Your tax-deductible contribution will help us continue to bring diverse, world-class performing arts to the community of the Southern Berkshires and beyond ~
year-round!

An additional gift will boost your current member/donor level

Our donations are securely processed via PayPal

For more information about ways to support the Mahaiwe, including Planned Giving or Naming A Seat, call or email -
Mahaiwe Development Manager Deb Rathbun: 413-644-9040 x106 / deb@mahaiwe.org

Award-winning saxophonist, bandleader, composer, explorer of the world's musical traditions and founder of Living Music and the Paul Winter Consort, Paul Winter has been motivated for the past thirty years by the vision of a musical-ecological community, and has followed a steady course towards his unique 'Earth Music', a vital celebration of the creatures and cultures of the whole earth.

China's most celebrated dancer, Jin Xing (directly translated as "golden star"), and her company, Jin Xing Dance Theatre, will perform a retrospective of 10 of her best works over the last 25 years. Though not actually tango, Shanghai Tango, showcases contemporary Shanghai, a blend of east and west in dance, costumes, and music that mixes passions and cultures from both the past and the future. The choreography is graceful, subtle, and filled with visual appeal. Jin Xing's sensuous dance style and her inspired choreography enchanted the audience in her home country and toured as well in countries all over Asia and Europe.

Opera expert Scott Eyerly gives an introductory talk about each Met opera before its live broadcast. Mixing erudition and humor, Eyerly's lectures enhance the opera-goer's experience. All interested community members are welcome to attend these educational seminars whether attending the broadcast or not.

These talks will take place at the Mahaiwe on
Saturday, February 11 at 10:00am (Wagner's GštterdŠmmerung);
Saturday, February 25 at 11:00am (Verdi's Ernani);
Saturday, April 7 at 10:00am (Massenet's Manon);
and Saturday, April 14 at 11:00am (Verdi's La Traviata).

Tickets are $10 per lecture or $100 for the series of 11 lectures (general admission). WHDD Robin Hood Radio in Northwest Connecticut now airs these talks as radio broadcasts and podcasts.

With its cataclysmic climax, the Met's new Ring cycle, directed by Robert Lepage, comes to its resolution. Deborah Voigt stars as Brunnhilde and Gary Lehman is Siegfried-the star-crossed lovers doomed by fate. James Levine conducts.

'An Officer And A Gentleman' is a brilliant film with great performances from Richard Gere, Louis Gossett Jr. and Debra Winger. Richard Gere embodies the character of Zack Mayo, a troubled young man who, due to neglect and ill parenting by a military father, signs up with the Navy to get some direction in his misguided life.

Mayo's life is made even harder by the ball-busting Sergeant Foley (Louis Gossett Jr.) upon his arrival at the barracks, and he struggles to find his place. However, he does find it in himself to stand-up to the overbearing Foley and his own inner-demons and, during the course of the film, goes from being selfish, weak and undisciplined to considerate, strong and determined. His will, as well as the love of the beautiful Paula (Debra Winger) and the guidance of Foley, makes him stay the course and lifts him 'up where he belongs'.

The play portrays a now famed American film director, Motl Mendi's journey of success, as he reminisces his past and confronts the cost of fulfilling his dreams. The play takes one back to a remote village in Eastern Europe, around 1900, and illustrates the journey of the young Motl as he becomes entranced by flickering silent images on his father's cinematograph. Motl is encouraged to pursue his passion for film by Jacob, an ebullient local timber merchant, who finances his passion and Anna, a girl who is sent to help him make moving pictures of their village. Throughout this encouragement, Motl stumbles on a revolutionary way of story-telling.

David Chappellet (Robert Redford) is a mean-spirited skier, who profits from another skier's injury to gain a spot on the American Olympic team. His roommate sums up his goals when he observes of David, "He's not for the team, and he never will be"; but precisely who the David is that David is so fiendishly striving for we're never to learn. He develops a short-lived relationship with Carole Stahl, a glamorous European woman even more capricious than himself. Chappellet's identity trouble are exacerbated by the fact that he is an "Event" as well as a personality; and more astute minds than his own have difficulty where the one leaves off and the other takes over. The team's coach is played by Gene Hackman. Lots of good skiing action leading to an exciting climax.

Jerry Mulligan (Gene Kelly), a struggling American painter in Paris, is "discovered" by an influential heiress with an interest in more than Jerry's art. Jerry in turn falls for Lise (Leslie Caron), a young French girl already engaged to a cabaret singer. Jerry jokes, sings and dances with his best friend, an acerbic would-be concert pianist, while romantic complications abound.

Angela Meade takes center stage in Verdi's thrilling early gem. Marcello Giordani is her mismatched lover, and all-star Verdians Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Ferruccio Furlanetto round out the cast.

Astronomy For Young Children Ages 3-7

Created in association with the UK's National Academy of Science, this magical tale of two children's adventure throughout the galaxy tells the story of the stars and explores the mysteries of the universe.

The 2011-2012 school year will encompass many international artists with curriculum enhancing creative experiences. For more informaion please contact Judy Reinauer at 413-644-9040 x105.

The Comedy of Errors has been popular on the stage during the last three centuries and has proved itself admirably suited to adaptation as pure farce and musical spectacle. For this updated edition, Ros King has provided a completely new introduction to the existing text and commentary, in which she argues that the play cannot be regarded merely as a farcical romp based on a classical model, but belongs to the critically misunderstood genre of tragi-comedy. In stressing the seriousness that underlies the story, the introduction picks out the play's religious imagery for special attention, while also engaging fully with the play's deft lightness of touch and its continuing popularity in the theatre.

The Classic Greek Myth Brought To Life For Ages 8 and Up

Using two actors, a handful of action figures and one incredible wooden cart, Visible Fictions creates an adventure story that will inspire the hero in each of us.

The 2011-2012 school year will encompass many international artists with curriculum enhancing creative experiences. For more informaion please contact Judy Reinauer at 413-644-9040 x105.

The complex relationship between Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms continues to fascinate, with the immortal Clara hovering as common muse. The Piano Quartets in E fl at Major, Opus 44 (Schumann) and G minor, Opus 25 (Brahms) deliver an enthralling range of emotions?vigor, passion, power, and the timelessness of enduring masterpieces. Both were premiered by Clara Schumann, and the music evokes an auditory remembrance of things past, glimpses into a lost world of nobility and higher ideals.

Lydia Artymiw, piano
Arnaud Sussmann, violin
Toby Appel, viola
Yehuda Hanani, cello

The Blind Boys of Alabama are recognized worldwide as living legends of gospel music. Celebrated by The Grammys and The National Endowment for the Arts with Lifetime Achievement Awards, inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, sung for two presidents in the White House and winners of five Grammy¨ Awards, they have attained the highest levels of achievement in a career that spans over 70 years and shows no signs of diminishing. Longevity and major awards aside, The Blind Boys have earned praise for their remarkable interpretations of everything from traditional gospel favorites to contemporary spiritual material by acclaimed songwriters such as Curtis Mayfield, Ben Harper, Eric Clapton, Prince and Tom Waits.

Anna Netrebko's dazzling portrayal of the tragic heroine in Laurent Pelly's new production travels to the Met from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Piotr Beczala and Paulo Szot also star, with the Met's Principal Guest Conductor Fabio Luisi on the podium.

Natalie Dessay will put on the red dress in Willy Decker's stunning production, in her first Violetta at the Met. Matthew Polenzani sings Alfredo, Dmitri Hvorostovsky is Germont, and Principal Guest Conductor Fabio Luisi is on the podium.

Before today's multiculturalism and penchant for fusion, the musical dialogue between East and West began with Debussy, Ravel, and the American avant-garde. China's "Empress of Pipa," soloist Liu Fang, performs traditional selections on the Chinese counterparts to the lute and zither, and is joined by Yehuda Hanani for a premiere by Pulitzer Prize winner Zhou Long. Bulgarian pianist Emma Tahmizian plays Mother Goose and Leo Ornstein's remarkable A la Chinoise, and Israeli violinist Hagai Shaham offers Debussy's pentatonic-inflected Sonata and Fritz Kreisler's Tambourin Chinois.

Liu Fang, pipa and guzheng
Emma Tahmizian, piano
Hagai Shaham, violin
Yehuda Hanani, cello

A Dynamic Dinosaur Discovery For All Ages

Darwin is a truly unique and innovative theater experience where electroluminescent crayon-like creatures light up the stage with a heart-rending tale of a dinosaur discovering the true meaning of love.

The 2011-2012 school year will encompass many international artists with curriculum enhancing creative experiences. For more informaion please contact Judy Reinauer at 413-644-9040 x105.

The "refined but passionate Daedalus Quartet" (The New York Times) brings an intriguing all-Viennese program. Like Schubert's Unfinished Symphony, his Quartettsatz is a piece brimming with ardor and ecstasy-but unfinished. Out of the world of Freud, Klimt, and Schnitzler, Alban Berg's groundbreaking Lyric Suite plays with cryptic messages and themes depicting the tragic love of Tristan and Isolde?while it is in fact about his "unrequited passion for a friend's wife"; a mystery revealed 20 years ago when the composer?s letters were released. Beethoven's Opus 59 No. 1 in F Major, the majestic "Razumovsky," was a commission by the Russian ambassador to Vienna.

DAEDALUS QUARTET:
Min-Young Kim, violin
Ara Gregorian, violin
Jessica Thompson, viola
Raman Ramakrishnan, cello

THE ENCHANTED ISLAND - January 21, 2012 - 1pm

Wagner's - GOTTERDAMMERUNG - February 11, 2012 - 12pm

Verdi's - ERNANI -February 25, 2012 -1pm

Massenet's - MANON - April 7, 2012 - 12pm

Verdi's - LA TRAVIATA -April 14, 2012 - 1pm

2012 Series
$25 Adults / $18 Students under 13

THE ENCHANTED ISLAND - Wed, Jan 25 - 1pm

Wagner's - GOTTERDAMMERUNG - Wed, Feb 15 - 12pm

Verdi's - ERNANI - Wed, March 7 - 1pm

Massenet's - MANON - Wed, April 11 - 12pm

Verdi's - LA TRAVIATA - Sun, April 22 - 1pm

Due to popular demand, we have added a second screening for each of the Met Opera "Live in HD" broadcasts. Tickets will go on sale as of Sept 28th for series subscriptions and individual operas.

Mahaiwe Presents Thursday, October 6 at 7:00pm London?s National Theatre: Live in HD broadcast Arnold Wesker?s The Kitchen Black comedy set in a 1950s West End London restaurant. Tickets are $18 to $25

Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health Presents Sunday, October 9 at 7:30pm (note time change from previously announced 8:00pm) The Yoga of Sacred Song and Chant Deva Premal and Miten, with Manose Tickets are $25 to $55

Mahaiwe Presents Friday, October 14 at 8:00pm Richard Thompson Rolling Stone Top 20 Guitarist of All Time Tickets are $30 to $35

Mahaiwe Presents Saturday, October 15 at 11:00am (pre-broadcast lecture by opera expert Scott Eyerly) and 1:00pm (broadcast: very limited seating); Encore broadcast on Sunday, October 23 at 1:00pm Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD Donizetti?s Anna Bolena Tickets to lecture are $10 Tickets to broadcast are $18 to $25

Mahaiwe Presents Saturday, October 22 at 7:00pm Mahaiwe Movie of the Month screening of The Shining (1980, rated R) Tickets are $6 (general admission)

Mahaiwe Presents Monday, October 24 at 10:00am and 12:30pm Baobab by Quebec?s Theatre Motus West African tale told through puppetry Call 413.644.9040 ext. 105 for field trip pricing.

Mahaiwe Presents Saturday, October 29 at 11:00am (pre-broadcast lecture by opera expert Scott Eyerly) and 1:00pm (broadcast: very limited seating); Encore presentation on Sunday, November 6 at 1:00pm Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD Mozart?s Don Giovanni Tickets to lecture are $10 Tickets to broadcast are $18 to $25

Close Encounters with Music Presents Sunday, October 30 at 2:00pm Chamber Orchestra Kremlin 17-member string orchestra Tickets are $30 to $40

Mahaiwe Presents Saturday, November 5 at 10:00am (pre-broadcast lecture by opera expert Scott Eyerly) and 12:00pm (broadcast); Encore presentation on Wednesday, November 16 at 12:00pm Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD Wagner?s Siegfried Tickets to lecture are $10 Tickets to broadcast are $18 to $25

Moscow Ballet Presents Moscow Ballet?s Great Russian Nutcracker Thursday, November 10 at 7:30pm Friday, November 11 at 7:30 pm Tickets are $50 to $102

Deborah Zecher Presents Tuesday, November 15 at 7:00pm Warm Up the Winter IV: A Benefit Concert for Construct Inc.?s Fuel Assistance Program Tickets are $5 to $50

Mahaiwe Presents Friday, November 18 at 8:00pm Pee Wee Ellis and Maceo Parker in Still Black, Still Proud: An African Tribute to James Brown All-star Afro-funk supergroup Tickets are $39 to $55

Mahaiwe Presents Saturday, November 19 at 11:00am (pre-broadcast lecture by opera expert Scott Eyerly) and 1:00pm (broadcast); Encore presentation on Wednesday, November 23 at 1:00pm Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD Glass?s Satyagraha Tickets to lecture are $10 Tickets to broadcast are $18 to $25

Mahaiwe Presents Saturday, November 26 at 1:00pm and 4:00pm The Wizard of Oz (1939) A Mahaiwe Thanksgiving weekend tradition Tickets are $6 (general admission)

Mahaiwe Presents Thursday, December 1 at 2:00pm London?s National Theatre: Live in HD broadcast Collaborators A disturbingly funny new play by John Hodge (screenwriter of Trainspotting) with Alex Jennings and Simon Russell Beale Tickets are $18 to $25

Mahaiwe Presents Saturday, December 3 at 10:30am (pre-broadcast lecture by opera expert Scott Eyerly) and 12:30pm (broadcast); Encore presentation on Wednesday, December 7 at 12:30pm Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD Handel?s Rodelinda Tickets to lecture are $10 Tickets to broadcast are $18 to $25

Close Encounters with Music Presents Sunday, December 4 at 2:00pm Lisztomania! A 200th Anniversary Celebration Tickets are $30 to $40

Mahaiwe Presents Saturday, December 10 at 11:00am (pre-broadcast lecture by opera expert Scott Eyerly) and 1:00pm (broadcast); Encore presentation on Wednesday, December 14 at 1:00pm Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD Gounod's Faust Tickets to lecture are $10 Tickets to broadcast are $18 to $25

Mahaiwe Presents Sunday, December 11 at 7:00pm A Night Before Christmas with Spyro Gyra Jazz fusion holiday show Tickets are $40 to $60

Mahaiwe Presents Saturday, December 17 at 8:00pm Lyle Lovett and his Acoustic Group Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Tickets are $70 to $100

Mahaiwe Presents Sunday, December 18 at 2:00pm Paperbag Players Rousing musical theatre for families. Recommended for children ages 4 to 9. Tickets ate $15

Berkshire Bach Society Presents Saturday, December 31 at 6:00pm Bach at New Year?s Kenneth Cooper conducting Bach?s Six Brandenburg Concerti Tickets are $37 to $57

Mahaiwe Presents Saturday, January 21 at 11:00am (pre-broadcast lecture by opera expert Scott Eyerly) and 1:00pm (broadcast); Encore presentation on Wednesday, January 25 at 1:00pm Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD Sams?s The Enchanted Island with music by Handel, Vivaldi, and Rameau Tickets to lecture are $10 Tickets to broadcast are $18 to $25

Mahaiwe Presents Sunday, January 22 at 7:00pm Mavis Staples Grammy Lifetime Achievement-winning rhythm and blues vocalist Tickets are $40 to $70

Mahaiwe Presents Saturday, February 4 at 8:00pm Paul Winter Consort A blend of jazz, classical, and world music Tickets are $30 to $55

Mahaiwe Presents Friday, February 10 at 8:00pm Jin Xing Dance Theatre Shanghai Tango Celebrated Chinese contemporary dance company Tickets are $25 to $65

Mahaiwe Presents Saturday, February 11 at 10:00am (pre-broadcast lecture by opera expert Scott Eyerly) and 12:00pm (broadcast); Encore presentation on Wednesday, February 15 at 12:00pm Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD Wagner?s GštterdŠmmerung Tickets to lecture are $10 Tickets to broadcast are $18 to $25

Mahaiwe Presents Saturday, February 25 at 11:00am (pre-broadcast lecture by opera expert Scott Eyerly) and 1:00pm (broadcast); Encore presentation on Wednesday, March 7 at 1:00pm Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD Verdi?s Ernani Tickets to lecture are $10 Tickets to broadcast are $18 to $25

Mahaiwe Presents Wednesday, February 29 at 9:30am and 12:30pm Twinkle Twonkle by London's Tall Stories A magical tale about astronomy. Recommended for children ages 3 to 7. Call 413.644.9040 ext. 105 for field trip pricing.

Mahaiwe Presents Thursday, March 1 at 7:00pm London?s National Theatre: Live in HD broadcast Shakespeare?s The Comedy of Errors Tickets are $18 to $25

Mahaiwe Presents Jason and the Argonauts by Glasgow?s Visible Fictions Wednesday, March 14 at 12:00pm and Thursday, March 15 at 9:30am Classic Greek myth brought to life. Recommended for ages 8+. Call 413.644.9040 ext. 105 for field trip pricing.

Close Encounters With Music presents Saturday, March 24 at 6:00pm Grand Piano Quartets: Schumann and Brahms Tickets are $30 to $40

Mahaiwe Presents Blind Boys of Alabama Sunday, March 25 at 7:00pm Gospel Music Hall of Fame members Tickets are $30 to $55

Mahaiwe Presents Saturday, April 7 at 10:00am (pre-broadcast lecture by opera expert Scott Eyerly) and 12:00pm (broadcast); Encore presentation on Wednesday, April 11 at 12:00pm Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD Massenet?s Manon Tickets to lecture are $10 Tickets to broadcast are $18 to $25

Mahaiwe Presents Saturday, April 14 at 11:00am (pre-broadcast lecture by opera expert Scott Eyerly) and 1:00pm (broadcast: very limited seating); Encore presentation on Sunday, April 22 at 1:00pm Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD Verdi?s La Traviata Tickets to lecture are $10 Tickets to broadcast are $18 to $25

Close Encounters With Music presents Saturday, April 21 at 6:00pm Trade Winds--From China with Love Tickets are $30 to $40

Mahaiwe Presents Darwin The Dinosaur by New Orleans? Corbian Thursday, April 26 at 10:00am and 12:30pm Innovative children?s theatre. Recommended for all ages. Call 413.644.9040 ext. 105 for field trip pricing.