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.

Bonnie McCubbin holds both a Bachelor and Master of Music in Violin and Vocal Performance. She has over 20 years of experience of public and private music instruction and has numerous performance credits on both violin and voice.  Ms. McCubbin is also a Kripalu certified Yoga and YogaDance teacher.  She has taught students from age two to 82 years.

Paul de Jong holds a Performance Certificate in cello from the Manhattan School of Music and has taken Doctoral courses at the University of Illinois.  A native of the Netherlands, Paul began his own cello studies at age five. He is a successful concert and recording artist, composer, university lecturer and founding member of “The Books”.  He has an active private teaching studio of students, beginners to advanced, of all ages.

Paul Green began the clarinet at age 8 and at age 13 was recommended to Leonard Bernstein by Stanley Drucker, the first clarinetist of the New York Philharmonic, to perform and record Saint-Saens’ “Carnival of the Animals”. Paul earned a BA in Theory and Composition from Yale, with continued studies at Juilliard, and a Master in Jazz Performance at Florida International University. Paul is founder of Klezmer East and active in the Berkshire Klezmer scene, and is currently the Principal Clarinetist with the Florida Grand Opera Orchestra.

Emily Duff earned a BA in Jazz Studies at Westfield State University.  She has a very active performing career and was voted “Best Soloist” at the Villanova Jazz Festival.  Emily has a full private studio and combines her performance teaching with ear training, transcription, composition, philosophy and theory.

New Trustees joining the BMS board in September are Laura Rosenthal and Camp Gordinier. Laura is an actuary with Berkshire Life, with degrees in mathematics from Mount Holyoke and Virginia Tech.  She is a Fellow in the Society of Actuaries. Laura is on the Board of Knesset Israel and has been an active participant with the BMS Adult Cabaret Workshop. She is also a cellist as well as choral singer.  H. Camp Gordinier (Camp) earned a BA from Brown University and served as a Russian linguist with the US Army for four years after college. He earned a M.Div (cum laude) from the Episcopal Divinity School in 1970 and served parishes until 1994, at which point he took up teaching in public schools. Camp takes jazz piano at BMS with Dave Bartley.

Returning Trustees are Ken Green, Sarah Novak, Paul Sundberg and James Wojtaszek. The Berkshire Music School is in its 70^th year of providing music education to the greater community as a 501-c-3 nonprofit organization.  It is located at 30 Wendell Avenue, downtown Pittsfield and its Executive Director is Tracy Wilson

Berkshire Music School started making a case for a “tune-up” last year. The School, housed in an 1870’s historic structure, assessed its needs and launched a $200,000 capital campaign. To date, volunteers have raised over $70,000 towards this three-year goal.

According to BMS Executive Director, Tracy Wilson, the wish list mirrors the condition of a house “of a certain age”: We have ancient boilers in 2 large buildings—never a good thing, especially with the oil situation. Our fire and security systems need to be upgraded, along with a 3 story fire escape. We are fortunate to have off-street parking, but it becomes quite compromised in bad weather.

On a positive note, we’ve outgrown our studio space! Our last capital improvement effort was more than 12 years ago. The success of that fundraiser allowed us to restore the carriage barn on our property and create a 90-seat recital hall with additional teaching studios. We are grateful for the $70,000 in MCC funds, especially in this economic climate. Our goals and improvements are now within reach.

Berkshire Music School, a private, non-profit organization, is pushing 70 years old. Facilities are open 60 hours a week for lessons and coaching, making BMS one of the busiest cultural facilities in downtown Pittsfield. The site includes 14 teaching studios and a 90 seat recital hall. With a faculty of 40, more than 450 students take private lessons during the 34 week school term. Ten summer camps fill the rest of the year. Music education is offered for all ages.

Programs for young people range from music for infants, toddlers and preschoolers, to Kinder-Choir, the BMS Youth Choir and Suzuki. Jazz, orchestra and chamber ensembles, along with cabaret workshops make up the adult curriculum. The popular “Cabaret-to-Go” group performs throughout the Berkshires at venues like Asters, Cranwell Resort, Card Lake Inn and the Morgan House. Other off-site student performances include events for 3rd Thursdays, the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club of Pittsfield, Goodwill Industries, United Cerebral Palsy, Tanglewood, OLLI, Berkshire Visitors Bureau, Norman Rockwell Museum and nearly every assisted-living/senior center in Berkshire County. BMS is an anchor in the Berkshire Creative Economy and an active member of Berkshire Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Inc. and Berkshire Visitors Bureau. The staff consists of 3 full-time and 3 part time employees, with a 10 member Governing Board and15 member Advisory Board.

Approximately ten percent of the BMS student body receives financial aid, work study or merit scholarships. No one is turned down for music lessons due to inability to pay. The annual Music Marathon supports financial aid and merit scholarships.

Jacqueline Doucette earned praise from Berkshire Eagle critic Richard Houdek for “demonstrated supreme poise” in her vocal numbers with Berkshires Jazz Youth Ensemble. She sang “How High the Moon” and “Summertime.” A BMS voice student of Jack Brown, the Pittsfield High School Junior is the daughter of Michelle and Paul Doucette.

BMS alumni joining the Berkshires Jazz Youth Ensemble for the festival included: Alfred Brewer, trombone; Will Demick, tenor sax; and Andrew Smith, percussion.

Another highlight of the festival involved a guitar masterclass with the noted Frank Vignola at the Berkshire Music School October 15. Fourteen enthusiasts of advanced to intermediate levels participated, along with an audience of observers. Hailed as one of the most accomplished, multi-dimensional guitarists “walking the planet today,” composer and improviser Vignola plays proficiently in every genre, from jazz to bluegrass. He has worked with top musicians worldwide, recording with Donald Fagen, jamming with David Grisman, and acting as Les Paul’s right-hand man.