ADAMS, Mass. — Graduates of Berkshire Arts & Technology Charter Public School (BArT) who have completed their first year of college are invited to apply for the Julia Bowen Bridge to College Scholarship.
The scholarship fund was established in 2017 to honor Julia Bowen, BART's founding executive director.
The scholarship was created by and is managed by the BArT Foundation to provide financial assistance to select BART alumni through their college career.
A scholarship of up to $1,000 will be awarded to a BART alumnus or alumna who has successfully completed year 1 of college. Assuming successful completion of the school year, the award will be continued through years 2, 3, and 4 and, if need be, 5. The award does not need to be used for tuition.
Applications may be accessed at https://bit.ly/Bowen2023. The application process includes a narrative about the applicant, how the successful applicant plans to use the Bowen Scholarship to increase the likelihood of college success, and how the applicant has or will support the BArT alumni network or college office.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
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Adams Theater to Host Composer Stephanie Chou for 'Comfort Girl'
ADAMS, Mass.—Composer, saxophonist and singer Stephanie Chou is bringing her 80-minute concert piece/chamber opera, "Comfort Girl" to the Adams Theater on Saturday, Sept. 14, at 7:30 p.m.
It's a work inspired by the true stories of Asian "comfort women" abducted into sexual slavery by the Japanese Army during World War II.
Chou, a Chinese American who grew up in New York, discovered the story of comfort women in her 20s, and was surprised that it wasn't more widely known. "People didn't talk about this for 50 years," she said. "I wanted to spread awareness about this topic."
Based on survivor testimony, the jazz-opera/song-cycle gives voice to 200,000+ women and survivors who were silenced for 50 years. It centers around protagonist Lian, with singers that perform as soldiers, her fiance, and other characters key to understanding the history. It's not quite a staged show–more a concert, Chou said–and includes lots of historical context, including projections and a narrator who helps keep a throughline.
To create this work, Chou spent time researching and reading deeply about comfort women and their experiences during and after the war. She also traveled to Shanghai to meet with lead researchers on the topic who have interviewed many survivors and their families.
"There aren't a lot of artistic pieces about this topic out there that aren't documentary-based," she said.
Chou has also assembled a wealth of additional information on her site for those wishing to learn more, and she'll be presenting a workshop at MCLA (with the narrator's role played by Western Mass-based Zoe Laiz) during her time in the area.
"I have had many audience members come to me crying and tell me they were moved by this piece," Chou said. "When I wrote it, I had never done anything like it before. It feels incredibly rewarding to hear such a strong audience response, and inspires me to continue to tell this story."
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