat on Pioneer Valley Radio 7/19/22

NEW ArtsBeat on Pioneer Valley Radio. Songs for a New World at Berkshire Theatre Group, Michael Feinstein celebrates Judy Garland at the Mahaiwe, Quinn Mason joins the Hartford Symphony and more. Segment begins at: 5:15 https://pioneervalleyradio.podbean.com/e/brad-shepard-today-tuesday-july-19-2022/

Westfield News/MassLive ArtsBeat 7/18/22

Westfield News/MassLive ArtsBeat 7/18/22. Michael Feinstein celebrates Judy Garland at the Mahaiwe, Ko Festival's final season, Springfield Jazz and Roots Festival and arts news for WMass and No.CT. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2022/07/arts-beat-blues-legends-gather-for-jazz-and-roots-festival.html

Athenaeum Spotlight 7/20/22

PROGRAM NOTE: NEW Athenaeum Spotlight with Guy McLain on WED. Meet Anne Schuyler and learn about Edith Wharton’s residence at The Mount in Lenox. Watch on WCPC15. Listen on 89.5fm/WSKB. Stream available 8AM. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Bh3R0iqUWo

Media Release: MOSSO Names Kevin Rhodes Artistic Advisor

DATELINE: July 14, 2022 Contacts: Beth Welty, Assistant Principal Second Violin: 339-368-2996 Robert Lawrence, Violin: 917-841-3307 Mark G. Auerbach, Public Relations: 413-427-7352 or mgauerbach@gmail.com MOSSO NAMES MAESTRO KEVIN RHODES AS ITS ARTISTIC ADVISOR Springfield, MA: MOSSO (the Musicians of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra) has named Maestro Kevin Rhodes, former music director of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, as the ensemble’s artistic advisor. Maestro Rhodes' contract was not renewed by the SSO in 2021, ending his tenure as music director at twenty years. He returned to Springfield last October to conduct the full MOSSO ensemble in its first Symphony Hall performance, and will return again on July 21 to celebrate the film music of John Williams in a program that also features violinist Yevgeny Kutik. According to Beth Welty, MOSSO Chair, “MOSSO is thrilled to formalize its ongoing artistic collaboration with Maestro Rhodes. He will assist MOSSO in building its repertoire for performances in Symphony Hall and in its chamber music performances in communities throughout Western Massachusetts. When his schedule permits, he may conduct and perform with his MOSSO. Kevin’s vision put the Springfield Symphony Orchestra on the map for twenty years. Now he will help us make MOSSO an artistically innovative organization in the years ahead.” Maestro Rhodes was recently appointed chief conductor of the Slovak National Opera and Ballet in Bratislava, the capital city of Slovakia, giving him an artistic leadership role in a European city noted for its cultural diversity. He will continue to serve as music director for the Traverse City Symphony Orchestra in Michigan, and as principal conductor of Boston’s Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra. Maestro Rhodes has been a presence in the major musical capitals of Europe for over 25 years, with credits including the Paris Opera, the Vienna State Opera, the Berlin State Opera, La Scala of Milan, the Dutch National Ballet, the Verona Ballet, the Stuttgart Ballet, and many others. Maestro Rhodes said, “I am very happy to be able to continue the relationship with my dear friends and colleagues, with whom I have such an incredible history onstage. It is also a true joy that this position will afford me opportunities to reconnect with all of the wonderful audience members I’ve come to know over the years. The concert I led back in October of 2021 was an almost overwhelming experience for me, I must say. Certainly a big part of what made the experience so meaningful was that the musicians themselves had organized and made it happen. To accomplish such a feat without a staff or other support is truly Herculean…which coincidentally describes their work every time they go into that house. When they asked me to help them pursue their goals via this volunteer position, I replied with an immediate and enthusiastic “yes!” Violinist Yevgeny Kutik, guest artist, has repeatedly performed to acclaim with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra. A native of Minsk, Belarus, Kutik immigrated to the United States with his family in 1990 at the age of five, and he grew up in Pittsfield, MA. His 2014 album, Music from the Suitcase: A Collection of Russian Miniatures (Marquis Classics) commemorates their emigration from the Soviet Union, and debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard Classical chart. The album garnered critical acclaim and was featured on NPR’s All Things Considered and in The New York Times. In 2021, Kutik launched Finding Home: Music from the Suitcase in Concert, a five-episode docu-recital series filmed at the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport, MA, based on the album. Each 30-40-minute episode features music performances, including works from the album, interwoven with Kutik’s personal narrative storytelling about anti-Semitism in the Soviet Union, his family’s months as “stateless” refugees, and the amazement and challenges of starting a new life in the United States. MOSSO’s upcoming concert includes excerpts from John Williams’ film scores to ET, Schindler’s List, Superman, Star Wars, Jurassic Park, and more. Some popular classics, including Rossini’s Overture to The Barber of Seville, Massenet’s Meditation from Thaïs, and Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite open the program. Tickets for the concert, a MOSSO benefit, are priced at $60, $45, $25, and $10, and are on sale at: SpringfieldSymphonyMusicians.com. MOSSO sponsors (to date): the Republican/MassLive, BusinessWest and Healthcare News, WWLP-22News & the CW Springfield, the Sheraton Springfield at Monarch Place, and New England Public Media, and Lyman Wood. MOSSO is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, which is not a subsidiary of nor affiliated with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra Inc. MOSSO has presented their musicians in performances with local ensembles, including the Springfield Jazz and Roots Festival; in full orchestral performance with Maestro Kevin Rhodes, MOSSO’s Virtuosos and A Sondheim Celebration in Symphony Hall; and in a series of chamber ensemble concerts in Longmeadow and at the Westfield Athenaeum. For further information about MOSSO’s programs: SpringfieldSymphonyMusicians.com -30-

ArtsBeat TV/Radio 7/15/22

PROGRAM NOTE: NEW ArtsBeat FRI 8AM from WCPC15 and 89.fm/WSKB. Meet MOSSO musicians Alexander Svensen, Sarah Sutherland, Stephen Perry and Maestro Kevin Rhodes. Watch! Listen! Stream! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbt2QHG7Fgs

Pioneer Valley Radio ArtsBeat 7/11/22

NEW ArtsBeat on PioneerValley Radio. “Anna in The Tropics” at Barrington Stage. Mark St. Germain’s “Public Speaking 101” premieres at Great Barrington Public. Jenn Thompson (pictured) directs “Anne of Green Gables” at Goodspeed. And arts news for WMass and No.CT. Segment begins at 6:32 https://pioneervalleyradio.podbean.com/e/brad-shepard-today-monday-july-11-2022/

Westfield NewsMassLiveArtsBeat 7/11/22

Westfield News/MassLive ArtsBeat 7/11/22. Much Ado About Nothing at Shakespeare & Company and Greater Hartford Shakespeare Festival, Public Speaking 101 premieres in Great Barrington, Schubert at Sevenars, and arts news for WMass and No.CT. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2022/07/arts-beat-sevenars-stocks-up-on-schubert-this-month.html

On The Mark TV/Radio 7/13/12

PROGRAM NOTE: NEW On The Mark WED from WCPC15 and 8.95fm/WSKB. The Authors Guild brings a literary festival to WMass, and meet conductor Tian Hui Ng, who recorded music with Ukranian musicians. Watch! Listen! Stream (after 8AM) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGPYlyrDuic

ArtsBeat on Pioneer Valley Radio 7/08/22

New ArtsBeat on Pioneer Valley Radio. ABCD premieres at Barrington Stage. Birds of North America at Chester. TheaterWorks and Playhouse on Park win CT Critics Circle Awards, Sevenars opens its season, and Remembering Randy Schrade, 6th “R” of the Sevenars.. Segment begins at. 3:29. https://pioneervalleyradio.podbean.com/e/brad-shepard-today-wednesday-july-6-2022/

ArtsBeat TV/Radio 7/08/22

PROGRAM NOTE: NEW ArtsBeat TV/Radio FRI 8AM from WCPC15 and 89.5fm/WSKB. Darlene Zoller stages “Pippin” at Playhouse on Park, and meet Micheline Wu and Christopher Patrick Mullen from Chester’s “Birds of North America”. Watch! Listen! Stream! . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkK398PoxOU

Westfield News/MassLive ArtsBeat 7/05/22

Westfield News/MassLive ArtsBeat 7/05/22. Onstage at Barrington Stage, Berkshire Theatre Group, Chester Theatre, MOSSO and more. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2022/07/arts-beat-symphony-musicians-present-john-williams-favorites.html

On The Mark TV/Radio 7/06/22

PROGRAM NOTE: NEW On The Mark, WED from WCPC15 and 89.5fm/WSKB. Guests: NY Times best-selling author Michael Tougias and Baystate Noble’s Ron Bryant. Watch! Listen! Stream! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HqfZBOGRNQ