Old and new, but definitely Dutch

Topographically, Western Massachusetts little resembles the Netherlands. This summer, though, the Berkshires will qualify as a cultural corner of Holland, playing host to NL: A Season of Dutch Arts in the Berkshires.

The summer-long festival encompasses dance, classical music, design, film, theater, and visual arts. Participating institutions that will be hosting events by Dutch artists and performers include Tanglewood, Jacob's Pillow, Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, and Pittsfield's Colonial Theatre .

"All of us are doing a very broad range of work from the Netherlands, everything from early music to the most contemporary visual art," Ella Baff , executive director of Jacob's Pillow, said in a telephone interview.

The Dutch government is underwriting a third of the festival's $2.8 million cost.

"This is absolutely the first time in the United States we've done anything like this," said Jeanne Wikler by phone. Wikler is general director for cultural affairs at the consulate general of the Netherlands in New York.

"There have been festivals focusing on Dutch dance or architecture or design," Wikler said. "But something multidisciplinary like this, with this degree of cooperation and coordination, it's unique. It's certainly among the largest the Netherlands has done anywhere in the world."

Dutch musicians who'll be performing at Tanglewood include Edo de Waart , conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra; Frans Brüggen , conducting the Orchestra of the 18th Century ; and the Netherlands Bach Society , performing the Bach Mass in B Minor.

The work of Dutch composers will be featured at the annual summer music institute held at Mass MoCA by the contemporary music group Bang on a Can. Performing at Mass MoCA will be the genre-crossing ZAPP String Quartet.

In the visual arts, sculptor Dre Wapenaar , video artist Erik van Lieshout , and textile artist Fransje Killaars will have work shown at Mass MoCA. "Dutch Dialogues, " at the Clark, features related works brought from various museums. Frans Hals's "Portrait of Pieter Jacobsz, " owned by Florida's Ringling Museum , will be hung with Hals's portrait of Jacobsz's wife, from Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum .

Jacob's Pillow will devote a week in July to Dutch dance: Nederlands Dans Theater II , the US debut of the contemporary troupe Club Guy & Roni , and an exhibition of Dutch dance photography. Also at the Pillow, choreographer Beppie Blankert will lead a choreographers' lab.

The idea for the festival arose four years ago when Baff asked Wikler about bringing over Nederlands Dans Theater II. Wikler suggested appearances by other Dutch dance troupes, as well. As Baff and Wikler began to trade ideas, a larger possibility began to emerge.

Baff recalled Wikler saying, "You know, what would really work would be to make this a regionwide festival. So we started to brainstorm. And I serve on the board of Mass MoCA, and we began to think of all the interesting things that can be done if we brought in other institutions.

"You know the Berkshires. When we get cookin', we can get really collaborative and do wonderful things."

For more information about NL: A Season of Dutch Arts in the Berkshires, go to nl-berkshires.org.

Mark Feeney can be reached at mfeeney@globe.com.