64 AMERICANWAY
NOVEMBER 15 2009
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StACEYMoRRIS
is a writer based in Lake George, New York.
Her writing has been published in the
Boston Globe
,
Better
Homes & Gardens
,
AAA World
, the
Jerusalem Post
, and the
Philadelphia Inquirer
.
the Williamstown Theatre Festival and at
Shakespeare&Company,”Allen says. “Icame
initially for the beauty but settled here for
my son’s education and for the creative com-
munity thathasnurtured somanyofmypas-
sions. I built a yoga school in 1995, started
my fiber-arts boutique in Great Barrington,
and teach in the theater department of Bard
College at Simon’s Rock. I enjoy day-to-day
lifehere enormously.”
Noted musicians have also been drawn
to the Berkshires’ pastoral hills for decades.
After James Taylor visited the area years
ago, he decided to make it his permanent
home. Taylor is so fond of his backyard, he
chose Pittsfield’s Colonial Theatre as the lo-
cation for James Taylor: One Man Band, a
2007 concert/theater performance of his
greatest hits that was broadcast onPBS sta-
tions around the country. The Bostonnative
moved to Berkshire County in early 2000
with his wife, Kim Smedvig, and their twin
sons,HenryandRufus.
“Foraruraldestination,theBerkshireshave
a remarkable variety to offer, culturally,” Tay-
lorsays. “The lovely landscapeand thehistory
of the region all combine tomake this place
the place forme. Now the boys are in school
here.… It’sdefinitely the familyhome.”
It’s also the family home, at least from
July through early September, of the Bos-
ton Symphony Orchestra (BSO), which has
performed every summer for more than 73
yearsatTanglewood, aprivateestate thatwas
gifted to the BSO in 1936. Mark Ludwig, a
violist with theBSOwhohas spent his sum-
mers at his home in the Berkshires for the
past27years, says itwas thepeaceful gloryof
the surrounding countryside that first lured
him—and somanyother artists—here.
“Experiencing the seasonal changes upon
the landscape here has a profound effect
onme as an artist. The sounds, colors, play
of light, and the contour of the mountains
provide one with a deep sense of sanctuary,”
Ludwig says. “It is definitely a haven for in-
spirationand introspection.”
But Taylor credits something else with
keeping the charm of the Berkshires alive.
“Above all, it’s the people who call the Berk-
shires home,” he says. “I’ve never met finer
folks.”
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