Opening Weekend: October 13–14

Opening Weekend: October 13–14
A Community Thank You

See our letter in the Berkshire Eagle thanking our community for a great opening weekend.

The Birch Festival celebrates its opening weekend with performances and gatherings on Friday and Saturday. Come to one event or come to all!

Friday, October 13
Opening Celebration

Join us for music and light refreshments at Sohn Fine Art in Lenox to celebrate our opening weekend.

Donations of any size are welcome, with all proceeds supporting our educational programming and artist residencies for the Spring 2024 Festival. Donations are optional.

Time: 7:00–8:30 PM
Location: Sohn Fine Art, 69 Church Street, Lenox

Saturday, October 14

Yoga by Birch – FREE
Join Rachel Barker, yoga and meditation instructor (E-RYT® 200, YACEP®), for a free yoga class in the Chapel’s beautiful labyrinth room. Afterward, we’ll walk up the hill to “Don’t Tap on the Glass.”
Please bring your own mat. Class size is limited to 10.

Time: 9:00 AM
Location: The Church on the Hill Chapel, 55 Main Street, Lenox

“Don’t Tap on the Glass” Open Rehearsal – FREE
The Birch Festival invites you to an open rehearsal for the evening—warts and all. Watch and listen as musicians work through challenging passages, refine sections, and shape tempos.

Time: 10:30 AM
Location: The Church on the Hill, 169 Main Street, Lenox

A Conversation with the Musicians
Stay after the rehearsal for a musical conversation with Kinan Azmeh, Renana Gutman, and Yevgeny Kutik.

Time: 12:30 PM
Location: The Church on the Hill, Lenox

Concert: Bartók, Folk Music, and More – $20
Featuring Kinan Azmeh (clarinet), Renana Gutman (piano), and Yevgeny Kutik (violin)

Program includes:

Trio for violin, clarinet, and piano – Aram Khachaturian (1903–1978)
A Scattered Sketchbook for Violin and Clarinet (2012) – Kinan Azmeh (b. 1976)
Deir Ezzor from Syrian Dances (2018) – Kinan Azmeh
Dances from Korond – László Draskóczy (1940–2020)
Six Romanian Dances (arr. Zoltán Székely) – Béla Bartók (1881–1945)
Contrasts for Violin, Clarinet, and Piano, Sz. 111 – Béla Bartók
This concert is generously co-sponsored by Arlene & Gary Schiff.

Time: 4:30 PM
Location: The Church on the Hill, 169 Main Street, Lenox

If you want this tighter (like for a poster or social post) or more stylized (program booklet vibe), I can reshape it pretty quickly.