The Five, also known as the Mighty Handful or The Mighty Five, were five prominent 19th-century Russian composers who worked together to create a distinct national style of classical music: Mily Balakirev, César Cui, Modest Mussorgsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Borodin. We will explore their biographies, listen to their music, and discover how they changed the face and the history of the genre of classical music.

Ken Stark is active in the Berkshires community, serving on multiple boards of directors including for 18 Degrees (formerly Berkshire Children and Families), the Berkshire Bach Society, and previously, the Berkshire Theatre Group. He is also on the Advisory Committee for Kids4Harmony. He is a former professor at the City College of New York and school psychologist for the NYC Department of Education.