Week 5 | Berkshire Busk!

Balloon Ben has been twisting and entertaining in Berkshire County and beyond for 14 years. His unique style allows him to meet almost any request. He loves a challenge, so feel free to use your imagination in your requests from this talented Airbender. Your imagination is the limit!

The Juckets: Berkshire Money Management Stage

The Juckets a Berkshire-based, acoustic Country Bluegrass Band playing for the fun of it with Kevin James Healey, a multi-instrumentalist, lead vocals/guitar and a singer/songwriter. His voice brings a soft reflective sound while his strong rhythmic style that gets the toes a tappin’. Jim Caron (fiddle), Michael Pfeiffer (bass fiddle), Andy Gordon (pedal steel and banjo), David Clark Carroll (mandolin), and Jana Pfeiffer (vocals and banjo) complete the sound.

Saturday Afternoon, August 1st

At the Great Barrington Farmers Market from 10AM-12:30PM &
Berkshire Mountain Distillers from 3PM-5PM

Natalie Lewis: Great Barrington Farmers Market

Natalie Lewis is a singer and guitarist studying Music Education at UVM. Come listen to your favorite songs from the 60s and 70s!

THE DECOYS: Berkshire Mountain Distillers

The DECOYS play fun, upbeat versions of Americana, and classic pop songs in a "Blue-Grassy" styles, that the band has coined "Rockgrass."

Saturday Night, August 1st

Join us for Parading to Tanglewood: a Gathering at Berkshire Busk!

Emcee'd by Marcus Smith of the Du Bois Freedom Center

In the Barrington House Courtyard next to the Triplex Cinema, 6:30-8:30pm

Balloon Ben: Fairview Kid's Zone

Ida Mae Specker: Berkshire Money Management Stage

Ida Mae Specker is a fiddler, vocalist, songwriter, and educator from southern Vermont. Blending original compositions with contemporary and traditional material, she brings heartfelt new life and relevance to the living chain of American folk music. Alongside her father, legendary Vermont fiddler John Specker, Ida Mae performs a singular take on old-time music—anchored in tradition yet audacious in originality. The late Vermont Public Radio host Robert Resnik called the Specker family “Vermont Folk Heroes.” In addition to performing, Ida Mae is a recurring guest host on Vermont Public Radio’s folk and world music program All the Traditions, and a dedicated teaching artist and children’s music performer. She currently teaches music for kindergarten through sixth grade at her daughter’s school, where she has developed an original curriculum rooted in folk traditions and introduced fiddle as the primary instrument in the classroom.

Brass Ensemble from the Tanglewood Music Center: Berkshire Money Management Stage

The Tanglewood Music Center (TMC) is the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s summer academy for advanced musical training. Every season a new class of TMC Fellows gathers on the Tanglewood campus for a transformative experience immersed in performance and learning. Each class is comprised of the absolute finest young musicians selected through a rigorous application and audition process. For many, TMC represents the final milestone before a professional life in music. Musicians from the TMC will perform music by the renaissance composer Giovanni Gabrieli.

Robin OHerin, Traditional Blues and Gospel: Berkshire Money Management Stage

Robin OHerin is a performing/teaching musician, specializing in traditional Delta bottleneck blues and fingerstyle guitar, ukulele, singing, and songwriting. She was a finalist in the solo/duo Capitol Region Blues Challenge on Sept. 11, 2022 and opened for Chris Beard at the Stationery Factory (May 2024). Two of her original blues songs have been placed repeatedly on the top 10 list on Broadjam.com. The Road To Prague has held the #1 place twice so far. Robin has toured in Europe and the US for over 15 years, sharing the stage with Paul Geremia, Andy Cohen and Roy Bookbinder, to name a few. In between teaching and touring, Robin is currently working on getting her original music licensed for TV and films, in-between organizing large protest rallies in Pittsfield, MA. Learn more at http://www.robinoherin.com

Kids 4 Harmony: Berkshire Money Management Stage

Kids 4 Harmony, a program of 18 Degrees, is a free intensive after-school string music program offered in both Pittsfield and North Adams. Since its inception in 2012, Kids 4 Harmony has provided high-quality music instruction, abundant performance opportunities, and family support at no cost to the participants. Inspired by Venezuela's El Sistema model of music for social change, Kids 4 Harmony removes barriers to opportunities for connection and community through music.

Musicians from the Boston University Tanglewood Institute: Berkshire Money Management Stage

Each summer, more than 400 students arrive at Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI) from across the country and around the world to study, perform, and grow in a setting that has inspired musicians for generations in the presence of some of the world’s greatest music professionals and teachers. BUTI is a premier summer training program for talented young musicians ages 14 to 20, many of whom eventually appear with major orchestras and opera houses, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, in addition to becoming chamber musicians, members of professional vocal ensembles, composers, conductors, educators, entrepreneurs, scholars, and advocates for the arts. This year BUTI celebrates its 60th anniversary!

Tuesday Afternoon, August 4th: 2-5PM

Find our performers at Tanglewood for Tanglewood on Parade!

Kimberly's Pocket Circus

Kimberly's Pocket Circus brings you an adorable tent jammed full of circus surprises—Handstands, Hula Hoops, Comedy and even Dancing Chickens, oh my! It's serious circus stunts wrapped in charm and whimsy - perfect for audiences of all ages. This award-winning show proves you don't need a big top to create big joy.

Galumpha

Combining stunning acrobatics, striking visual effects, physical comedy and inventive choreography, Galumpha brings to life a world of imagination, beauty, muscle and merriment. The three performers create a sensory feast of images ranging from the ridiculous to the sublime, drawn together into a seamless whole, consistently bringing audiences to their feet. Galumpha is a triumphant mix of art and entertainment, offering world-class, award winning choreography (Edinburgh Festival Critics' Choice Award, Moers International Comedy Arts Prize) that is equally at home on the concert stage, at a comedy club or at an outdoor festival. Galumpha has performed at three thousand venues in 30 countries, including Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, The Seoul Arts Center, The Shanghai International Arts Festival, The State Theater of Amsterdam, Berlin's Akademie der Kunste, London's Southbank Center, and so many more. (Photo Credit: Marc Chalifoux)

Darren Yong Magic

A high energy interactive comedy magic and mind reading show that will leave you stunning and amazed. Darren Yong has over 25 years of experience performing fulltime nation wide.

Chalk Gremlin Circus

Chalk Gremlin circus is a group of local circus artists that love to bring a little chaos with them where ever they go! They perform both aerial and ground acts and are always looking for new and unexpected places to bring circus.

Anne Cubberly's Giant Puppets

Anne Cubberly, Giant Puppet Designer & Builder, dreams about movement, super fun collaborations with beautiful humans, giant puppets and the ever expanding universe.