On Saturday, November 18, favorites of the Mainstay, vocalist Sue Matthews and pianist Robert Redd, present their newest show “Ellington & Ella”, a tribute to two giants of the American Songbook – Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald.

As the current pianist for the nationally and internationally touring Duke Ellington Orchestra, Robert Redd will be bringing past stories shared among the orchestra members of the great Duke.  Ella’s fascinating history through song and story, as told by Matthews, will also be a main focus of the evening. Robert and Sue will be chronicling the special connection Duke and Ella had through such tunes as “Take the A Train”, “I’m Just A Lucky So n So”, “Solitude”, and “Do Nothin’ Till you Hear From Me”,

Joining them for this fantastic evening will be Amy Shook on upright bass, and Joshua Kauffman from the U.S. Army Blues on trumpet.

Showtime for the live concert event is 8 pm. Tickets are $20 in advance of the show and can be purchased online at mainstayrockhall.org. Phone reservations are accepted by calling (410) 639-9133 (tickets reserved by phone are $25 when paid at the door). The Mainstay is located at 5753 N Main Street in Rock Hall, Maryland. Its regular calendar of local, regional, and nationally touring artists features a live performance every week of the year (February through December) in a variety of music genres.

The programs and presentations of The Mainstay are supported in part with funds from the Maryland State Arts Council and The Kent Cultural Alliance.

Classical music has returned to The Mainstay in Rock Hall. The venerable, nationally-known music venue that generally features a wide variety of popular music genres  hosted Washington’s Camerata in September to great acclaim and audience enthusiasm. An interesting aspect of the eclectic program of Baroque music was the Baroque instruments that the ensemble’s musicians explained and invited audience members to get up close and personal with.

The Fall Season’s Second Concert

The series continues with the Mada and Hugh Piano Duo.

Romanian-born pianist Madalina Danila and Korean-American pianist Hugh Sung join creative forces to present their signature 4-hand piano duo program that has thrilled audiences around the world. A 4-hand piano duet is when two pianists play together on a single piano, each taking up one part of the score.

“Mada and I are excited to perform our first concert at The Mainstay,” Hugh Sung said recently. “We have a program that showcases the incredible art of two people playing one piano together.”

From a Mozart Sonata that opens the program to pieces by composers such as Cecile Chaminade and Camille Saint-Saëns, there will be a full complement of classical works that highlight the talent of these two pianists and their four-hand virtuosity.

Season Concert Information

All concerts are at The Mainstay, 5753 North Main Street, Rock Hall, Maryland.

All concerts are on Sunday afternoons at 4 PM.

Sunday, October 22 — Mada and Hugh Piano Duo

Sunday, November 19 — Pianist Michael Casey

Tickets for each concert are $15.00 (plus $1.30 fee if ordered in advance on the Mainstay’s Web site: mainstayrockhall.com).

Tickets may be available for $20 on the day of the performance. Call (410) 639-9133.

This concert is part of the Hedgelawn Classical Series at The Mainstay in honor of Judy Kohl.

On Saturday, October 21 at 8 PM, The Mainstay in Rock Hall, in partnership with the Hedgelawn Foundation, is excited to present the internationally prominent acoustic music duo Robin and Linda Williams.

Robin and Linda are closing in on a five decade-long career that has included 24 personal recordings, thousands of concerts on three continents, a Robert Altman directed movie, and hundreds of performances during the glory days of NPR’s “A Prairie Home Companion” that was broadcast on Saturday nights from 1974 to 2016.

As live performers they are second to none and are at home on whatever stage they find themselves, be it a tiny coffee house or bar, or a large, storied concert hall or festival. As gifted songwriters, Robin and Linda have earned the respect of their musical peers, their songs having been recorded by such well-known artists as Mary Chapin Carpenter, Tom T. Hall, Tim and Mollie O’Brien, Mary Black, The Seldom Scene, and Emmylou Harris, to name just a few.

Tickets are $20 in advance of the show and can be purchased online at mainstayrockhall.org. Phone reservations are accepted by calling (410) 639-9133 (tickets reserved by phone are $25 when paid at the door). The Mainstay is located at 5753 N Main Street in Rock Hall.

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Rock Hall’s popular annual FallFest street fair has earned a reputation for its day-long schedule of free live music offerings anchoring both ends of Main Street on two stages. This year’s guest list features a variety of styles – from the steel percussion sounds of perennial favorites from Catonsville High School to the blues, bluegrass to rock n’ roll to classic country. For the 2023 celebration the Mainstay adds a new signature event on its backyard stage featuring local singer/ songwriters from its new Delmarva Singer/Songwriter Association. The “Singer/ Songwriter Showcase” features fourteen regional musicians who will take the stage four at a time in a Nashville “round” format (each performer takes a turn before handing the microphone over to the next one). It features the original music of Blake and Kate Thompson, Ceshini Johnson, Davd Simmons, Don Clark, Chris Johnson, Keith Thompson, Katie Hall, Ashton Mooday, Bob ad Laura Taylor, Denise Dicey, Stu, Stephanie Aston Jones, Les Moorhouse, David Fife, and Mark Einstein. The showcase starts at noon and runs continuously until 4 PM.

On Friday, October 6 at 8 PM, The Mainstay in Rock Hall presents the next installment of jazz pianist Joe Holt’s monthly First Friday programs.

Impresario and piano accompanist Joe Holt excels in arranging programs that mostly tap his rich history of jazz associates. For his October show, Joe welcomes three of the mid-Atlantic’s favorite jazz personalities – Amy Shook on acoustic upright bass, Steve Silbert on tenor sax, Steve Abshire on guitar, and Joe on the piano. The group plays together throughout the region several times a year under the name the Sholbertshires (a loosely formed acronym of the players’ last names). When Joe Holt was recently asked to describe the style of music they perform, he replied “All swinging, all the time.” In its initial appearances the group drew attention to the exciting influences of the Oscar Peterson Trio and Stan Getz’s sax playing, as well as the great big bands led by Count Basie and Duke Ellington. But their current playlist, while still paying tribute to the giant icons of swing music, also offers their own reinterpretations of pop music classics by Stevie Wonder, Elton John, the Beatles, and even the Beach Boys.

Each of the players has their own distinct instrumental voice culled from the jazz celebrities they were influenced by. Silbert brings to mind the sounds of Lester Young in the 1950s. Abshire clearly plays in the tradition of Barney Kessel and Herb Ellis. Joe Holt often speaks highly of the masterful pianist Dave McKenna.

The Mainstay appearance is also being distinguished as the location for a live recording of a Sholbertshire concert, soon-after to be released.

Tickets are $20 in advance of the show and can be purchased online at mainstayrockhall.org. Phone reservations are accepted by calling (410) 639-9133 (tickets reserved by phone are $25 when paid at the door). The Mainstay is located at 5753 N Main Street in Rock Hall.

On Saturday, September 30, drummer, bandleader, and Eastern Shore resident Greg Burrows is proud to present his second fun and exciting Soul Jazz show at The Mainstay in Rock Hall, MD. Greg has invited some of the Northeast’s most talented musicians, including the exciting vocal stylings of vocalist Kathryn Farmer, to join him on stage.

Greg Burrowa

Burrows introduced Mainstay audiences to his hybrid “Soul Jazz” project a year ago as one of the first acts to be featured on the Mainstay new outdoor stage. Soul Jazz is a blending of straight-ahead  jazz (with a particular spotlight on the big Hammond B3 organ and the distinctive swirling sound of the Leslie cabinet it is played through), funk, R&B, Latin sounds, and soul music similar to what you might’ve heard in “organ shacks” on the Chitlin’ Circuit in the 1960s (like the Uptown Club in Chestertown!) or in an intimate jazz club in Greg’s original home base in New York City. You’ll hear familiar songs (don’t be surprised if they count off a Stevie Wonder tune), some toe-tapping originals, and music that brings a good feeling to all people of all backgrounds and musical tastes.

Greg Burrows is perhaps best known locally as the drummer in the Dick Durham Jazz Trio. His drumming has been heard on national television, film soundtracks, radio, and on stages and festivals around the globe. Greg has played drums and percussion with Brooklyn’s Chicha Libre band, and was the pit drummer for the Blue Man Group in New York City. He has also contributed his singing voice locally to the Chester River Chorale. If that’s not enough, you can see and hear Greg locally with the new classic country music band The Good Stuff, the latest project of The Alligators’ leader Philip Dutton.

Kathryn Farmer

International jazz and R&B vocalist and recording artist Kathryn Farmer has enjoyed a stellar reputation on the world jazz scene.  She has a 5-octave range and an electrifying stage presence (most recently gracing the stage at New York City’s premier jazz spot Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola in August of this year). She is also an arranger, composer, lyricist, Hammond B3 organist and pianist. She’s wooed audiences in NYC, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Far East.

Al Orlo spent 25 years as guitarist and music director for legendary singer and songwriter, Ben E. King (Stand By Me, Under the Boardwalk). He is equally comfortable playing classic rock ‘n roll as he is playing jazz, blues, and pretty much anything else. His numerous Broadway show credits are proof of his amazing versatility.

Born and raised in New York City, organ man Judd Nielsen has been playing since the age of five. His style of playing and singing can be described in one word — soulful. After starting out on piano, Judd shifted his focus to the big Hammond organ in high school. Over the years, his varied musical affiliations have included Walter “Wolfman” Washington and the Roadmasters, Trombone Shorty, Melvin Sparks, Big Daddy Kane, The James Hunter Six and Lee Fields and The Expressions.

Showtime for the live concert event is 8 pm. Tickets are $20 in advance of the show and can be purchased online at mainstayrockhall.org. Phone reservations are accepted by calling (410) 639-9133 (tickets reserved by phone are $25 when paid at the door).

The Mainstay is located at 5753 N Main Street in Rock Hall, Maryland. Its regular calendar of local, regional, and nationally touring artists features a live performance every week of the year (February through December) in a wide variety of music genres.

The programs of the Mainstay are supported with funds from the Maryland State Arts Council and the Kent Cultural Alliance.