Enjoy Cupcakes and Live Music (photos)

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Berkshire County will hold its 6th Annual Cupcake Wars Fundraiser on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020 from 5:30pm - 8:00pm at Berkshire Hills Country Club, located at 500 Benedict Road in Pittsfield.

Bakeries from throughout Berkshire County – will compete for the best cupcake in the following categories: People's Choice, Best Tasting, and Most Creative.

The cost to attend is $35 in advance and $40 at the door and includes an Italian dinner prepared by UNICO of Pittsfield and cupcake tasting. At the end of the evening, a dozen full-size cupcakes from each bakery will be auctioned off to the highest bidders. All attendees are eligible to bid.

Tickets are  available for purchase at the NAMI Berkshire County Office, 333 East St, Rm 417, Pittsfield (phone: 413-443-1666), at Elm Street Hardware, 129 Elm St. Pittsfield (phone: 413-442-9558) or by going here.

In addition there will be live music by composer Dr. Matthew McConnell aka Matthias.

About Matthias

Dr. Matthew McConnell holds a B.A. degree in Music from Bennington College, a M.M. degree in Musical Composition with Distinction in Performance (and Academic Honors) from the New England Conservatory of Music, as well as a Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.) degree from the same institution.

His primary composition instructors included Stephen Siegel, Allen Shawn, John Heiss, and Hollywood film orchestrator Erik Lundborg.

Dr. McConnell studied organ with Dwight Killam, piano performance with Ann Cain, Jane Jenkins, and John Van Buskirk, alto saxophone with Roger LaRocca and Raymond Willard, baritone sax with Carl Jenkins, conducting with Janet McGhee, sacred music, organ and harpsichord with Daniel Pinkham, orchestration with Lee Hyla and Erik Lundborg, mathematical musical systems with Pozzi Escot, and algorithmic composition with Paul Burdick. He received the Aaron Copland scholarship to attend The Conducting Institute’s Composer-Conductor Program at Bard College, and is a member of ASCAP and the American Guild of Organists.

You can read Matthias' complete biography by going here.

All proceeds support the programs of NAMI Berkshire County, which provides information, referrals, classes, workshops, support groups and advocacy to family members and caregivers of people living with mental illnesses throughout Berkshire County. You can get more information about NAMI Berkshire County, by going here.