FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Great Barrington, Mass.—The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center has added three performances to its live programming schedule this spring, Metta Quintet’s She Said / She Says: Women in Jazz on March 9, singer-songwriter Laufey on April 7, and percussionist Pedrito Martinez with his band on May 13. These concerts join The Robert Cray Band, March 4, Postmodern Jukebox, March 17, and Joan Osborne, April 14, in Mahaiwe’s upcoming music lineup.
“These new shows cover the range of Mahaiwe programming, from immersion in jazz culture to modern tones and intense Afro-Cuban beats,” says Mahaiwe Executive Director Janis Martinson. “We are bringing purely American sounds, and internationally inflected music, established musicians at the height of their powers and a new emerging talent – all not to be missed.”
Metta Quintet’s She Said / She Says: Women in Jazz
The Metta Quintet, resident ensemble of the jazz nonprofit JazzReach, will perform She Said / She Says: Women in Jazz on Thursday, March 9 at 7 p.m. She Said / She Says is a comprehensive program highlighting some of the many important achievements of female composers, arrangers, instrumentalists and vocalists from early 20th century through present-day. Using U.S. and 20th Century women’s history as a backdrop, She Said / She Says celebrates the lives of some of the many courageous, creative women who have dedicated their lives to the serious study and practice of jazz music. Tickets are $20, with discounts for Mahaiwe Members and individuals 12 and under.
The March 9 presentation of She Said / She Says is part of a multi-faceted partnership between the Mahaiwe and JazzReach that includes three educational programs between March 8 and 9. For more information, contact Education and Community Outreach Coordinator Caitlin Teeley at 413-644-9040, ext. 116 or caitlin@mahaiwe.org.
Laufey
Icelandic-Chinese singer-songwriter Laufey (pronounced lay-vay) will perform solo on Friday, April 7 at 8 p.m. Raised between Reykjavík and Washington, D.C., Laufey makes music that is the byproduct of rich cultural heritages and mixed musical influences. Inspired in part by her mother, a classical violinist, Laufey took up piano and cello early on. But it wasn’t until deep-diving into her father’s record collection, consisting of jazz artists Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday, that she launched into her musical journey.
Laufey dove headfirst into the musical canon, captivated by the lush arrangements and dreamy vocals, and by her early teenage years, she was turning heads with a mesmerizing style that belied her young age. Attending the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Laufey began cementing her distinct blend of tender jazz melodies and slow-burning R&B grooves.
As a classically-trained musician, Laufey’s songs are produced and performed as jazz tunes, but the songwriting follows a more modern and relatable blueprint, one taken straight from her own intimate experiences in life and love. Tickets are $24 to $44, with discounts for Mahaiwe Members and individuals ages 30 and under.
Pedrito Martinez
Cuban percussionist Pedrito Martinez will perform with his band on Saturday, May 13 at 8 p.m. Pedro Pablo “Pedrito” Martinez was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1973 in the Cayo Hueso neighborhood, where rumba is played all day long, and began his musical career at the age of 11, with a foundation in the rumba and Afro Cuban Yoruba traditions. Since settling in New York City in the fall of 1998, Pedrito has recorded or performed with Paul Simon, Wynton Marsalis, Paquito D’Rivera, Bruce Springsteen, Ruben Blades, Eddie Palmieri, Dave Matthews, and Sting, and has contributed to over 75 albums. A consummate master of Afro-Cuban folkloric music and the batá drum, he is also the world’s first-call rumbero—playing, singing, and dancing with dozens of Cuban rumba groups. Tickets are $33 to $58, with discounts for Mahaiwe Members and individuals ages 30 and under.
Pedrito Martinez’s performance is coordinated in part by SCAN, the Mahaiwe’s Spanish-language Community Advisory Network committee. SCAN is organized in partnership with VIM (Volunteers in Medicine Berkshires) and receives funding from Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation’s Arts Build Community Initiative.
Tickets
Tickets go on sale to Mahaiwe Members on Saturday, January 28 at noon and to the public on Wednesday, February 1 at noon. Tickets can be purchased online at mahaiwe.org, or by calling or visiting the Box Office, 413-528-0100, on Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 4 p.m.
For more information on Mahaiwe Membership, visit mahaiwe.org/membership, or contact Advancement/SCAN Manager Melissa Canavan at 413-644-9040, ext. 107 or melissa@mahaiwe.org.
Individuals ages 30 and under are eligible for $15 tickets directly through the Box Office.
For the latest COVID safety protocols, visit mahaiwe.org/update.
About the Mahaiwe
Located in downtown Great Barrington, Mass., the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center is the year-round presenter of world-class music, dance, theater, classic films, Live in HD broadcasts, and arts education programs for the southern Berkshires and neighboring regions. The intimate jewel box of a theater opened in 1905. Since 2005, the performing arts center has hosted over 1,500 events and welcomed over half a million people through its doors. More than 22,000 students from 73 different schools have benefited from the Mahaiwe’s school-time performances and residencies. For more information, see mahaiwe.org.
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