In an effort to bring more visitors to the Berkshires in the typical shoulder season, cultural institutions like Boston Symphony’ s Tanglewood Learning Institute( TLI) at the Linde Center for Music and Learning in Lenox are increasing programming and performances. Across the Berkshires, offerings this season will include fall fairs, film screenings, plays, exhibitions, concerts, and more.
New this year for TLI will be a jazz performance series and expanding TLI for Families, says Mark Rulison, production manager for TLI.“ We envision the Linde Center as a vibrant, year-round gathering place— where people across the tri-state area come together to experience the joy and belonging that only live performance can offer— by offering a wide variety of programming that reflects the varied interests of our community,” says Rulison.
TLI’ s 2025 – 26 season, running from September to May, consists of nearly 40 events— adding over a dozen new programs across multiple genres since last season, according to Rulison. Last year’ s jazz performances were embraced by Linde Center audiences, prompting TLI to create a dedicated series for the genre. TLI Jazz kicks off fall programming with vocalist Lucía on September 12; followed by the Berkshires Jazz 20th Anniversary Concert with Emmet Cohen and Georgia Heers on October 10; drummer Ulysses Owens Jr. and his band Generation Y on November 7; and the Ted Rosenthal Trio on November 28, along with more offerings this winter and spring. In addition to the jazz series, the annual TLI Presents series continues this fall and offers Palaver Strings on September 28; Sandbox Percussion on October 5; classical guitarist Raphaël Feuillâtre on November 1; and the Catalyst Quartet on November 14. Rulison said TLI is constantly focused on partnering with other Berkshire organizations to create a well-rounded array of offerings, including a November 8 screening of Bach &
Friends, pairing the film about the composer with live performances and conversations presented in collaboration with Berkshire Bach Society. A film screening in partnership with Great Barrington’ s Triplex Cinema is planned for November 15, with details to be announced at a later date. TLI Chamber Concerts will bring small ensembles of BSO musicians to perform this fall on Sunday afternoons( October 19 and November 23) at the Linde Center, with repertoire to be announced at a later date. The series aims to highlight one pre-determined Berkshire-based nonprofit during each performance as part of TLI’ s In Concert with Community initiative, Rulison says. Also this fall, the TLI for Families program welcomes Baba Israel back to the Linde Center for Music Moves, Stories Groove on October 26, in an effort to increase family programming in the Berkshires. For more information on events at TLI, go to bso. org.“ We have been thrilled and humbled to see TLI embraced as a year-round destination for a breadth of exceptional programming, including classical, jazz, and family friendly events,” says Chad Smith, president and CEO of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.“ Our 2025 – 26 fall, winter, and spring season reflects our deepening commitment to engaging the vibrant, year-round Berkshires community and to fully exploring the potential of TLI as a space where BSO programs make thought-provoking connections between music, art, and society.” Across the county, area cultural institutions have joined TLI in planning strong fall lineups for locals and visitors alike.
Norman Rockwell Museum Stockbridge nrm. org
This fall, Norman Rockwell Museum invites visitors of all ages to engage with art, history, and the vibrant landscape of the Berkshires through a rich lineup of programs and events. Monthly Second Saturdays for Families( September 13, October 11, November 8, December 13) offer hands-on art activities inspired by the museum’ s exhibitions. Drop in between 11 a. m. and 3 p. m. for creative fun designed for all ages. A special Housatonic Heritage Walk on September 14 will guide guests through the museum’ s scenic 36-acre campus, delving into the cultural and ecological story of the land. Additional fall highlights include a Beginner Pastel Workshop on September 13, where participants can capture the landscape en plein air with guidance from a professional artist, and Spooky Tricks Family Day on October 25, featuring mysterious gallery walks, outdoor scavenger hunts, and Halloween-themed art projects. On November 8, there will be an opening celebration for Jazz Age Illustration, an exciting new exhibition brought to life with live jazz, themed refreshments, and gallery tours. Organized by the Delaware Art Museum( DelArt), Jazz Age Illustration is the first major exhibition to survey the art of popular illustration in the United States between 1919 and 1942. This ambitious project draws from DelArt’ s expansive illustration collection, with selective loans, to explore the mass visual culture that emerged at the end of the First World War— a period characterized by cultural vibrancy and dramatic social change. Jazz Age Illustration will include more than 100 works of art and dozens of publications by prominent artists, such as Aaron Douglas, John Held Jr., Neysa McMein, and Frank Schoonover. Berkshire Magazine is a media sponsor in this exciting exhibition.
MASS MoCA
North Adams massmoca. org
MASS MoCA will host its annual FreshGrass music festival, along with several exhibitions, a dance party, an outdoor performance by Lake Street Dive, and a public Dia de los Muertos celebration. FreshGrass is a family-friendly festival, held September 19 to 21, with the best in roots music filling the fields, courtyards, and galleries of MASS MoCA( gallery admission included with all tickets). Featuring FreshGrass Commissions, FreshGrass Awards showcase— and the best in emerging artists, farm-fresh food, local brews, and pop-up jam sessions— this weekend of festival magic is produced in partnership by MASS MoCA and the FreshGrass Foundation. Music starts early in the museum courtyards, moves to the urban concert meadow, and continues through the night with late-night barn dances in the Hunter Center on Friday and Saturday nights. Concerts are held rain or shine. The full line up available is at freshgrassfestival. com / north-adams. MASS MoCA will have several exhibitions on view this fall. On view through March 2026, Vincent Valdez bears witness to the world around him, chronicling America at the margins. Vincent Valdez: Just a Dream … is the artist’ s first major museum survey and spans over two decades of his work, from early career drawings to current allegorical portraits. Working across painting, video, drawing, sculpture, lithography, and multimedia installation, Valdez deftly addresses the failings and triumphs of contemporary American society with a reverential focus on collective memory and overlooked political histories.
On view through August 2026, Jeffrey Gibson’ s POWER FULL BECAUSE WE’ RE
DIFFERENT is a newly commissioned immersive installation filling MASS MoCA’ s signature Building 5 gallery that follows Gibson’ s highly celebrated United States representation at the 60th edition of La Biennale di Venezia. Gibson is known for creating installations,
Fall 2025 BERKSHIRE MAGAZINE // 47