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Special Presentations and Events
Gary Wittner and Gideon Forbes
in Concert at Bearnstow Guitarist and songwriter Gary Wittner, presented a concert at Bearnstow as early as 2002, as well as almost every summer throughout the 2010s. He was joined from 2017 to 2019 by saxophonist Gideon Forbes. The concerts have always been a highpoint of the summer season. See their concert information.
Babylon: Journeys of Refugees (off-campus event)
Because the cast included two former Bearnstow Artist Residents, Rowan K Ching and Divyamaan Sahoo, Ruth Grauert, Jo Tibby, and Jim Van Abbema traveled from Bearnstow to Brattleboro, Vermont in September 2018 to see a live performance of Babylon: Journeys of Refugees. The performance proved to be among the most powerful pieces of theater we had seen for some time. The puppeteers — and the puppets — made magic onstage.  In February 2021 the cast gathered in Brattleboro to film the performance; below is the promo video.
The Maine Audubon Annual Loon Count
Every third Saturday in July, Bearnstow has participated in the state-wide Loon Count. Our volunteers use Bearnstow’s canoes and kayaks, leaving at 7:00 a.m. sharp, and follow an assigned course on the lake. On a map provided by the Maine Audubon Society, we have charted the time, location, and number of loons observed. The route always finishes at 7:30 a.m. The results are reported to the Maine Audubon Society. See the Maine Loon Project.    Bearnstow volunteers launch their canoes on Saturday, July 18, 2019.
Waterdances 2011
Waterdances 2015
On the afternoon of Friday, August 9, 2014. as the Claire Porter Workshop was preparing for the evening showing of the week’s dances, the skies opened up over Bearnstow, and the normally peaceful Daniel’s Brook that laces Bearnstow’s forest became a torrent, washing out the log bridge. (The logs washed down to the mouth of the brook to the edge of Parker Pond where they became lodged in rocks and were recovered later.) An extension ladder covered with planks was set in place to serve as a temporary bridge, enabling dedicated dance afficionados to make their way over the water to Bearnstow’s Maine Hall for the evening’s performance.
Back in summer 2005 an evening thunderstorm delivered a strong lightening strike to a 140-foot King’s Pine, located just in front of the Lodge. This was some time after Ruth had gone to bed. Obviously, the strike woke her up, and she woke up to a dark house. She looked out toward Main Hall where the lights were still on; the Artist Residents and students were still working. She made her way down the narrow stairs and out across the clearing to the Hall. Of course, the dancers there had seen the blinding flash and heard the deafening thunder clap. Later upon her return Ruth discovered her broken bedroom window with shards of glass spread over the room. The morning revealed more extensive damage: the wiring in the Lodge had been totally burnt and required replacing. The tree’s bark had been striped down in large patches. But it was still alive and for awhile seemed to do well. But after a few years it was clear it was dying. It had begun to lean toward the Lodge and now posed a hazard. It was time for the mighty King’s Pine to come down. See the videos of “A Tree Comes Down at Bearnstow”
The Philadelphia-based Almanac Dance Circus Theatre presentedCOMMUNITAS Saturday, August 1, 2015, Union Hall, Vienna, Maine Choreographed and performed by Nick Gillette, Ben Grinberg, Lauren Harries, and Adam Kerbel Two members of the cast were Artist Residents at Bearnstow, Adam Kerbel (2013) and Ben Grinberg (2014)  
A Video and Lecture by Alexander Rosenberg, July 1, 2016 Alex Rosenberg is an artist, educator, and writer based between Philadelphia and New York. He holds a BFA in Glass with a concentration in Creative Writing from the Rhode Island School of Design, and a Master of Science in Visual Studies from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Visual Arts Program. See details of his presentation and his website: alexanderrosenberg.net/.
A Concert of Mexican Folklorico, directed by Jonathan Trejo and Kareli Montoya August 26, 2017 and August 25, 2018, Union Hall, Vienna, Maine
3 Spice Dance! January 20, 2018, in Cambridge, Massachusetts Twelve of our former Resident Artists came together to present their own work in a special concert on January 20, 2018, at the Green Street Studios in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Left: a slide show of some of the works performed
Bachata is a style of social dance originating from the Dominican Republic. It has now become popular world wide.
The Annual Classical Pop Concert and FireworksHeld on or very near the Fourth of July each summer at the Mount Vernon Community Center, the concert is a highpoint of the season. It features young alumni musicians from NPR’s “From the Top”. The Concert Director is Gerald Slavet, a long-time neighbor and friend of Bearnstow, who is the “From the Top” Founder and former Co-CEO. For background on Mount Vernon‘s Independence Day pops concert, see Mess with a Classic.
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