Berkshire Music School Holds Open House and Launches New Classes and Workshops
The Berkshire Music School, located at 30 Wendell Avenue in downtown Pittsfield, will be holding a free open house on Saturday, January 28, from 10 am to noon in the Taft Recital Hall (back building). The morning is designed for prospective students and parents to meet some BMS faculty members, visit the school, try out an instrument at the Instrument Petting Zoo, and view a children’s music class (11 am). Refreshments will be served.
The Berkshire Music School begins a new year of classes, workshops and ensembles for students of all ages in addition to a full range of private music instruction for various instruments or voice. All sessions are taught by professional musicians and held at the School’s campus at 30 Wendell Avenue, downtown Pittsfield. There is a $30 non-refundable registration fee for each student.
Music for Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers classes, designed to increase children’s awareness of rhythm, ability to sing and move creatively to music, led by Tari Wheeler Roosa, begin on Saturday, January 28 and run every Saturday for 15 weeks. Music for Infants and Toddlers, for children ages three months to two years, takes place from 10 am to 10:40 am; parent must attend all classes; tuition is $105. Music for Preschoolers, for children ages two to four years, takes place from 10:45 am to 11:25 am; parent must attend all classes; tuition is $105. Introduction to Suzuki takes place from 9 am to 9:45 am for children ages four through seven and is designed for those considering a Suzuki instrumental program; parents must attend all classes; tuition is $155.
Orchestra, led by Norman Thibodeau, begins Tuesday, February 7, from 5:15 pm to 6:45 pm, and runs every Tuesday for 10 weeks. Community musicians are invited to join BMS students to perform expanded chamber repertoire. Members of the Stockbridge Sinfonia are encouraged to attend and serve as section leaders. Open to anyone age 10 and older with intermediate to advanced skills on winds and strings. Tuition is $100 for non-BMS students, $60 for BMS students, and free for Sinfonia members.
The Adult Guitar Club, led by Karl Rausch, is designed to help adult beginners learn the guitar in a friendly group lesson. Minimum enrollment is three students. Tuition is $125. Guitars are available to rent if needed.
Cabaret Workshops for Adults, led by Sherri James Buxton, begin on Monday, February 27 and run for 8 weeks. Students are coached on phrasing, style, technique, stage presence and performance, as well as learning how to choose appropriate music and keys. Two levels are offered, one at 6 pm and one at 8 pm, and students will be placed by experience and /or a vocal audition. Public performances are given at the end of the eight week session. Bob Shepherd is the accompanist. Tuition is $280.
In addition to classes and workshops, BMS offers chamber music training for young to advanced string quartets and flute ensembles. For more information, call Berkshire Music School at 413-442-1411 or visit the website at berkshiremusicschool.org. BMS is a 501-c-3 non-profit organization and has served the Berkshire region for over 70 years.
Berkshire Music School Alumni Garner National Recognition
Madalyn and Cicely Parnas, alumni of the Berkshire Music School, have recently received significant recognition of their music talents. Cicely, cellist, age 18, was selected to be “Artist in Residence” on National Public Radio’s “Performance Today”, with daily performances and interviews with host Fred Child the week of December 5-9. Madalyn, violinist, age 20, has just won a Marshall Scholarship, which will pay all of her costs to study at the Royal Academy of Music in London next year while she completes her Masters degree in one year. Madalyn studied violin at the Berkshire Music School with Laura Donovan and Cicely studied cello with Erica Pickhardt. Both Madalyn and Cicely were the youngest top place winners of BMS’s Merit Scholarship competition at age 9, and remain the youngest winners.
Madalyn joins the elite group of American Marshall Scholars following her selection for this very competitive award. The Marshall Scholarship covers the cost of graduate study and living at a British university of the recipient’s choice. The Marshall Scholarships were established in 1953 as a British gesture to the US for the assistance received after WWII under the Marshall Plan. Financed by the British government, the prestigious scholarships are awarded to American students who have demonstrated academic excellence and leadership potential. Up to 40 are selected each year. Madalyn will attend the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she will study with world renowned violinist and pedagogue György Pauk.
Cicely was invited to be an inaugural performer on a new Performance Today series called “Young Artists in Residence.” There were five radio segments broadcast daily beginning Monday, December 5th, and ended Friday, December 9th. Cicely was featured performing and interviewed by Fred Child each day.
Madalyn is presently completing an Artist Diploma with Jaime Laredo at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. A former student of James Buswell, Ms. Parnas graduated summa cum laude with concentrations in Music and French from The College of Saint Rose. Madalyn performs on a 1715 Alessandro Gagliano violin and is the granddaughter of legendary cellist Leslie Parnas.
Born in 1993, cellist Cicely Parnas is one of the finest young artists performing today. A unique presence on the concert stage, she is recognized for her highly individualized sound, exquisite tone, and spontaneous creativity fueled by an affable fearlessness. Cicely’s cello studies began at age four, and she made her orchestral debut at nine. Since then Cicely has performed over thirty times as guest soloist with orchestras, including the New York String Orchestra conducted by master musician and conductor, Jaime Laredo, and David Alan Miller’s Albany Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Parnas has claimed her seventh 1st prize in soloist competitions winning the 2011 Cello Concerto Competition at the Jacobs School of Music.
Cicely is a full-tuition scholarship recipient in the prestigious Artist Diploma Program at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music studying with cellist Sharon Robinson. She is the granddaughter of world-class cellist Leslie Parnas, and a former student of cellist Peter Wiley. Ms. Parnas performs on a 1712 Giovanni Grancino violoncello.
For more information about the Parnas sisters, visit their website at www.parnasmusic.com.