Through school and community visits, the musicians of The Birch Festival encourage new audiences and build community rapport, offering free tickets to any school-aged child and an adult family member and prioritizing event accessibility for young adults. Serving as a vehicle to tell stories of the Berkshires’ diverse population, The Birch Festival also connects local businesses, cultural groups, and service oriented organizations with performances, working in tandem to highlight those who make up our community.

Programmatically, The Birch Festival promotes and propels distinct voices in music, whether through new composition or creative interpretation of old favorites. The Birch Festival offers leading musicians a chance to play and establish relationships in the Berkshires, while recognizing and promoting the importance of their work by offering compensation that sustains and values their efforts in this industry.

Founded by Yevgeny Kutik, a Belarusian-Jewish refugee resettled in Pittsfield by the Jewish Federation, and writer/educator Rachel Barker, The Birch Festival seeks to integrate and connect the experiences of those who have found their home in the Berkshires through music and community.