Due to the pandemic, we have had to cancel this annual concert at Tanglewood's Seiji Ozawa Hall. We hope to be back at Ozawa Hall in May 2021. We are also eager to resume rehearsals and concerts in the fall of 2020.

Stay tuned for more information.

Be well.

2020 Masterworks Concert

Seiji Ozawa Hall, Tanglewood

Bruckner, Te Deum

Brahms, Schicksalslied

Brahms, Alto Rhapsody

Sunday May 24, 2020, 3:00pm

Berkshire Lyric Chorus

Lyric Orchestra

The Lyric Children's Chorus

with special guests

The Battenkill Chorale

Noah Palmer, artistic director

vocal soloists

Andrea Bargabos, soprano

Marjorie Dix, alto

Stephen Carroll, tenor

John Demler, bass

What the Critics Said about Lyric's 2019 Masterworks Concert at Ozawa Hall

In the last of their 12 concert season at Ozawa Hall, Berkshire Lyric Chorus transcended amateur singing levels, delivering an overall evening of well balanced performances equal to the many professional choruses I’ve heard in my lifetime. The second half of their June 8th concert introduced Morton Laurdisen’s ‘’Lux Aeterna’’ in what can only be described as magnificent from beginning to end. Their singing honored the composer’s wish to ‘’get into a certain, deep, personal space…reflect on the words….almost like a meditational state.’’ It had that effect on me and those close to me. The Schubert Mass in G that followed was almost anti-climactic, but again the chorus rose to the challenge delivering a nicely phrased performance. The soloists, soprano, Erin Nafziger ; tenor, Brendan Buckley and bass John Demler were very good. The first part of the evening was like a song recital from Scubert’s 600 plus output, first using the Blafield Children’s Chorus in two songs, ‘Die Forelle’ & ‘ Litanel’ , sung with delicacy and pure , pure rounded sweet tones. Next the Tenors and Basses sang ‘Widerspruch’ ; ‘Die Nacht’ which was particularly beautiful in the sensitive way they sang it and Standchen with the lovely Marjorie Dix, mezzo soloist at her very best. The Sopranos and Altos of the Chorus then sang ‘Coronach’ and the 23rd Psalm. Their balance and their singing were exquisite, every note caressed beautifully with ‘cathedral choirboy’ head tones from the sopranos that long remain in memory. Pianist and accompanist, Noah Palmer, had just the right touch in the first half of the program. The Lyric Orchestra of 29 players for the Lauridsen and Schubert Mass were positively superb. The whole evening was under the masterful control of their wonderful Artistic Director, Maestro Jack Brown, who is to be congratulated for the high performance level now achieved.

Rex Hearn, Berkshire Record

Rex Hearn founded the Berkshire Opera Company, 1985 to 2008.

What is Berkshire Lyric?

Berkshire Lyric is a community of choruses where singers ages six to eighty-three explore the world of beauty through the choral art.

Founded in 1963 and now led by artistic director Jack Brown, Berkshire Lyric continues to explore a wide variety of great music for chorus. We believe that the sung word is the language of the heart and has a unique power to transform both the singer and the listener. We live in a world of great spiritual hunger, and choral music has a unique power to move one's spirit.

While making great music together, we bring people together: young and old, professional and amateur. We try to demystify the great world of classical music, to show that this is music for all of us.

NEPR Broadcast Story aired April 25 telling Berkshire Lyric story.

New England Public Radio has recently has put together a feature story on Berkshire Lyric. It was broadcast over the NEPR network on April 25, airing both on Morning Edition and All Things Considered. Broadcast journalist Nancy Cohen visited us during an April rehearsal and interviewed director Jack Brown and several chorus members for this story about what makes a great, multifaceted community chorus tick. It has been archived on their website at www.nepr.net. Enjoy!

Acoustic Test Drive of Tanglewood's New Linde Center

On January 27, The Berkshire Lyric Chorus was invited by the BSO to make an acoustic test drive of the brand new Linde Center on the grounds of Tanglewood. We were the first people to have a chance to sing in this amazingly beautiful hall that will open to the public this June. Instead of having our regular Monday rehearsal in Pittsfield, we had a "field trip" to just across the field from our regular spring concert venue of Seiji Ozawa Hall. This amazing space can be acoustically tuned to the music at hand, and we enjoyed singing Schubert, Morton Lauridson and a swinging version of "Moonglow" with our great Joe Rose on their big Steinway. We learned a great deal from working with their acoustician from Kierkegaard Associates. Much fun for all to enjoy this gorgeous new music resource for the Berkshires. Bravo BSO!