Nevin Dawson will showcase the many facets of the viola, the oft-forgotten middle child between the violin and cello at The Mainstay in Rock Hall, Saturday August 26, 2017 at 8 p.m. Admission is $15 if purchased in advance and $18 at the door. He will be joined by Philip Dutton on keyboards, Rebekah Hock on oboe and sax, Tom Anthony on bass and guitar, and Ray Anthony on drums.
In performance and in life Dawson has moved seamlessly from classical music to Celtic to jazz and to rock. He tells how he grew from a third grader playing Twinkle Twinkle into a cross-genre professional and on stage he demonstrates many of the stops along the way.
He will perform solo and in various combinations with his back up musicians and build a one-man band using a looper pedal. There will even be a few vocal numbers.
Dawson studied viola at Penn State University while earning a degree in Forestry. He 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 Dover Symphony, and is featured on seven recordings. He is equally at home playing his own compositions and arrangements, performing Celtic music with Meredith Hadaway’s group, Harp and Soul, or providing sensitive back-up in the Pam Ortiz Band.
He performs solo shows, including the introductory programs for the National Music Festival’s Fiddlesticks grade school education program and sings with the Chester River Chorale/Chester Chamber Singers.
He was a member of the Red Devil Moon ensemble, presenting the new musical by Robert Earl Pice and Pam Ortiz that was selected to participate in the 2017 NYC Fringe Festival.
He lives in Chestertown with his wife and son, and serves as Sustainable Agriculture Coordinator with University of Maryland Extension during the day.
The Mainstay sells advance tickets online through Instant Seats. Information and advance ticket sales are available on the Mainstay’s website. Follow the Buy Tickets link to buy tickets at the advance price. If you would rather pay at the door, you can make a reservation by calling 410-639-9133 and pay by cash or check at the door.
Upcoming Mainstay performances include:
August 28 Mainstay Monday: Joe Holt welcomes John Thomas, Saxophone
September 2 The Greg Hatza Organ-ization
September 4 Joe Holt welcomes Beth McDonald
September 7 Katie Thiroux
September 11 Mainstay Monday: Joe Holt welcomes Tom Baldwin, bass
September 16 Melissa Aldana
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