Music in the Berkshires: Classical Beyond Tanglewood, Part 2

You can find classical music of some variety just about every night at Tanglewood from mid-June until late August every year.   But on any given night in the Berkshires there are thousands of visitors and second homeowners who are willing to support music at other venues up and down the county.

The Concerts at Tannery Pond is a series of six or seven chamber music evenings held in an 1834 Shaker building in New Lebanon, New York from May through October.   Established in 1991 by photographer/pianist Christian Steiner, the annual series combines music with a serene setting that would be hard to beat anywhere.

Continuing in the chamber music genre, there is the South Mountain Concert Series, held on weekends in September each year.   Located just north of Lenox, the series has been presented since 1918 and is held in a hall built that specifically for chamber music.   Performers over the years have included Leonard Bernstein, Gary Graffman, Leontyne Price and Peter Serkin, and quartets have included the Borromeo, the Emerson, The Guarneri, the Tokyo, the Julliard, the Orion and the Vermeer.

Music Mountain in Lakeville, CT is the oldest continuously running chamber music festival in the U.S.  They also feature jazz and popular artists.

Close Encounters With Music stretches the bounderies of the "season" by presenting classical music programs thematically from October through May, filling the void left by those organizations that only present during the summer.   They also provide another reason to come to Great Barrington, one of the true 12-month towns in the Berkshires.

So whether you are coming during the summer season, or looking for classical offerings in the Berkshires in the "quiet" months, make your stay perfect by choosing one of the highest rated inns in the area:  Hampton Terrace in Lenox.   One of only four recommended inns by the Michelin "Green Guide" Hampton Terrace is also ranked at the top according to guest reviews submitted to TripAdvisor.com.   Combine a stay in a romantic b&b with an evening of chamber music in historic setting.