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On July 30, 1902, tens of thousands of mourners lined the streets of New York’s Lower East Side to bid farewell to the city’s chief rabbi, Jacob Joseph. All went well until the procession reached Grand and Sheriff Streets, where scraps of steel, iron bolts, and scalding water rained down and injured hundreds of mourners, becoming the single largest antisemitic incident in American history.
The musicians of CMS, led by Artistic Director Wu Han, perform Schubert’s iconic and charismatic “Trout” quintet. Noted for its unique instrumentation and light-hearted nature the work has endured as one of the most significant pieces of the chamber repertoire. The program begins with the often-overlooked music of Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (the oldest son of Johann Sebastian Bach) featuring his Fugue in F minor, arranged for string trio by non-other than Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, whose Adagio and Fugue in C minor and joyful piano quartet in E-flat major round out the program. On sale now at spac.org
Celebrate Opening Night of the 19th Pioneer Valley Jewish Film Festival with MIDAS MAN at the Yiddish Book Center! Set against the kaleidoscopic backdrop of Swinging Sixties London, this stylish biopic explores the genius and demons of the trailblazing Jewish manager hailed as the “fifth Beatle.” Brian Epstein’s visionary efforts catapulted The Beatles from a scrappy Liverpool band into the biggest music phenomenon that defined a generation. This captivating film chronicles Epstein’s unyielding belief in The Beatles' potential, and the personal toll he paid as he sacrificed everything to elevate his artists to the pinnacle of fame. Jacob Fortune-Lloyd (THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT)
Come join us for our newest music event at The Store at Five Corners on the 1st Thursday of every month from 7 - 8:30PM, it’s the “OK Chorale”, come sing along with others, no charge, no auditions, no performances, no experience necessary, just come sing along and have fun. Come early and grab a dinner at the Store and hang out. Hope to see (and hear) you there.
This program features an unforgettable celebration of Latin rhythms with the ultimate showman, Alfredo Rodriguez, and his dynamic trio. Rodriguez creates an electrifying fusion of Latin, pop, timba, jazz, tango and funk that will transport you straight to the heart of Havana. His collective music chops will leave you breathless as you dance the night away at this pulsating fiesta of culture and sound. On sale now at spac.org
This captivating documentary offers an upbeat, witty, and timely exploration of a global community of artists who are rediscovering and revitalizing the endangered Yiddish language through their progressive and provocative creative works. Together, as we travel through Yiddishland – not a homeland but a heartland without borders – we journey across continents, from Melbourne to Berlin, New York to Haifa to meet the diverse array of individuals who find solace, identity, and inspiration within Yiddish language and culture. Post-screening discussion with Lisa Newman, Director of Publishing and Public Programs, and Caleb Sher, Senior Bibliography Fellow, at the Yiddish Book Center. Presented by the
Set against the picturesque Baltic Sea coast in 1923, this tender drama captures Franz Kafka’s final year, transformed by the redemptive power of love. The fragile writer, battling tuberculosis and an overbearing family, finds an unforeseen connection with Dora Diamant, a spirited young woman working at a Jewish community center. Their romance blooms into a profound partnership, carrying them through Berlin to an Austrian sanatorium where Kafka confronts his mortality with newfound peace. Presented by the Pioneer Valley Jewish Film Festival and co-sponsored by the Yiddish Book Center.
Join us the second Thursday of each month at 7PM for our 'Song Swap' This event occurs every 2nd Thursday of the month and is a gathering for music enthusiasts of all skill levels. Whether you're a songwriter sharing your own compositions or a music lover bringing your favorite tunes, we welcome your contributions. If you prefer to simply enjoy the music, that's great too! Come and be part of our supportive and creative community. Pro tip - Come early and hang out and enjoy some delicious food from the Store.
Bring your acoustic instruments and join in, or just bring your ears. Traditional tunes jam including Jigs, Reels, Waltzes, Rags and more ! All skill levels welcome. Fiddles, Mandolins, Bodhrans, Guitars, Banjos, Ukuleles, Harmonicas, whistles and any other instruments ARE welcome.
Revel in the incredible talent of CMS musicians led by Artistic Director, David Finckel as they close CMS’s 24/25 year-round season at SPAC. The sextet lies at the center of this program, anchored by Tchaikovsky’s lush and exuberant “Souvenir de Florence”. Additional works by Bach and Strauss showcase the versatility of the six-piece ensemble while two string trios by Haydn and Schubert offer listeners an exhilarating detour from the full ensemble. On sale now at spac.org
MASON WRAY is a poet from Georgia. A graduate of the MFA program at Ole Miss, his poems have appeared in Ploughshares, RHINO, New Ohio Review, Hayden’s Ferry Review, Diode, and others. He’s received support from organizations including Bread Loaf and the Hambidge Center. He serves as a poetry editor at Bear Review and lives in Atlanta.
LIZZY BECK (she/her) lives with her family in Western Massachusetts. Her poems have appeared or are forthcoming in The Adroit Journal, Grist, Pleiades, Rhino, Tinderbox Poetry Journal and elsewhere. She is a graduate of the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College and is at work on her first collection of poems.
MICHELE BOMBARDIER’s debut collection “What We Do” was a Washington Book Award finalist. She is the inaugural Poet Laureate of Bainbridge Island, Washington and the 2024 winner of the NORward Prize in Poetry. She has received fellowships from Hedgebrook, Mineral School, and the Tyrone Guthrie Centre. Recent work has appeared in JAMA, Atlanta Review, Parabola, New Ohio Review, Crab Creek Review, SWWIM, and others. Founder of Fishplate Poetry, Michele teaches workshops and leads retreats in support of humanitarian work, specifically medical care in the Middle East and Gaza.
ZITE EZEH is a Nigerian-Kenyan-American writer, musician, and educator. Her recent literary work braids indigenous Igbo cosmologies with elements of today’s world. She is particularly interested in how her characters carve out slices of home for themselves—often against the backdrop of a world that has othered them. Currently, Zite is an MFA candidate in Fiction at UC Riverside and an incoming resident at Vermont Studio Center. They received the 2024 Abraham Polonsky Endowed Award, and their flash fiction piece, “The Ruins,” was published by Beyond Worlds magazine in 2023.
MELENIE FREEDOM FLYNN is a writer, actor, and teacher. Her writing has been supported by fellowships from MacDowell, the Elizabeth George Foundation, Massachusetts Cultural Council, Djerassi Residents Artists Program, and Atlantic Center for the Arts. Melenie’s essay “Message from Your Inmate” won the annual nonfiction contest at Vela Magazine and her recent work can be seen in Provincetown Arts Magazine. A graduate of the MFA Acting Program at California Institute of the Arts, she has performed in theatres across the country.
THADDEUS HAAS has lived many different lives, from academic philosopher, to wildland firefighter, to acupuncturist, and in each one of these, writing has given him a way to make sense of his experience. It is only now, as he enters his fifth decade, that he has dared to think of himself as a writer. From a hamlet in Upstate New York, he spends his days working on an assortment of projects in between his son’s school drop offs and pickups. His current focus is a memoir of sorts about his years working as an elite wildland firefighter in Western Montana.
IRENE JIANG is a Chinese-American filmmaker and writer of genre and literary fiction. She writes about unruly outsider women who navigate migration and aspiration with feminine rage. Her short fiction has been published or is forthcoming in Pinch Journal, Flash Fiction Magazine, Uncharted Magazine, and 101 Words, and her personal essays can be read in Joysauce and The New York Times. She is revising her first novel, “Immoral Purposes,” about a young Chinese woman in 1880s California who escapes sex trafficking and seeks revenge on her abusers. Irene is a Fulbright Morocco alum.
MICHAEL JEROME PLUNKETT (he/him) served in the United States Marine Corps. He is the co-founder and Executive Director of the Literature of War Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to building libraries on military bases. He hosts its podcast, The LitWar Podcast. He led the Patrol Base Abbate Book Club. His writing has appeared in The Wrath-Bearing Tree, The War Horse, Leatherneck Magazine, Coffee or Die, Dirtbag Magazine, and Lethal Minds Journal. His debut novel, “Zone Rouge,” is forthcoming from UnnamedPress.
BRENTON SIZWE ZOLA is a first-generation writer, interdisciplinary artist, and researcher. Informed by experiences of childhood homelessness, global travel, and a lineage of African spiritual leaders, his work examines themes of myth, spirit, and sanctity. His writing has appeared in Newsweek, Inc., American Theatre, Boulevard, Prism, and WBUR Boston, among others. He is a recipient of the Marianne Russo Award for a Novel-in-Progress at the Key West Literary Seminar, an Adult Fiction mentorship at The Word and his poem “Multiplicity” is one of the official poems of the City of Denver.
