The featured exhibition on the schedule at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, MA through September 20, 2011 is called Romantic Nature: British and French Landscapes, featuring works by John Constable, J. M. W. Turner, and Thomas Gainsborough.

In 1802, John Constable wrote that he championed what he called “a natural painture,” an approach to landscape painting that rejected many principles of traditional art instruction and relied instead upon the artist’s intuitive response to the observable world. By 1824, the year that Constable’s paintings were featured at the Paris Salon, younger generations of artists in Britain and France were equally entrenched in the belief that “pure” landscape paintings held the same emotive power once believed to be the exclusive domain of historical or religious art. French artists such as Théodore Rousseau, Jules Dupré, and Constant Troyon looked to the achievements of Constable and other leading British artists as transformative alternatives to the classical conventions that had long defined
artistic practice.

Such ideas about the interplay between art, nature, and subjectivity predominated among European writers, artists, and composers in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. This phenomenon, known as Romanticism, was not necessarily a cohesive movement, but was generally marked by creative explorations of emotion, irrational thought, and personal experience. The works on view in this gallery explore the Romantic sensibilities shared by British and French artists in the early nineteenth century, particularly their imaginative approach to representing nature.

The 2011 Williamstown Theatre Festival schedule has been revised, with Three Hotels, the two person play by Jon Robin Baitz being scheduled in place of You Can’t Take It With You, which WTF had previously announced but wasn’t able to cast in time for the season. Williamstown’s Main Stage season will open with Three Hotels, which will play June 29 – July 24, 2011 directed by Tony Award-winner Robert Falls.

“Jon Robin Baitz has always been a writer I’ve held in high regard, and we feel so lucky to be able to present Three Hotels in what has turned out to be such a landmark year for him. Three Hotels is a beautiful and overlooked play. By presenting it on the Main Stage, WTF affirms our relevance in the American Theatre by continuing to serve as a home for our most important artists. I anticipate finding two extraordinary actors for these powerhouse roles.” – WTF Artistic Director Jenny Gersten

Free Theatre – Williamstown Theatre Festival – William Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors

Free Theatre returns to the outdoors with Shakespeare’s rollicking farce of mistaken identity, The Comedy of Errors. One of Shakespeare’s earliest comedies, the play traces the adventures of two sets of identical twins unaware of one another’s existence in a small town. Directed by former Sagal Fellow Johanna McKeon, with a raucous, Laurel and Hardy twist, this beloved, uproarious classic will play at Poker Flats Field July 13 – 16 and July 19 – 22 at 7:00 PM, offering the local community an opportunity to enjoy quality theatre as the sun sets on the beautiful Berkshire Hills.

Williamstown Theatre Festival – Lewis Black – Late Night Cabaret Series

Comedian (and Williamstown veteran) Lewis Black will host the renowned WTF Late-Night Cabaret Series, one of the only late-night cabaret scenes in the Berkshires. These unique evenings of musical theatre and comedy, presented July 7 – 9, July 21 – 23 and August 4 – 6 at 10:30 PM in Goodrich Hall, will feature a mixture of Tony-winning Equity actors and members of the non-equity and apprentice corps.

Williamstown Theatre Festival – SITSTANDWALKLIEDOWN

Theatre artist Phil Soltanoff will be in residence at the 2011 Festival to create an outdoor performance piece about public space. Transforming stairways, alleys, bus stops, and parking garages with kinetic movement and striking tableaux, the work will be performed at several sites in Berkshire County. Exact times and locations will be announced in June.

Hotels Williamstown, MA

• Orchards Hotel
• Jericho Valley Inn
• Williamstown Motel
• The Villager Motel
• Howard Johnson Williamstown

Barrington Stage Company, which opens their 2011 schedule on June 15 with Guys and Dolls, has named Michelle Clarkin the new Director of Development and added Jim Benson to the Board of Trustees.

Great Barrington resident Michelle Clarkin returns to Barrington Stage Company as Director of Development, a post she held from 2008-2010. Michelle returns to the company after working in Smith College’s Advancement Office as a Major Gifts Officer for the last year. Michelle also serves on the Board of the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts and has more than seven years of fundraising experience in Connecticut and Massachusetts.

“I am thrilled that Michelle Clarkin has once again joined the BSC team. Her knowledge of the Berkshire community and our audience will be extremely valuable to BSC. She is the right person to guide our fundraising efforts, with a special emphasis on creating an endowment.” BSC Artistic Director Julianne Boyd

Pittsfield resident Jim Benson joins the Board of Trustees following his January appointment as the Chair of Barrington Stage’s Community Advisory Board, a committee comprised of local community members. Local restaurateur Jim Benson is active in his support of the arts and the local creative economy. Mission Bar and Tapas has helped bring much needed vibrancy to the downtown nightlife scene. Jim has used Mission as a platform to showcase music and spoken word and to launch the Word X Word Festival which is held throughout downtown Pittsfield, including the Barrington Stage Mainstage, every August.

“We are really happy at Barrington Stage that Jim Benson had joined our Board. He is a leader in the Pittsfield/Berkshire community who has a vision of what the future holds and the steps we will need to take to get there.” – BSC Board President MaryAnn Quinson

The Aston Magna Festival’s 2011 schedule includes a series of concerts featuring music that ranges from the 15th century to the early 20th century, to be performed at Brandeis University, Bard College, and Simon’s Rock College. In addition to concerts, Artistic Director and violinist Daniel Stepner will offer sessions on Bach’s works for unaccompanied violin to both modern and baroque violinists, and Stephen Hammer, oboe, and Eric Hoeprich, clarinet, will offer sessions on Mozart’s wind instruments, June 19-24 at Brandeis. (Brandeis Workshop details).

Aston Magna – June 16-18, 2011 – Bach and Son

Bach and Son – Music for violin and harpsichord by J.S. and C.P.E. Bach – J.S. Bach, Sonatas for keyboard and violin in E Major and G Major, Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue, Sonata for solo violin in A Minor, and C.P. E. Bach’s duo sonata in C Minor. Daniel Stepner, baroque violin; John Gibbons, harpsichord

• June 16, 8:00 P.M.*: Slosberg Auditorium, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
• June 17, 8:00 P.M.*: The Olin Auditorium, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
• June 18, 6:00 P.M.*: The Daniel Arts Center, Simon’s Rock College, Great Barrington, MA
• *Pre-concert lecture one hour before concert time at all venues.

On June 16, 17, and 18 Mr. Stepner will be joined by harpsichordist John Gibbons for a program dedicated to music by J.S. Bach and one of his most successful sons, C.P.E. Bach. Sebastian’s works will dominate the program with his sonatas for keyboard and violin in E major and G major. The soloists will also join in a performance of Emanuel’s Duo sonata in C minor. Also on the program are the Chromatic fantasy and fugue, and the sonata for solo violin in A minor.

Aston Magna – June 23-25, 2011 – Diversions: Mozart and Hummel

Diversions: Mozart and Hummel – Mozart’s Horn Quintet; Divertimento for oboe, horns and strings; and A Musical Joke; J.N. Hummel’s Clarinet Quartet. Stephen Hammer, classical oboe; Eric Hoeprich, basset clarinet; Richard Menaul, horn; Frederick Aldrich, horn; Daniel Stepner and Julie Leven, classical violins; David Miller, classical viola; Loretta O’Sullivan, classical cello; Anne Trout, contrabass

• June 23, 8:00 P.M.*: Slosberg Auditorium, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
• June 24, 8:00 P.M.*: The Olin Auditorium, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
• June 25, 6:00 P.M.*: The Daniel Arts Center, Simon’s Rock College, Great Barrington, MA
• *Pre-concert lecture one hour before concert time at all venues.

The Festival will continue on June 23, 24, and 25 with chamber music for winds and strings by Mozart and Johan Nepomuk Hummel. Clarinetist Eric Hoeprich will return for a pleasant program including Mozart’s Musical Joke; the horn quintet, K. 407; and the divertimento in D major, K. 251. Also on the program will be Hummel’s clarinet quartet, which first appeared in modern edition in 1958. Other artists will include Stephen Hammer on oboe and Richard Menaul and Frederick Aldrich on horn. String players will included Mr. Stepner and Julie Leven on violin, David Miller on viola, Loretta O’Sulllivan on cello, and Anne Trout on double bass.

Aston Magna – June 30-July 2, 2011 – England, Be Glad

England, Be Glad – Music from the cosmopolitan court of Henry VIII. Aaron Sheehan, tenor; Laura Jeppesen, Jane Hershey, Emily Walhout, Sarah Cunningham, viols. (Program details – PDF)

• June 30, 8:00 P.M.*: Slosberg Auditorium, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
• July 1, 8:00 P.M.*: The Olin Auditorium, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
• July 2, 6:00 P.M.*: The Daniel Arts Center, Simon’s Rock College, Great Barrington, MA
• *Pre-concert lectures one hour before concert time at all venues

For its third program, on June 30, July 1, and July 2, Aston Magna will reach a bit into the past, to the court of the English King Henry VIII. The program will even include works by the notorious ruler, in addition to music by Hayne van Ghizeghem, Josquin des Prez, Heinrich Isaac, John Cornysh, Ludwig Senfl, and Jo. de Vyzeto. Tenor Aaron Sheehan will be joined by Sarah Cunningham, Jane Hershey, Laura Jeppesen, and Emily Walhout, viols.

Aston Magna – July 8 & 9, 2011 – The Italian Madrigal and its legacy

The Italian Madrigal and its legacy – A capella masterworks through four centuries. Music of Monteverdi, Gesualdo, Rossi, Brahms, Debussy, Ravel, P.D.Q. Bach, Glenn Gould, and Peter Lutkin. Roberta Anderson and Kristen Watson, sopranos; Gerrod Pagenkopf, counter tenor; William Hite and Frank Kelley, tenors; David Ripley, bass; Laura Jeppesen, gamba; Catherine Liddell, theorbo; Daniel Stepner, director, violin. (Program details – PDF).

• July 8, 8:00 P.M.*: The Olin Auditorium, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
• July 9, 6:00 P.M.*: The Daniel Arts Center, Simon’s Rock College, Great Barrington, MA
• *Pre-concert lectures one hour before concert time at both venues

The final concert of the 2011 Festival, on July 8 and 9, will include an unusual breadth of madrigal styles (for Aston Magna). “The Italian Madrigal and it Legacy” will present a capella masterworks through four centuries. Beginning with some of the brilliant vocal works of Carlo Gesualdo, Salamone Rossi, and Claudio Monteverdi, the program will conclude with choice compositions by Johannes Brahms, Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, Glenn Gould, Peter Schikele, and Peter Lutkin. Sopranos Roberta Anderson and Kristin Watson, countertenor Gerrod Pagekopf, tenors William Hite and Frank Kelley, and bass David Ripley, Laura Jeppesen, gamba; Catherine Liddell, theorbo and Daniel Stepner, violin will perform this wide range of music.

Aston Magna Festival – 2011 tickets

• Aston Magna Festival – Daniel Arts Center
• Aston Magna Festival – Olin Auditorium
• Aston Magna Festival – Slosberg Auditorium