May 16-17 Announcing The Birch Festival 2025 Spring Edition: Shostakovich and Bach
The Birch Festival: 2025 Spring Edition
Shostakovich and Bach
May 16-17, 2025
Yevgeny Kutik, Artistic Director & Rachel Barker, Executive Director
Featured Performance: May 17, 2025 at 3pm
First Congregational Church Stockbridge
4 Main Street | Stockbridge, MA
Music of Dmitri Shostakovich and J.S. Bach
Violinist Francesca dePasquale, Violist Margaret Dyer Harris, Cellist Julian Schwarz
and Violinist Yevgeny Kutik
Tickets and Registration Information: www.thebirchfestival.org
Lenox & Stockbridge, MA — The Birch Festival returns to the Berkshires this spring with its newest installment, Shostakovich and Bach, featuring a free event on Friday, May 16, 2025 and a concert on Saturday May 17, 2025 in Lenox and Stockbridge. Now in its fourth iteration, the beloved festival presents a featured performance with guest artists that will include violinist Francesca dePasquale, Violin Professor at Oberlin Conservatory; violist Margaret Dyer Harris of the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra and GRAMMY® nominated orchestra The Knights; and cellist Julian Schwarz, Cello Professor at Shenandoah Conservatory. These three exceptional artists will collaborate with Birch Festival Artistic Director and Co-Founder Yevgeny Kutik for a dramatic and moving concert program.
This year’s festival honors the music of one of the most important composers of the 20th century, Dmitri Shostakovich, in this 50th year since his passing. Shostakovich’s music has long been a source of inspiration for many, and his work continues to offer profound reflections on the strength and resilience of the human spirit. During the festival’s featured performance, Shostakovich’s work will be interspersed with several selections from J.S. Bach’s timeless The Art of the Fugue. In addition to the main concert, festival attendees can look forward to a festive opening evening that includes a brief performance complemented by small plates and a free wine tasting; and a morning “Don’t Tap on the Glass” open rehearsal.
Birch Festival Artistic Director Yevgeny Kutik says, “Shostakovich’s music has always been a source of inspiration for me, and in these times, his work offers profound reflections on the strength and resilience of the human spirit. I'm so thrilled to be able to share two of his most important quartets, No.'s 8 and 9 with these truly remarkable artists along with the timeless music of J.S. Bach. As part of our mission to be accessible to the community in a variety of ways, we are delighted to continue our open rehearsal series, Don't Tap on the Glass. The general public rarely gets to see the behind-the-scenes of preparations for a performance, and this series aims to give everyone the opportunity to glimpse into the "fishtank." It can be a fascinating experience to watch artists at work!”
The Birch Festival was founded in 2022 by Lenox-based husband-and-wife team Yevgeny Kutik, an internationally renowned violinist who serves as Artistic Director, and Rachel Barker, who is the non-profit organization’s Executive Director.
The Birch Festival’s mission is to bring world-leading musicians for artist residencies in Berkshire County schools, and work in tandem with local business and cultural partnerships. Kutik, a Belarusian-Jewish refugee resettled in Pittsfield by the Jewish Federation in the 1990s, named the festival for his grandmother Sima Berezkina, whose last name means “birch tree.” With significance in many global cultures, birch trees symbolize growth, resilience, and adaptability – qualities that Sima embodied.
On Friday, May 16, 2025 from 6-8pm, The Birch Festival will return to Doctor Sax House in Lenox, MA (35 Walker St) in the Carriage House for an opening night of food, music, and conversation. Those in attendance will have the chance to meet and mingle with Dyer, dePasquale, Schwarz, and Kutik while enjoying some small bites, a festival signature drink, and free wine tasting hosted by Dare Bottleshop and Provisions.. The event is free and open to the public; space is limited and registration is required. The next morning, Saturday, May 17 at 10am, the public is welcome to come to the festival’s “Don’t Tap on the Glass” open rehearsal at the First Congregational Church, in Stockbridge, MA (4 Main St). This is a chance to see an up-close view of a rehearsal in action. No registration is required.
The Birch Festival’s main performance, Shostakovich and Bach, will be at the First Congregational Church Stockbridge (4 Main St) on Saturday, May 17 at 3pm. Francesca dePasquale, Margaret Dyer, Julian Schwarz, and Yevgeny Kutik will give emotive performances of J.S. Bach’s Contrapunctus 1; Dmitri Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8; Bach’s Vor deinen Thron tret’ ich hiermit, BWV 668; Bach’s Contrapunctus 4; and Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 9. There will be a pre-concert talk at 2:15pm hosted by Shostakovich scholar Matthew Heck. An informal reception, open to all ticket holders, will follow the performance. Berkshire County Students and a guardian may attend for free. Tickets are available at www.thebirchfestival.org.
The Birch Festival promotes and propels distinct voices in music, whether through new composition or creative interpretation of old favorites. The Festival offers leading musicians a chance to play and establish relationships in the Berkshires, while recognizing the importance of their work by offering compensation that sustains and values their efforts in this industry.
The Birch Festival’s 2025 Spring Schedule:
Artist Meet-and-Greet & Wine Tasting
Friday, May 16, 2025 from 6-8pm
Doctor Sax House - Carriage House
35 Walker St. Lenox, MA
Free, registration required: www.thebirchfestival.org
The Birch Festival returns to Doctor Sax House, opening the spring 2025 edition in its Carriage House with signature drinks, mocktails, and a chance to mingle with the artists. Wine tasting hosted by Dare Bottleshop and Provisions. Space is limited, registration is required.
“Don’t Tap on the Glass” Open Rehearsal
Saturday, May 17, 2025 at 10am
First Congregational Church Stockbridge
4 Main Street
Stockbridge, MA 01262
Free and open to the public.
The Birch Festival welcomes the community of the Berkshires to enjoy a morning preview of the festival’s featured concert at its “Don’t Tap on the Glass” open rehearsal at First Congregational Church Stockbridge. No registration required.
The Birch Festival Feature Performance – Shostakovich and Bach
Sunday, May 17, 2025 at 3pm
First Congregational Church Stockbridge
4 Main Street
Stockbridge, MA 01262
Tickets: www.thebirchfestival.org
Violinist Francesca dePasquale, violist Margaret Dyer, cellist Julian Schwarz, along with violinist and Birch Festival Artistic Director and Co-Founder Yevgeny Kutik, will perform a program titled Shostakovich and Bach, highlighting the music of Dmitri Shostakovich and J.S. Bach. The program will include: J.S. Bach’s Contrapunctus 1; Dmitri Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8; Bach’s Vor deinen Thron tret’ ich hiermit, BWV 668; Bach’s Contrapunctus 4; and Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 9. There will be a pre-concert talk at 2:15pm hosted by Shostakovich scholar Matthew Heck. An informal reception, open to all ticket holders, will follow the performance. Berkshire County Students and a guardian may attend for free.
About the Artists & Festival Directors:
About Yevgeny Kutik: With a “dark-hued tone and razor-sharp technique” (The New York Times), violinist Yevgeny Kutik has captivated audiences worldwide with an old-world sound that communicates a modern intellect. Praised for his technical precision and virtuosity, he is lauded for his poetic and imaginative interpretations of both standard works and newly composed repertoire. A native of Minsk, Belarus, Kutik began violin studies with his mother, Alla Zernitskaya, and immigrated to the U.S. with his family at the age of five. An advocate for the Jewish Federations of North America, the organization that assisted his family in coming to the US, he regularly speaks and performs across the country to promote the assistance of refugees from around the world. Kutik’s discography, all on Marquis Classics, includes The Death of Juliet and Other Tales (2021), Meditations on Family (Marquis Classics 2019), Words Fail (2016), Music from the Suitcase (2014), and Sounds of Defiance (2012). Committed to the music of our time, Kutik regularly gives premiere and repeat performances of major works by today’s most celebrated composers. For more information, please visit www.yevgenykutik.com.
About Rachel Barker: Rachel Barker is an educator and writer with over a decade of experience working in public and international schools and currently writes about science and engineering for Harvard University. Barker has been awarded spots in writers workshops for both nonfiction and fiction, including the Key West Literary Seminar, the Aspen Institute's Aspen Summer Words, and multiple residencies with Write On, Door County. She has consulted and presented for a number of organizations throughout the country, including the Yale Council for African Studies, Flint Institute of Music, Boston University's African Studies Center, Primary Source, and the Wayland/Weston Interfaith Council on Teaching Religion in Schools. Rachel Barker’s MEd. is from Boston College, where she graduated with a focus on social justice and teaching English language learners. Her undergraduate degree in Anthropology is from Boston University, and she currently studies Religion at Harvard University.
About Francesca dePasquale: Described by critics as “scintillating” and celebrated for her “rich, expressive playing” (MusicalAmerica), violinist Francesca dePasquale is the First Prize winner of the 2010 Irving M. Klein International String Competition and recipient of the prestigious 2014-2016 career grant from the Leonore Annenberg Fellowship Fund for the Performing and Visual Arts. Earning her the 2015 Classical Recording Foundation Young Artist Award, her self-titled debut album released in March of 2016 encompasses works that scope from Bach to a new commission from composer Paola Prestini for violin and electronics. For the album and accompanying recital tour, Francesca was praised for “sincerity, intensity” and “individual voice” (Philadelphia Inquirer), and “immaculate and discreet phrasing” (Strad Magazine). Additionally, she was featured in Strings magazine and on SiriusXM, WNYC, WQXR, WRTI (Philadelphia), and WFMT (Chicago).
About Margaret Dyer Harris: Margaret Dyer Harris currently holds positions as Assistant Principal violist in the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra, violist in Wicked on Broadway, and proud new member of The Knights! In recent seasons, she has appeared as guest artist with the Daedalus, Parker, and Hausmann Quartets as well as Decoda, the affiliate ensemble of Carnegie Hall. Margaret was a founding member of the GRAMMY-nominated chamber orchestra, A Far Cry, and she is in frequent demand as a guest orchestral principal violist, most recently appearing in that role with the Sarasota Orchestra, the Santa Fe Opera, Princeton Symphony, the Brooklyn Philharmonic, and the Long Island Philharmonic. From 2010-2012, Margaret was a fellow in Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble ACJW. She has given masterclasses and workshops in Mexico, Peru, UAE, and across the United States. Margaret received her training at the San Francisco Conservatory and at New England Conservatory in Boston.
About Julian Schwarz: Julian Schwarz has been heralded from a young age as a cellist destined to rank among the greatest of the 21st century, Julian’s powerful tone, effortless virtuosity, and extraordinarily large color palette are hallmarks of his style. As a chamber musician, Mr. Schwarz performs extensively in recital with pianist Marika Bournaki. In 2016 Schwarz & Bournaki were awarded first prize at the inaugural Boulder International Chamber Music Competition’s “The Art of Duo”, and subsequently embarked on an extensive 10-recital tour of China in March 2017. Mr. Schwarz is a founding member of the New York based touring ensemble “Frisson” and was recently appointed the newest core member of the Olmos Ensemble in San Antonio, TX. He is a member of the Palladium Chamber Players (St Petersburg FL), the Alaria Ensemble (New York NY), and has given over 100 performances at Brooklyn’s Bargemusic. He has appeared at the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival, Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival, Seattle Chamber Music Festival, Josef Gingold Chamber Music Festival, Verbier Festival, and the Salzburg Mozarteum. In addition, he runs programming for the Tuesday evening chamber music series at the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, NC. A devoted teacher, Mr. Schwarz serves as Associate Professor of Cello and String Area Coordinator at Shenandoah Conservatory of Shenandoah University (Winchester, VA), and on the artist faculty of NYU’s Steinhardt School of Music. In the summer, he teaches and performs at the Eastern Music Festival and the Josef Gingold Festival.
Follow The Birch Festival on Social Media
Instagram: www.instagram.com/thebirchfestival
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-birch-festival/