Nevin Dawson, a fixture in Kent County’s thriving music scene, explores his varied musical interests and showcases many aspects of the viola in concert at the Mainstay in Rock Hall, Maryland on Saturday May 30 at 8:00 p.m. The concert also features Sammy Marshall on piano, Meredith Davies Hadaway on harp, Tom Anthony on bass and guitar, and Ray Anthony on drums. Admission is $15.
Nevin Dawson will spotlight the many facets of the viola, the oft-forgotten middle child between the violin and cello in this concert that will move seamlessly from classical music to Celtic to jazz to rock. Dawson will share how he grew from a third grader playing “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” into a semi-professional musician comfortable in many genres.
He will start solo, building a one-man backup band on the spot with a looper pedal, and thenwill be joined by Sammy Marshall on piano (US Army Soldiers’ Chorus and Chester River Chorale), Meredith Davies Hadaway on harp (Harp and Soul), Tom Anthony on bass and guitar (Banjo Man & Bill and The Van Williamson Trio), and Ray Anthony on drums (Mike Buccino Trio and Blues Keepers). Look for some vocal numbers as well.
Dawson studied viola at Penn State University while earning a degree in Forestry and has played with many symphonies and chamber ensembles, including Pennsylvania Centre Orchestra, Canberra Symphony Orchestra, and the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra.
He currently teaches violin, viola, and cello at Music Life in Chestertown and plays with Shore Strings, the Londontowne Symphony, The Pam Ortiz Band, Harp & Soul, and Ricky Walls and the North County Pickers. He has played on seven recordings. He also sings with the Chester River Chorale and performs in the concert version of “Red Devil Moon,” a forthcoming musical by Robert Earl Price and Pam Ortiz.
Nevin Dawson currently lives in Chestertown with his wife and their three-legged Pomeranian, and serves as Sustainable Agriculture Coordinator with University of Maryland Extension during the day.
Mainstay (Home of Musical Magic) is the friendly informal storefront performing arts center on Rock Hall’s old time Main Street. For information and reservations call the Mainstay at 410-639-9133. More information is also available at the Mainstay’s website https://www.mainstayrockhall.org.
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