New York Times

Ned Rorem celebrates his 85th birthday this week. His opera "Our Town"is based on the Thornton Wilder play. It will make its New England premiere on November 14-16 in Peterborough, NH and February 12-16 of 2009 at Tufts University. This chamber opera, according to Musical America, has "emerged as one of those rare new operas that seem destined to survive." Writer Lawrence Johnson catches up with Ned.

Despite the challenges of rainy weather,gas at $4 a gallon, and a bad economy it was a superb season of theatre in the Berkshires. Nicholas Martin was the MVP for putting the venerable Williamstown Theatre Festival back on its feet.

A native of the Bronx returns there to see his last game at Yankee Stadium before the legendary home of the New York Yankees since 1923 is torn down to make way for a new $1.3 billion stadium. With photos by Steve.

Of the several prominent museum projects underway throughout Massachusetts, none is more unique than the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. This mansion museum is being changed for the first time in over 100 years. Mrs. Gardner stipulated in her will that nothing be changed from the day she died. Now, changes are occurring. Like its namesake owner, the changes have not come without a bit of controversy. An architectural star is designing the project. Part III.

While completing his first season at Williamstown Theatre Festival Nicholas Martin will open "The House of Blue Leaves" at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles on August 30. Followed by "Saturn Returns" for Lincoln Center on October 16.

The Mount was the home of the writer Edith Wharton. It was built in the Berkshire Mountains to escape what she referred to as an overstuffed and suffocating life in New York and Newport, RI. It's where she wrote some of her classic books like "The House of Mirth," where she hosted distinguished friends like Henry James, and where she put into practice her sophisticated ideas of home d�cor and garden design. It is a special place created by a special American artist. It is currently in need of creative help.

We talk with actor Randy Harrison about the Berkshire Theatre Festival's production of Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett and its many challenges, mysteries and rewards. The enigmas continue.

Andy Warhol was born in Pittsburgh on August 6, 1928 and died in New York at 6:31 AM, on February 22, 1987. His friend and long term collaborator, the poet, photographer and archivist, Gerard Malanga (Born March 20, 1943) reflects on Andy.

This past weekend James Levine, artistic director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, was given rave reviews for opening the Tanglewood season with a two day concert peformance of the massive and magnificent Berlioz Opera "Les Troyens." It was learned today that Levine will undergo surgery this week. His remaining Tanglewood duties are cancelled but he hopes to be back to cover the opening of the BSO.

Jacob's Pillow merges contemporary dance with timeless natural beauty. Here you can celebrate life and the joy of dance movement. Forget the chores. Pack a picnic lunch and make a day of it.

The awesome array of Berkshire arts events in July is astounding. Our theater, music and dance companies create their schedules one by one, but taken together it's going to be one sensational Summer Festival right here in our own backyard. Enjoy.

Family and tribal disfunctionalism are theatrically portrayed through current news headlines set in Turkey and Iraq. Intensity of emotions and relationships are underscored by journalistic opportunism and militant religious fanaticism. The play even has an aggressively searching agnostic musician boyfriend, a flawed woman prophet and Whirling Dervishes.

Theater, music and dance performances are sprouting up everywhere. Here's a head's up on the most promising. After a hard winter, it's nice to see the Berkshires bloom with life again.

In July it will be 20 years since Tom Krens left the Williams College Museum of Art to become director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. His resignation was announced today. He has changed forever the mandate for major museums and how they are managed.

Since 1998 Richard Criddle has been the Director of Fabrication and Art Installation for the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. His own fantasy, figurative assemblages are currently on view in the museum's Kidspace.

Philippe de Montebello, the retiring director of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art charmed and captivated a capacity audience at the Clark Art Museum.

While not a "best" and "worst" list in the usual sense we offer an overview of events and what proved to be moving and insightful while covering the arts in 2007.

There may be snow covering Mount Greylock but at Mass MoCA it's Surf's Up with the screening of the Classic Endless Summer launching a new Green film series over the next few months.

Jacob's Pillow Dance Company has announced that it will present a special two week residence and performances by the Bill T. Jones/ Arnie Zane Dance Company of the work Chapel/Chapter starting on June 23 before the usual opening of the summer season.

On November 6 the Jennifer Hartwell Gallery in Birmingham will open a retrospective of Raeford Liles who recently relocated to his native roots after decades of living and showing his work in New York.

When we visited the artist Stephen Hannock in his Berkshire studio several works were nearing completion including a view of the Oxbow for the Bowdoin College Museum of Art and a landscape for the 25th anniversary of the Sundance Institute.

In reponse to Friday's Federal Court decision in favor of Mass MoCA the artist Christoph Buchel filed an appeal. But today the museum has announced that it will trash the unfinished work immediately to make way for an installation by Jenny Holzer to open as soon as possible.

Originally scheduled to open last December Federal Judge Michael A. Posner ruled yesterday that Mass MoCA may indeed open the unfinished exhibition of Christoph Buchel in its largest gallery. Did the museum simply prevail in a no win situation? The jury is still out.

The volunteers, the deficits, the sniping from the sidelines: You have to expect it when you are biggest target. The BSO's Berkshire summer of 2007 lends itself to parody, speculation and reminiscences.

An eclectic array of possibilities makes this the richest Fall arts season yet.