Berkshire Athenaeum Seeks to Expand Social Support Advocacy

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Athenaeum has been doing working on providing a lot of advocacy for more social support in the library, Director Alex Reczkowski said during the meeting last week 
 
The result of this has "borne fruit" he said, so the library has a stronger infrastructure. It has been collaborating with community organizations to provide these type of services. 
 
Recently, a case worker from ServiceNet has spent a lot of time doing direct care and getting people into housing. And Berkshire Harm Reduction's van, Better Life Partners, and the the Community Health Program's Mobile Health Unit are at the library on a rotating schedule. 
 
Organizations on a more stable schedule include Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity, the Brien Center, and Project North. 
 
On Mondays from 9 to noon, Habitat for Humanity has a community navigator at the library and on Wednesdays from 11 to 2.
 
On Tuesday mornings, an engagement coordinator from the Brien Center sometimes brings a recovery coach along and also comes on Thursdays. 
 
On Wednesday afternoons, Andy Rock from Project NORTH (Navigation, Outreach, Recovery, Treatment, and Hope), a federally funded behavioral support program that works with the trial court, makes a weekly visit after he's done in drug court.
 
"Project NORTH is an outgrowth of community support options. They provide additional resources and support for folks who are just as involved," Reczkowski said. 
 
Rock has connected residents with housing and transportation outside of the area. So if someone is in a "rut in the Berkshires," he can sometimes connect them with housing in surrounding areas to get a fresh start. 
 
A social worker from the city's Health Department is at the library from 9 to noon on Thursdays. She will also be at the library on Fridays from 10 to noon. 
 
Becca Lauria, who's a senior clinician with the McGee recovery unit, has been on site Thursdays from 1 to 2.
 
The Pittsfield Hub meets in the library every Thursday in the Athenaeum Room to connect people with resources. 
 
The Hub consists of approximately 20 organizations including the Police Department, the sheriff's office, management from the Brien Center, and more. Each of the service providers bring their own literature to set up at the table and has badges identifying themselves. 
 
Having these services have been very helpful not only providing support to residents but also to library staff, Reczkowski said. 
 
An example of this was when a patron was not acting in a "library mode," being loud, shouting vulgar language, and laying on the furniture. 
 
During this incident, it was helpful to have the city social worker present to communicate with the individual providing them other alternatives. 
 
Having the city social worker assist the staff meant that some groundwork could be laid for the resident to get further help in a more clinical way, Reczkowski said. 
 
More information on the library here
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Classical Beat: Enjoy Great Music at Tanglewood, Sevenars Festivals

By Stephen DanknerSpecial to iBerkshires

As Tanglewood enters its fourth week, stellar performances will take center stage in Ozawa Hall and in the Koussevitsky Shed.

Why go? To experience world-class instrumental soloists, such as the stellar piano virtuoso Yuja Wang. Also not to be missed are the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, as well as visiting guest ensembles and BSO and TMC soloists as they perform chamber and orchestral masterworks by iconic composers Purcell, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Wagner, Prokofiev, Richard Strauss, Vaughan Williams and Ives.

In addition to Tanglewood, there are also outstanding performances to be enjoyed at the Sevenars Music Festival in South Worthington. Both venues present great music performed in acoustically resonant venues by marvelous performers.

Read below for the details for concerts from Wednesday, July 17-Tuesday, July 22.

Tanglewood

• Wednesday, July 17, 8 p.m. in Ozawa Hall • Recital Series: The phenomenal world-class piano virtuoso Yuja Wang presents a piano recital in Ozawa Hall.

• Thursday July 18, 8 p.m. in Ozawa Hall • Recital SeriesLes Arts Florissants, William Christie, Director and Mourad Merzouki, Choreographer presents a performance of Henry Purcell's ‘semi-opera'/Restoration Drama "The Fairy Queen."

• Friday, July 19, 8 p.m. in the Shed: Maestro Dima Slobodeniouk leads the Boston Symphony Orchestra in a program of Leonard Bernstein (the deeply moving, jazz-tinged Symphony No. 2 ("Age of Anxiety") and Brahms' glorious Symphony No. 3.

• Saturday, July 20, 8 p.m. in the Shed: BSO Maestro Andris Nelsons leads the Orchestra in a concert version of Richard Wagner's thrilling concluding music drama from his "Ring" cycle-tetralogy, "Götterdämmerung." The stellar vocal soloists include sopranos Christine Goerke and Amanda Majeske, tenor Michael Weinius, baritone James Rutherford, bass Morris Robinson and Rhine maidens Diana Newman, Renée Tatum and Annie Rosen.

• Sunday, July 21, 2:30 p.m. in the Shed: Maestro Nelsons leads the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra (TMCO) in a program of Ives (the amazingly evocative "Three Places in New England"), Beethoven (the powerful Piano Concerto No. 3 with soloist Emanuel Ax) and Richard Strauss ("Also sprach Zarathustra" — you'll recognize its iconic "sunrise" opening).

• Tuesday, July 22, 7:00 p.m. in the Shed • Popular Artist Series: Beck, with the Boston Pops, Edwin Outwater, conductor.

For tickets to all Tanglewood events, call 888-266-1200, or go to tanglewood.org.

Sevenars Music Festival

Founded in 1968, Sevenars Concerts, Inc., presents its 56th anniversary season of six summer concerts, held at the Academy in South Worthington, located at 15 Ireland St., just off Route 112.

• Sunday, July 21, at 4 p.m.: Sevenars is delighted to present violist Ron Gorevic, returning to Sevenars after his stunning Bach recital in 2023. This year, Gorevic will offer a groundbreaking program including music of Kenji Bunch, Sal Macchia, Larry Wallach, and Tasia Wu, the latter three composing especially for him. In addition, he'll offer Bach's magnificent Chaconne in D minor and Max Reger's 3rd Suite.

Hailed by The New York Times, Gorevic continues a long and distinguished career as a performer on both violin and viola. Along with solo recitals, he has toured the United States, Germany, Japan, Korea, and Australia, performing most of the quartet repertoire. In London, he gave the British premieres of pieces by Donald Erb and Ned Rorem. He has recorded for Centaur Records as soloist and member of the Prometheus Piano Quartet, and for Koch Records as a member of the Chester String Quartet.

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