Berkshire Lyric

10/19/2026

So excited for the beginning of our 64th season! We’re currently rehearsing for our annual Christmas concerts December 11, 13, and 19th (more info to come soon!), and we’re also seeking advertisements for our season program book! Our program will be seen by thousands of people throughout the season - grab your spot early! All ads are due by November 10. Second photo features Board of Director member Bob Foreman hyping up the chorus for the season!

09/21/2026

Did you see this recent New York Times feature on Yo-Yo Ma? The story looks back on his extraordinary summer at Tanglewood - including the concert that Berkshire Lyric was so honored to be a part of!

On August 7, nearly 100 members of Berkshire Lyric took the stage in the Koussevitzky Music Shed for “Gratitude and Friendship,” part of Yo-Yo Ma’s We the People: Our Shared Past, Present, and Future residency at Tanglewood. Led by Artistic Director Jack Brown, Berkshire Lyric performed Gabriel Fauré’s beautiful Cantique de Jean Racine with the Boston Symphony Orchestra on a program featuring Yo-Yo Ma, violinist Renaud Capuçon, pianist Emanuel Ax, and conductor Samy Rachid.

It was an unforgettable night for our singers and a remarkable opportunity for our community chorus to share the Tanglewood stage with some of the world’s great musicians.

The performance received some wonderful coverage as well. The Boston Symphony Orchestra featured Berkshire Lyric in its official coverage of the concert and Yo-Yo Ma’s We the People residency; Classical WCRB featured the performance in its BSO coverage; iBerkshires previewed the concert locally; and the Boston Musical Intelligencer reviewed the performance, noting Berkshire Lyric’s appearance at Tanglewood.

We’re so proud to have been part of this extraordinary evening and grateful to everyone who made it possible!

Read the New York Times feature:
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/01/arts/music/yo-yo-ma-profile.html?unlocked_article_code=1.-FA.AlCP.TkA_eT3Df4T6&smid=url-share

Read more about the concert at these sites:
Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO)
Boston Musical Intelligencer
Classical WCRB
iBerkshires

With a global audience, Ma models a way of being that goes against the grain of cynicism, polarization and isolation. It’s up to us to pay attention.

08/14/2026

Please enjoy these photos from our 2026 Masterworks Concert, featuring Johann Sebastian Bach’s monumental St. Matthew Passion at Tanglewood’s Seiji Ozawa Hall!

One of the greatest masterpieces of Western music, Bach’s St. Matthew Passion tells a powerful story of betrayal, judgment, sacrifice, death, and ultimately, love. The nearly three-hour work brought together two choruses, a children’s chorus, double orchestra, six featured soloists, and additional solo voices for one of Berkshire Lyric’s most ambitious undertakings in our six-decade history.
Under the direction of Artistic Director Jack Brown, the Berkshire Lyric Chorus was joined by our special guests Berkshire Lyric Kids Chorus and People’s Chorus.
We were also honored to welcome an extraordinary group of soloists: Dann Coakwell, tenor (Evangelist); Jesse Blumberg, bass-baritone (Christus); Clara Rottsolk, soprano; Adriana Zabala, alto; Sam Krausz, tenor; and Douglas Williams, bass.

This concert continued Berkshire Lyric’s tradition of presenting major choral masterworks at Seiji Ozawa Hall - a tradition that has become an important part of our musical life in the Berkshires. It was an unforgettable afternoon and one of our most beloved performances yet. We are so grateful to the singers, musicians, soloists, and audience members who shared this extraordinary experience with us.

08/07/2026

Tomorrow!!

August 7: Berkshire Lyric Chorus at Tanglewood w/ Yo-Yo Ma, Renaud Capuçon, Samy Rachid & the BSO

On Friday, August 7 at 8:00 pm, the Berkshire Lyric Chorus is honored to have been invited to perform with the Boston Symphony Orchestra on stage in the Koussevitsky Music Shed at Tanglewood in Faure’s Cantique de Jean Racine.

From the BSO website:
Yo-Yo Ma joins the BSO in an expression of gratitude, a tribute to the friends that have helped us transcend the dark moments in our past, which we hope will bring us wisdom in this time of fragmentation. The orchestra will be joined by Samy Rachid, Renaud Capuçon and Berkshire neighbors Jack Brown and the Berkshire Lyric Chorus, performing Fauré’s Cantique de Jean Racine, Brahms’s String Sextet No. 2, a celebration of nature and love, and the Brahms Double Concerto, a musical gift of reconciliation.

07/14/2026

Berkshire Lyric presents its chamber choir, Ubi Caritas, in two choral concerts to raise money for Berkshire County food pantries on Sunday, August 2. The identical concerts will take place over the course of the same afternoon starting with a 3 pm concert at St. Mark’s Church in Pittsfield, followed by a 5 pm concert at St. Joseph’s Church on Elm Street in Stockbridge. There is no admission charge, but a free will offering will be taken to directly benefit food pantries that are supported by these parishes in Berkshire County. 2026 is the 14th season for Ubi Caritas, and in that time the chorus has raised over $17,000 working with a dozen local faith communities to support local food programs. The singers comprising Ubi Caritas are also part of the 120 voice Berkshire Lyric Chorus that will be singing Faure with the Boston Symphony at Tanglewood on August 7. For more information about the August 2 concerts, please go to www.BerkshireLyric.org or call 413 298 5365.

06/09/2026

At over three hours in duration, "Saint Matthew Passion" moves swiftly and is packed with as much (or more) food for thought as the 14-plus hours of Wagner’s “Ring,” and it expresses a unique and…

06/04/2026

Thank you to all who attended our MasterWorks concert, Saint Matthew Passion by J.S. Bach, on Sunday May 31, 2026! We hope you were as moved as we were. Many thanks to our AMAZING featured soloists. Bravi tutti to all performers!
Thank you to all volunteers and everyone who makes this performance happen.

06/02/2026

05/29/2026

Check out this awesome interview with Classical WMHT about our Sunday concert!!

WMHT Public Media

Jack Brown on Bach's St Matthew Passion

05/11/2026

Check out this beautiful article from Berkshire Magazine on page 80-81 about our upcoming Berkshire Lyric Bach St. Matthew performance. The author really captured the heart of this piece and what is special about Berkshire Lyric and this particular performance.

Joomag digital interactive publication