Music
SACRED PLACE offers the audience an intimate and immersive concert experience performed by singers in the round. Inspired by Jewish heritage, and with the guide of a labyrinth, the program journeys inward as we consider the universality of our connection to the Earth and to each other. The music, including Eric Whitacre’s Five Hebrew Love Songs, Alex Berko’s Sacred Place, and Stephen Paulus’s Hymn to the Eternal Flame, features guest artists Jamecyn Morey (violin), Julian Müller (cello), and Aaron Likness (piano).
All three Saturday performances will be ASL interpreted performances, with a special section for deaf or hard-of-hearing audience members.
In the News
From THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE
With “Sacred Place” Berkshire Concert Choir invites listeners to walk a labyrinth of sound and spirit
Throughout the choir’s time under LaBoy, it has not shied away from tough topics — things like memory loss, reflections on “democracy and pain” just after the 2024 election and climate change. The environment of a choral concert is perfect for getting people to address these issues, LaBoy and Alper said — they are a place where people enter “heart first rather than head first,” and come together for a shared experience.
From THE BERKSHIRE EDGE
PREVIEW: Berkshire Concert Choir explores earth, heritage, and community in ‘Sacred Place,’ Nov. 15 & 16 at Zion Lutheran
At the heart of the event is a new concert format that positions the audience inside the performance itself. Listeners will be seated around a labyrinth painted on canvas and invited to walk its pathways during selected portions of the program, aligning physical movement with the musical arc of contemplation, healing, and communal awareness. The approach reflects the guiding principle of “Sacred Place,” that the Earth functions simultaneously as sanctuary, teacher, and mirror and that music can prompt a renewed sense of connection—to land, to memory, and to one another.
In troubled times, art and friendship reveal a healing power you might have missed. Focusing on beauty and clinging to trusted friends gets us through the worst. And when you see art and friendship combined, there is a good chance you are looking at a community of artists like Berkshire Concert Choir …
From Berkshire Concert Choir’s Key Note Newsletter
Labyrinths have been described as “ancient meditation paths.” All labyrinths have one continuous path winding to the center and back out. Unlike mazes, which have many paths and are designed as puzzles meant to confuse, labyrinths are meant to foster meditation and peaceful reflection. You can’t get lost in a labyrinth.
Thank You to Our Supporters
- The Feigenbaum Foundation
- Massachusetts Cultural Council
- Pittsfield Cultural Council
- Stockbridge Cultural Council
- Lee Bank
- Adams Community Bank