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• Osher Online Spring 2025

  • Start
    Monday, March 31, 2025
  • End
    Friday, May 23, 2025
  • Location
    Online

  

  Osher Online is a program from the Osher National Resource Center (NRC) at Northwestern University.  These classes are delivered by the Osher NRC via Zoom, with participants from all over the country. All times listed are Eastern time.

  OLLI at BCC is excited to be a part of this program. Space is limited! Register early.

  Osher Online classes are $60 each, and available to OLLI at BCC members only. 

  Registration is now closed.

  Each class has a limit of 13 students from each participating OLLI. Register by March 17.
  

  Osher Online classes are not recorded.

  After you register for Osher Online classes, you will receive a welcome email from the Osher NRC. This email will include an Osher Online username and password as well as a link to the Osher Online Website, through which you will access your classes.
  

  You will also have access to a pre-class orientation, where you'll get helpful information for accessing your class. There you'll find the class Zoom link, syllabus, discussion board and Customer Care contact information.

  Available Courses:
  

  Bonsia, An Ancient Art in Modern Times
  

  Mondays 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. Eastern time

  March 31 - May 5
  

  Instructor: Chris Baker

  
  

  Car Crazy: 1950s Onward

  Wednesdays 7:00 - 8:30 pm Eastern time

  April 9 - May 14

  Instructor: Pandora Paúl

  
  

  Russia Beyond Russians

  Thursdays 1:00 - 2:30 pm Eastern time

  April 3 - May 8
  

  Instructor: Asya Pereltsvaig

  Neurology in a Nutshell: The Brain Explained

  Thursdays 3:00 - 4:30 pm Eastern time
  April 3 - May 8
  Instructor: Paul Schanfield
  

  Class details and videos from instructors can be found here.

  Show details
• De-Mystifying Digital Photography

  • Start
    Wednesday, May 07, 2025
  •  
  • End
    Wednesday, May 14, 2025
  •  
  • Schedule
    2 sessions
  • Location
    In-person at BCC
  • Spaces left
    0

  Join waitlist

  De-Mystifying Digital Photography

  with Thadeus Kubis
  

  Wednesdays,

  May 7 at 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. and

  May 14, at 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

  In-person at Berkshire Community College

  Smartphone or DSLR and Mirrorless camera systems included (film as well). Held at BCC, this workshop would consist of 2, 2-hour sessions. The sessions will cover the basic controls of all three digital photography systems and some of the expanded capabilities. Attendees would need to have a working digital camera or fully charged smartphone.

  Thaddeus B. Kubis has a broad base of photographic related experience, working within various industries including travel and leisure, manufacturing, banking, financial services, marine and sailing. He is an active photographic instructor/lecturer and consultant and teaches smartphone/iCamera photography as well as DSLR, film, large format, composition, seeing and preparing to observe to groups or individuals. He is a certified Apple Teacher.

  Workshop Cost:
  OLLI at BCC Members: $30
  Non-members: $35

  Show details
• Creative Composition - Developing Your Creative Vision

  • Start
    Friday, May 09, 2025
  •  
    9:30 AM
  • End
    Friday, May 23, 2025
  •  
    11:30 AM
  • Location
    In-person at various locations
  • Spaces left
    0

  Join waitlist

  Creative Composition - Developing Your Creative Vision

  with Thadeus Kubis
  

  Fridays, May 9, 16, and 23 (postponed from May 2) 2025
  

  9:30 - 11:30 a.m. EST
  In-person at Various Locations

  

  This 3-session workshop will explore all the basic and some of the expanded templates used as well as start to develop your own personal visual style.

  Today you need more than your inner creative vision to create magical photographs, you need a balance of creative vision, camera modes and options as well as the ability to convey the meaning of your image.

  Using DSLR/Mirrorless, Smartphones, or film camera systems, we will enjoy creating dynamic images in three very different subjects. From the simple beauty of Canoe Meadows to the complexity of the eclectic landscape of Housatonic, an old mill town, to the rawness of the Berkshires largest city, Pittsfield. Join me for three sessions of observation expanding workshop.

  The group will meet at trails and outdoor locations so be prepared for uneven terrain, and to stand and for two hours.

  Thaddeus B. Kubis has a broad base of photographic related experience, working within various industries including travel and leisure, manufacturing, banking, financial services, marine and sailing. He is an active photographic instructor/lecturer and consultant and teaches smartphone/iCamera photography as well as DSLR, film, large format, composition, seeing and preparing to observe to groups or individuals. He is a certified Apple Teacher.

  Workshop Cost:
  OLLI at BCC Members: $30
  Non-members: $35

  Show details
• Hudson River School of Art Workshop

  • Start
    Friday, May 09, 2025
  •  
    10:00 AM
  • End
    Friday, May 16, 2025
  •  
    1:00 PM
  • Location
    Berkshire Community College, Pittsfield and Olana
  • Spaces left
    0

  Join waitlist

  Hudson River School of Art
  with Skip Doyle

  Two sessions:
  Fridays May 9 and 16
  10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
  

  In-person only.
  
  

  Thomas Cole, 1825                   Thomas Locker, 2005           Skip Doyle, 2005
  Falls of the Kaaterskills         Kaaterskill Falls                    Kaaterskill Falls

  Session 1
  Friday May 9 at 10:00 a.m.
  Berkshire Community College, Pittsfield, MA: 
  Painters of the Hudson River School brought to the public a uniquely American style of art with their realistic yet romanticized landscapes of a new nation.  They portray places that through their influence we now preserve, recreate, and honor as national landmarks.  As a primer on this American art movement, Skip Doyle will discuss the works and styles of the Hudson River School painters and their historical and geographical context with special reference to the Hudson River valley where the school’s earliest subjects were found.

  Session 2
  Friday May 16 at 10:00 a.m.
  Olana State Historical Site, Hudson, NY
  Field trip to Olana – home of Frederick Church. 
  

  • House tour and art review     1 hour
  • Garden and landscape tour   1 hour

  Cost: $40 for OLLI at BCC members
             $45 for non-members
  Cost includes entrance ticket to Olana.  BYO lunch and drinks.

  Attendees must provide their own transportation to Olana State Historical Site.

  Sign up today!
  

  Register online or call 413.236.2190 (M-F 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.) to register by phone with a credit card.  
  

  Show details
• Building Observation Skills to Enhance Realistic Portrait Drawing

  • Start
    Tuesday, May 13, 2025
  •  
  • End
    Tuesday, May 27, 2025
  •  
  • Schedule
    3 sessions
  • Location
    Lenox
  • Spaces left
    0

  Join waitlist

  Building Observation Skills to Enhance Realistic Portrait Drawing

  
  

  Three sessions:
  May 13, 20 and 27 from 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
  in Lenox

  In-person only.

  This hands-on workshop will build an awareness of the differences between what we think we know and what we observe by enhancing our observation skills, exploring the use of materials and studying some anatomical structures of the head with emphasis on the face.

  Claudia will also share a program she created and implemented for 5-7 year olds, “Emotions Count!” to use recognition of changes in their own facial expression to describe their emotions and the dramatic enhancement of the children’s self-portraits in response.  

  Your experiences in these sessions will lead to your own creating of more realistic, expressive portraits based upon your enhanced observation skills.

  Materials needed for this workshop:

  • Small soft zipper bag like an old cosmetic bag to hold pencils, eraser, and very small pencil sharpener.
  • Sketch pad. White paper at least 8” x 11” or 9”x-12”
    (Helpful if each page scored for easy removal)
  • 4 graphite pencils, one very dark (6B-9B), one medium, one light, and one white pencil.
  • 1-2 pencils with eraser attached  and lead that contracts into pencil like Papermate Sharpwriter.
  • Small pencil sharpener to use with graphite pencils.
  • Eraser-your choice
  • One clear plastic 18” ruler
    

  As a teenager, Claudia Shuster studied figure drawing at the Art Students’ League. This resulted in her college major,  history of art.  

  The national recognition of the importance of early childhood education coupled with her role as a parent led Claudia to study child development and early childhood education (M. Ed. 1973, Ed. D. 1989). Coupling her interests in art and early education, she learned to observe and represent individuals more accurately. Her continued teaching engaged artists in creating more accurate portraits and enabled teachers to more sensitively identify and support each learner’s development.

  These interests have continued to assist Claudia’s multi decade teaching as well as her continued development as a portrait artist.

  Cost: $50 for OLLI at BCC members,
             $55 for non-members

  Sign up today!
  

  Register online or call 413.236.2190 (M-F 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.) to register by phone with a credit card.  
  

  Show details
• OLLI Annual Meeting and Ice Cream Social

  • When
    Thursday, May 15, 2025
  •  
    1:00 PM
  • Location
    in-person at BCC and via Zoom

  Register

  OLLI at BCC Annual Meeting
  and Ice Cream Social

  
  

  Thursday, May 15 at 1:00 p.m. ET

  In-person at Berkshire Community College

  and Online via Zoom

  Free & open to all

  The OLLI Annual Meeting is a great opportunity to meet the OLLI Board, learn more about how OLLI works and our plans for the next year.
  

  • Hybrid with an in-person meeting at BCC and online via Zoom. (approx. 30 min.)
  • Elections online in advance of the meeting. All members will receive a link to vote.  
  • Stay for a fun and festive celebration with an ice cream sundae bar featuring Highlawn Farm ice cream!  

  Come, have a treat, and visit with some OLLI friends!
  

  The party is on us, but please RSVP so we know how many people to plan for!

  Show details
• Decoupage

  • When
    Thursday, May 22, 2025
  •  
    11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
  • Location
    BCC
  • Spaces left
    3

  Register

  From Collage to Decoupage:
  Next Steps

  Thursday, May 22
  11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
  at Berkshire Community College

  In-person only.

  

  
  

  In this workshop, we will go over the basic steps for creating unique luggage tags and plates.

  This class will be good for those who have already attended the Decoupage Workshop and would like to add a “collage step“ to their work. First time attendees will be able to use collage on their tiles as well, or can focus on the basic design from colorful paper, which will be available. Feel free to bring paper/fabric from home to use.

  Additional decoupage project choices for second time attendees, as well as first timers, will include small porcelain plates for trinkets and jewelry, and luggage tags to make identifying your suitcase so much easier!
  

  Marsha Edell is a licensed clinical social worker, and a long time crafts person. A firm believer in the positive energy which connecting to one’s creativity brings, she is looking forward to helping people enjoy the process and the results.
  

  Cost: $25 for OLLI at BCC members,
             $30 for non-members

  Price includes materials cost.

  Sign up today!
  

  Register online or call 413.236.2190 (M-F 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.) to register by phone with a credit card.  
  

  Show details
• The 2025 Mona Sherman Memorial Lecture: Chris Whipple

  • When
    Saturday, May 24, 2025
  •  
    5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
  • Location
    The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, 14 Castle Street, Great Barrington MA 01230
  • Spaces left
    147

  2025 Mona Sherman Memorial Lecture
  featuring
  

  Chris Whipple
  Saturday, May 24, 5:00 p.m. Eastern 

  at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center 

  
  

  Tickets are available at the Mahaiwe Box office.
  Mahaiwe Box Office: 413-528-0100

  OLLI, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Berkshire Community College, is honored to present Chris Whipple as our 2025 Mona Sherman Memorial lecturer.
  

  Whipple will discuss his new book Uncharted: How Trump Beat Biden, Harris, and the Odds in the Wildest Campaign in History
  

  The New York Times bestselling author of The Gatekeepers and The Spymasters now turns his sharp eye towards the historic 2024 presidential race, providing the definitive, insider account of the most dramatic and significant political showdown in modern American history.

  Chris Whipple is an acclaimed author, political commentator, documentary filmmaker, and speaker. He is the author of The Spymasters: How the CIA Directors Shape History and the Future, published by Scribner on September 15, 2020. The Spymasters has earned rave reviews; the New York Times called it "one of 15 books to watch for," and Forbes pronounced it "one of 10 important, insightful, and inspiring books" in 2020.

  A frequent guest on MSNBC and CNN, Whipple has written for the New York Times, Washington Post, Vanity Fair, Politico, the Daily Beast, and many other publications. He is the chief executive officer of CCWHIP Productions, and executive producer of the Showtime film, 'The Spymasters: CIA in the Crosshairs.' Whipple was educated at Deerfield Academy and received a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in history from Yale College. He lives in Clinton, CT with his wife Cary.

  We will be selling copies of Uncharted: How Trump Beat Biden, Harris, and the Odds in the Wildest Campaign in History at the event.  Whipple will be signing books after the lecture.

  This lecture will be recorded and available on the OLLI at BCC YouTube channel in early June.

  Ticket information:

  Registration open to the public on Wednesday, April 30 at noon. General admission seating.

   _______________________________

  About Mona Sherman

  The annual Mona Sherman Memorial Lecture was established to honor the memory of the late Mona Sherman, a dynamic businesswoman and volunteer leader who played a transformative role in the growth and expansion of OLLI at BCC. The lecture series, established through the generosity of her family and friends, honors both her love of the Berkshires community and of lifelong learning.

  For over a decade, the Mona Sherman Memorial Lecture series has featured extraordinary nationally known writers and commentators: past speakers have included Congressman Jamie Raskin, Ari Melber, Cokie Roberts, Jim Acosta, Mika Brzezinski, Joe Klein, Katy Tur and others. The lectures have always been free and open to the public.

  OLLI, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Berkshire Community College, provides diverse educational, social, and volunteer opportunities a year designed especially by and for people fifty years old and better. OLLI’s 1,500+ members organize courses, lectures, trips and special events online, throughout the Berkshires and beyond.

  _______________________________

  We are grateful to the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center for being our co-presenter, to Berkshire Gas for being our lead sponsor, and to the many friends and family of Mona Sherman for their continuing support.

  
  

  

  Show details
• The Birth of the Atomic Age and its Consequences: WWII Los Alamos and its Impact on Nuclear Proliferation Today

  • When
    Wednesday, May 28, 2025
  •  
    10:30 AM
  • Location
    Hybrid - In-person at BCC and online

  Register

  The Birth of the Atomic Age and its Consequences: WWII Los Alamos and its Impact on Nuclear Proliferation Today

  
  

  Wednesday, May 28, 2025 at 10:30 a.m. ET

  Hybrid - In-person at BCC and Online via Zoom
  Free and open to the public
  
  OLLI instructor Katherine Kidd will interview Galina Vromen.

  What was it like to live in WWII Los Alamos NM where the world's first atomic bomb was built? What were the considerations that went into using the bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, exactly 80 years ago? What is the situation at Los Alamos today and the state of nuclear proliferation?  WWII historical fiction author Galina Vromen and international relations professor Katherine Kidd will explore these questions in a conversation on fiction and fact.

  Galina Vromen spent more than a decade as a foreign correspondent, mostly for Reuters News Agency, in the Netherlands, Britain, France, Mexico and Israel. After retiring, she focused her journalistic skills on writing Hill of Secrets, an historical novel based in WWII Los Alamos, where the world's first atomic bombs were made as part of the top- secret Manhattan Project. As a result of her interest in the dawn of the atomic age, she has become increasingly concerned about the lack of public awareness regarding the state of nuclear arms today. For more about Vromen and her book see www.galinavromen.com

  Katherine Kidd earned her PhD at the University of Pennsylvania in international relations. She taught and directed international studies programs at Fairfield and Sacred Heart universities. Her work with international NGOs took her to Europe, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and Hong Kong and included involvement in nuclear disarmament policies.

  _________

  Pre-registration is required. Register safely and securely online or call 413.236.2190 (M-F 9am-4pm) to register by phone.

  Show details
• A Conversation with David Tatel, retired Judge of the United States Court of Appeals

  • When
    Wednesday, May 28, 2025
  •  
    7:00 PM
  • Location
    Online via Zoom

  Register

  The OLLI Distinguished Speakers Series presents
  

  A Conversation with
  David Tatel

  Retired Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit about his book:
  Vision: A Memoir of Blindness and Justice.

  
  

  Wednesday, May 28, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. ET
  

  Online via Zoom

  David Tatel served for almost thirty years on the D.C. Circuit, considered the nation’s second highest court after the Supreme Court. He will talk about how he came to write his memoir, his experience as a judge deciding landmark environmental, voting rights and civil rights cases, how he first tried to hide his deteriorating vision but finally acknowledged his blindness, and the dog who changed his life. The conversation will also cover the challenges faced by the federal judiciary, the current Supreme Court, and the art of judging. 

  The conversation will also cover the challenges faced by the federal judiciary, the current Supreme Court, and the art of judging.
  

  David Tatel was appointed to the D.C. Circuit by President Clinton, filling the seat occupied by Ruth Bader Ginsberg when she was appointed to the Supreme Court. Prior to his appointment, he had worked three decades on access to justice issues, including equal educational opportunity and voting rights. He was the Executive Director of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, was appointed by President Carter as Director of the Office of Civil Rights for the US Department of Health, Education and Welfare, and was Acting General Counsel for the Legal Services Corporation. He joined Hogan & Hartson (now Hogan Lovells), a major D.C. based law firm, as a partner in 1979, ran its pro bono department and founded its education practice, leaving when he was appointed to the bench.

  He will be interviewed by Stan Brown, a colleague at Hogan Lovells, Great Barrington resident and OLLI member.

  _________

  Ticket information:
  

  Admission is $10 for OLLI at BCC members and $15 for the general public.

  Admission is free for students, staff and faculty from Berkshire Community College, MCLA, and Williams; youth 17 and under, and those holding WIC, EBT/SNAP, or ConnectorCare cards.

  Show details
• Book Launch and Author Talk with OLLI Instructor Richard Matturro: Shepherd

  • When
    Thursday, May 29, 2025
  •  
    4:00 PM
  • Location
    In-person at BCC
  • Spaces left
    70

  Register

  Join OLLI Instructor Richard Matturro
  for an author talk and the launch of his new novel:
  Shepherd

  Thursday, May 29, 2025
  4:00 p.m. Eastern
  In-person at BCC
  Free and open to the public, reception with light refreshments to follow.
  

  "Richard Matturro’s Shepherd is about the discovery of second love by a man and a woman who have both lost the thread of their own lives. Stuart, following the death of his wife, has taken early retirement from his classics professorship and withdrawn from the world.  Daphne, a newcomer to Stuart’s small village community, wears a more deliberate disguise, for still more bitter reasons. His searching out her secret adds an element of mystery to this subtly captivating narrative. Based (very loosely) on the myth of Daphne and Apollo from Ovid, Shepherd is a compelling story of love lost and regained — and also a healing meditation on grief and its survival, with something about what a good shepherd (in this case a dog) can do to mediate that process."

  --Madison Smartt Bell, author of All Souls' Rising, A finalist for the 1995 National Book Award and the 1996 PEN/Faulkner Award.

  Richard Matturro, a native of Rye, New York, holds a doctorate in English with a specialization in Shakespeare and Greek Mythology. After sixteen years at the Albany Times Union and fourteen years teaching literature at UAlbany, he now lives on an old farm in the foothills of the Berkshires. He is the author of numerous newspaper articles and short stories and is a frequent OLLI instructor. Shepherd is his seventh novel.

  The paperback edition is out now and will be available for purchase and signing after the talk!

  Show details
• Summer 2025 OLLI Term

  • Start
    Monday, June 02, 2025
  • End
    Thursday, August 28, 2025
  • Location
    Online and In-Person

  Register

  OLLI at Berkshire Community College
  

  Summer 2025 Term

  
  

  June 2 - Mid August

  Our summer term runs June 2 - mid August, 2025, and includes a mix of in-person, online, and hybrid (online and in-person) courses. All classes take place in Eastern Time.

  Summer 2025 course descriptions can be found here.

  Hiking classes are using a separate registration form. Register for hiking classes here.
  

  Course cost:
  $55 for one class
  $100 for 2 classes
  $125 for 3 classes
  $150 for 4 classes or more

  Registration opens on May 5 at 12:00 noon.

  To sign up for courses, you need to be an OLLI at BCC member. (Not a member yet? Join here.) Not sure which classes you want to take? Sign up for one or more Flexpasses, which allow you to attend six individual class sessions of your choice within a semester, as long as the class is not full. Click here to learn more about Flexpasses.

  Note that our online courses are recorded, unless otherwise noted. If you cannot attend live, or if you miss a session or two, you can access that course's Padlet for the recording link and watch it at your convenience.

  Watch this video to learn about summer programming at OLLI
  

  Questions? Contact us at olli@berkshirecc.edu or 413.236.2190. We look forward to hearing from you!

  Show details
• Hiking Classes - Summer 2025

  • Start
    Monday, June 02, 2025
  •  
    3:00 PM
  • End
    Friday, August 15, 2025
  • Location
    Various Locations in Berkshire County

  Register

  Summer Hiking!

  
  

  Hiking has become a very popular OLLI at BCC offering.

  Registration is open! 
  

  To enable more people to be able to participate, registration for hiking classes will be done separately, through this event page.
  

  • All OLLI at BCC members can sign up for one hiking class.
    
  • Each class costs $55 and is a separate charge from Summer 2025 course registrations.

  
  Hiking Course Listings:
  

  For full descriptions, click on the class title.

  Exploring Lenox on Foot
  Instructors: Len Gray and Nancy Seguin
  Time: 9:30 a.m.
  Five Sessions - 6/3, 6/10, 6/17, 6/24, 7/1
  Limit: 14

  Hiking Old Growth Forests and Venerable Trees in the Berkshires
  Instructors: Amy Whitworth with Larry Bennett and Katherine Kidd
  Time: 9:30 a.m.
  Five Sessions - 6/5, 6/12, 6/26, 7/3, 7/10
  Limit: 15
  

  Discovering Accessible Walking Trails in Berkshire County
  Instructor: Bess Dillman
  Time: 9:30 a.m.  
  Four Sessions - 7/10, 7/17, 7/24, 7/31
  Limit: 15

  Hiking Mt Greylock
  Instructors: Len Gray, John and Katherine Kidd, and Amy Whitworth
  Time: 9:30 a.m.
  Six Sessions - 7/11, 7/18, 7/25, 8/1, 8/8, 8/15
  Limit: 15
  

  Register online or call 413.236.2190 (M-F 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.) to register by phone with a credit card.  
  

  Show details
• 2025 OLLI Faculty Appreciation Party

  • When
    Tuesday, June 03, 2025
  •  
    4:30 PM - 6:30 PM
  • Location
    Pittsfield Country Club, 639 South St, Pittsfield
  • Spaces left
    137

  Register

  
  

  You are invited to our
  

  OLLI at BCC
  Faculty Appreciation Party

  Join us as we celebrate and thank our extraordinary volunteer instructors and speakers from this academic year!
  

  Tuesday, June 3
  4:30 - 6:30 p.m.

  Pittsfield Country Club
  639 South St, Pittsfield MA 01201

  Enjoy heavy hors d'oeuvres, drinks, and great company at the Pittsfield Country Club.

  $60 per person. 
  Complimentary for OLLI at BCC speakers & instructors from June 2024 through Spring 2025 and a guest.
  

  Show details
• The Raider: The Untold Story of a Renegade Marine and the Birth of U.S. Special Forces in World War II

  • When
    Thursday, June 05, 2025
  •  
    7:00 PM
  • Location
    Online via Zoom

  Register

  The OLLI Distinguished Speakers Series presents
  

  Stephen R. Platt
  

  The Raider: The Untold Story of a Renegade Marine and the Birth of U.S. Special Forces in World War II

  
  

  Thursday, June 5, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. ET
  

  Online via Zoom

  THE RAIDER is the first authoritative biography of forgotten World War II icon Evans Carlson, secret confidant of FDR, commander of America’s first modern special forces battalion, and one of the most decorated, legendary, and controversial officers of his time. After embedding with Mao’s communist forces during the Sino-Japanese War, Carlson trained his own Marine battalion to fight with Chinese guerilla tactics and dedicated the rest of his life to bridging the cultural divide between the U.S. and China. His wartime heroics in the Pacific propelled him to fame—he was the subject of a Hollywood movie, a household name, and introduced the term “gung-ho” to the English language. But his reputation was destroyed during the McCarthy Era after he was accused of being a communist radical. THE RAIDER is a stunning account of Evans Carlson’s forgotten life and legacy; through Carlson, the book presents a WWII history that spans the U.S., China, and the Pacific, revealing the root of geopolitical tensions between Chinese communists and nationalists, mainland China and Taiwan, and the U.S. and China today. Learn more about the book here.

  

  Stephen R. Platt is an award-winning historian of China and the West whose books include Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom (Knopf, 2012), which won the Cundill History Prize, and Imperial Twilight (Knopf, 2018), which was shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize. He teaches at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and holds a PhD in History from Yale. He lives with his family in Northampton, MA.

  _________

  Ticket information:
  

  Admission is $10 for OLLI at BCC members and $15 for the general public.

  Admission is free for students, staff and faculty from Berkshire Community College, MCLA, and Williams; youth 17 and under, and those holding WIC, EBT/SNAP, or ConnectorCare cards.

  Show details
• Jacob's Torah: A Dramatic Reading

  • When
    Sunday, June 08, 2025
  •  
    2:00 PM
  • Location
    Knesset Israel, 16 Colt Rd, Pittsfield, MA 01201

  Jacob's Torah: A Staged Reading

  
  

  Sunday, June 8, 2025 at 2:00 p.m.

  Knesset Israel, Pittsfield

  Performance is in-person only and will not be recorded.
  

  A Staged Reading
  Written by Jesse Waldinger
  Directed by Barbara Waldinger

  The odyssey of a mystical Torah and the people who loved and protected it. 

  Jacob's Torah is a dramatic reading of how a Torah was rescued the night before Kristallnacht, how it journeyed to the U.S. and was dedicated 50 years later for the use of students at a Hebrew Day School. Written by the late Jesse Waldinger, the play was inspired by a family story of Berkshire County resident (and OLLI instructor), Phil Halpern.

  The reading will be followed by a short epilogue and refreshments.

  Register by clicking this link.
  

  $18 online
  $20 at the door
  Under 15 free.

  Co-sponsored with Congregation Knesset Israel and Temple Anshe Amunim.

  
  

  Show details
• Behind-the-Scenes at Chesterwood

  • When
    Monday, June 16, 2025
  •  
    10:00 AM - 2:30 PM
  • Location
    Chesterwood 4 Williamsville Road Stockbridge, MA
  • Spaces left
    0

  Join waitlist

  The OLLI Special Events Committee presents 
  

  Behind-the-Scenes at Chesterwood

  Monday, June 16
  Tours begin at 10:45 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
  Lunch is included with the tour.

  This is an in-person event at Chesterwood in Stockbridge, MA

  
  

  Chesterwood, a Site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation since 1969, is the former summer home, studio, and gardens of American Renaissance sculptor Daniel Chester French (1850-1931).  French created some of his most iconic work at Chesterwood, notably the seated Abraham Lincoln for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. (1922). Chesterwood is recognized as both a National Historic Landmark and a Massachusetts Historic Landmark and has recently completed a four-year major restoration and renovation, all by local companies.

  

  Enjoy a guided tour of the historic Studio, then venture down into the basement to see the sculptor’s system to bring his works outside to the natural light.  Take a look at Daniel Chester French’s family living spaces, then view rarely exhibited sculptures and paintings in Collections Storage with the Curator.
  

  Cost: $45 for OLLI members and guests
  Includes a guided tour at 10:45 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. and lunch at appx. 12:15 p.m.

  Register online or call 413.236.2190 (M-F 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.) to register by phone with a credit card.  

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• Highlights of Tanglewood 2025 with Jeremy Yudkin

  • When
    Saturday, June 28, 2025
  •  
    4:00 PM
  • Location
    Lenox Town Hall, 6 Walker St, Lenox MA

  Register

  The OLLI Distinguished Speakers Series presents
  

  Prof. Jeremy Yudkin
  

  Highlights of Tanglewood 2025
  

  Saturday, June 28, 2025 at 4:00 p.m. ET
  

  In-person at the Lenox Town Hall, Lenox, MA

  
  

  Jeremy Yudkin will discuss the highlights of the upcoming Tanglewood season, including the most important symphonies, concertos, chamber music, and solo recitals to look out for this summer.

  Dr. Jeremy Yudkin is Professor of Music at Boston University. He has served as Visiting Professor of Music at Oxford University and Harvard, and he is the author of ten books on music. This year marks the forty-second consecutive year of his much-loved Pre-Concert Tanglewood Talks, sponsored by the Lenox Library Association and given every Friday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. and Sunday mornings at 11 a.m. at the Lenox Town Hall Auditorium.

  This in-person lecture will not be recorded.
  

  _________

  Ticket information:
  

  Admission is $10 for OLLI at BCC members, and $15 for the general public.

  Admission is free for students, staff and faculty from Berkshire Community College, MCLA, and Williams; youth 17 and under, and those holding WIC, EBT/SNAP, or ConnectorCare cards.

  Show details
• Shakespeare & Co. World Premiere of "The Victim"

  • When
    Tuesday, July 01, 2025
  •  
    2:00 PM
  • Location
    Shakespeare & Company
  • Spaces left
    0

  Join waitlist

  OLLI Special Events Committee Presents

  

  Tuesday, July 1 at 2:00 P.M.

  Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre
  

  Shakespeare & Company, Lenox

  Shakespeare & Company's 48th season begins with the World Premiere of The Victim by Lawrence Goodman and featuring Annette Miller. A successful New York doctor whose racial diversity training has gone horribly wrong. A health aide grappling with racism during the COVID-19 pandemic. A Holocaust survivor facing her own horror and finding her way back to love and healing.

  Three women, three interconnected monologues. Who gets to call herself a victim? Who is the perpetrator? Staged at Shakespeare and Company in 2024 as a reading in the Plays in Process series, The Victim is about identity, our blindness to others, and the human capacity for cruelty and compassion.

  Talk Back Following the Play with Annette Miller

  OLLI Member $36

  Non-OLLI Member Guest $40

  Register online or call 413.236.2190 (M-F 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.) to register by phone with a credit card.  

  Show details
• Osher Online Summer 2025

  • Start
    Tuesday, July 08, 2025
  • End
    Friday, August 15, 2025
  • Location
    Online

  Register

  

  Osher Online is a program from the Osher National Resource Center (NRC) at Northwestern University.  These classes are delivered by the Osher NRC via Zoom, with participants from all over the country. All times listed are Eastern time.

  OLLI at BCC is excited to be a part of this program. Space is limited! Register early.

  Osher Online classes are $60 each, and available to OLLI at BCC members only.
  

  Each class has a limit of 13 students from each participating OLLI. Register by June 23.
  

  Osher Online classes are not recorded.

  After you register for Osher Online classes, you will receive a welcome email from the Osher NRC. This email will include an Osher Online username and password as well as a link to the Osher Online Website, through which you will access your classes.
  

  You will also have access to a pre-class orientation, where you'll get helpful information for accessing your class. There you'll find the class Zoom link, syllabus, discussion board and Customer Care contact information.

  Available Courses:
  

  History of Beer

  Tuesdays 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. Eastern time

  July 8 - August 12

  Instructor: Karl Bworn

  
  

  Enjoying the Past and Present New York City: A History of Recreation in the Big Apple

  Wednesdays 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 pm Eastern time

  July 9 - August 13

  Instructor: Adam Kocurek

  
  

  Architectural Oddities: An Off-the-Beaten Path Look at Unconventional Architecture

  Thursdays 1:00 - 2:30 pm Eastern time

  July 10 - August 14

  Instructor: Eleanor Schreader

  100 Years of Magic: The Disney Legacy and Influence

  Thursdays 7:00 - 8:30 pm Eastern time
  July 10 - August 14
  Instructor: Maria Massad

  Class details and videos from instructors can be found here.

  Show details
• Jacob's Pillow with OLLI at BCC

  • When
    Friday, July 18, 2025
  •  
    11:45 AM
  • Location
    Jacob's Pillow, 358 George Carter Road Becket, Massachusetts 01223
  • Spaces left
    12

  Register

  The OLLI at BCC Special Events Committee presents an afternoon at
  

  Jacob's Pillow
  Friday, July 18, 2025

  Norton Owen, Preservation Director,
  will talk at Blake’s Barn at 11:45 a.m.

  Bring a Bag Lunch – OLLI chefs provide desserts and drinks
  

  The Sarasota Ballet
  

  

  Schedule:

  11:45 a.m. Talk with Norton Owen, Preservation Director, at Blake’s Barn

  12:30 p.m. Lunch (bring a bag lunch with you, our OLLI chefs will provide dessert and drinks) 

  1:00 p.m. Dessert

  2:00 p.m. Performance

  Beloved among ballet fans the world over, The Sarasota Ballet returns to Jacob’s Pillow for the first time in ten years. Pushed to new heights under the leadership of director Iain Webb, assistant director Margaret Barbieri (both formerly of The Royal Ballet), and Joseph Volpe executive director (formerly of the Metropolitan Opera), the company has garnered a reputation for its truly diverse repertoire of works.

  This summer, the company returns to the Ted Shawn Theatre with a mixed program including a piece by Sir Frederick Ashton and a world premiere work by American choreographer Jessica Lang, the Virginia B. Toulmin & Muriel O’Neil Artist in Residence at Sarasota Ballet, who has presented three previous world premieres at Jacob’s Pillow with her own company.

  The Sarasota Ballet is recognized for its unparalleled active repertoire of the choreography of Sir Frederick Ashton, and is known worldwide as the main exponent of his ballets outside of the United Kingdom.
  

  Tickets to the ballet are sold out.

  We are still selling the talk and dessert.

  Seating will be in order received. 

  Handicapped seating is available, be sure to note that when you register.

  Tickets for guests to open on May 15th if any seats left.

  Ticket Prices:
  

  • OLLI at BCC Members: $74
  • Guests: $80
  • Dessert only with your own Jacob's Pillow Subscription: $9

  No refunds unless space is filled from a waiting list!
  This program is in-person at Jacob's Pillow
  358 George Carter Rd., Becket, MA

  Thank you to OLLI at BCC's Special Events Committee for organizing this and so many other great OLLI events!

  Show details
• A Chester Duet 2025 with OLLI at BCC

  • When
    Thursday, July 24, 2025
  •  
    11:30 AM
  • Location
    Chester Theatre
  • Spaces left
    12

  Register

  The OLLI at BCC Special Events Committee presents:
  

  A Chester Duet

  Thursday, July 24, 2025 at 11:30 a.m.

  A Delicious Lunch plus a Great Afternoon of Theater  
  

  This program is in-person at Chester Railway Museum and Chester Theatre Company in Chester, MA
  

  
  

  11:30 a.m. Chester Railway Museum

  A national historic landmark where OLLI chefs create lunch and Dave Pierce, Director, tells station history and tales.

  

  2:00 p.m. Chester Theatre Company
  A Case for the Existence of God
  By Samuel D. Hunter
  Directed by Daniel Elihu Kramer   
  

  Winner of the 2022 New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play. With humor, honesty and time-bending theatricality, Hunter intertwines the lives of two ordinary men, both outsiders to the forces that govern their lives.

  Cost: $73 for OLLI at BCC members
             $83 for guests/non-members
             $20 Lunch only with your own Chester Theatre subscription

  Handicapped seating is available, be sure to note that when you register. Seating will be in order received.

  Only 40 tickets available! SIGN UP SOON! 

  Event Leader: Judy Keshner, Special Events Chair: Arline Breskin

  Register online or call 413.236.2190 (M-F 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.) to register by phone with a credit card.  

  Show details
• The Art of Tableaux Vivants at Chesterwood

  • When
    Friday, August 08, 2025
  •  
    3:00 PM
  • Location
    Chesterwood 4 Williamsville Road Stockbridge, MA, 01262
  • Spaces left
    23

  Register

  The OLLI Special Events Committee presents 
  

  The Art of Tableaux Vivants at Chesterwood

  
  

  Friday, August 8, 2025

  3:00 p.m.

  In-person only

  Be swept up into the creation of “living pictures,” a Victorian form of entertainment often produced by sculptor Daniel Chester French and his friends while at Chesterwood. Chesterwood, a National Trust for Historic Preservation site since 1969, is the former summer home, studio, and gardens of French, an American Renaissance sculptor (1850-1931).

  At this event in French’s historic studio, actors creatively use costumes and props to re-create famous works of art while the audience tries to guess the painting they are portraying. 

  Costs:
  OLLI at BCC Member: $28
  Non-Member: $34

  Questions? Special Events Chair: Arline Breskin (413) 446 4102

  Register online or call 413.236.2190 (M-F 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.) to register by phone with a credit card.  

  Show details