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The Artists’ Gallery Features Marc Rubin in April

March 31, 2020 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, The Artists’ Gallery in Chestertown will be remain closed until good health is once again restored to our region and country. However, knowing that all of us could use a bit of humor and enlightenment these days, Marc Rubin’s exciting new work, “Little Smiles,” will be featured in The Artists’ Gallery throughout the month of April. All of Marc Rubin’s paintings will be set up in the front window and on adjacent easels and panels so it may be viewed in full by the public from outside of the gallery.

Marc’s classical, representational oil paintings continue to evolve and exude a timeless quality, as clearly evidenced in “Little Smiles.” Similar to traditional Dutch painters like Vermeer and Rembrandt, Rubin finds inspiration everywhere he looks and his paintings relay relationships between everyday objects. Through his skillful use of technique and brush manipulation, Rubin pushes and nudges paint into sensual and emotionally charged renderings. An accomplished artist, he is best known for his soulful and still life renderings that pique viewers’ imaginations, invoking curiosity about the stories behind the objects represented in layers of paint – as magical pools of light.

“I Must be a Flower,” (9×12) oil by Marc Rubin

For those of you who are familiar with Marc’s work, he is a visual storyteller. He gives us a unique perspective of the very things we often take for granted, giving them a voice through his paintings and drawings. Marc listens closely to the whispered stories that we sometimes tend to ignore. He is able to capture the essence, the beauty in the discarded or forgotten, and give it life and light. “I am compelled to paint and draw, I always have been. Hold your breath, then breathe…that is what painting is to me. It is as vital as a renewed breath of air.”

Marc owns and operates Marc Rubin Associates (a graphic design firm) and Gallery 421, located in Elmira, NY. He also teaches oil painting at 171 Cedar Arts Center in Corning, NY, as well as private lessons in the art of representational painting. He is represented nationally by a variety of galleries, and has served on the executive board of directors for the Arnot Art Museum in Elmira and the Arts Council of the Southern Finger Lakes in Corning, NY, and is a past board member of the Upstate New York chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Arts.

While the doors to the gallery will remain closed at this time to the public, please note that contact information will be made available in the window to those interested in purchasing a work of art. The Artists’ Gallery is located at 239 High Street in Chestertown. For more information about The Artists’ Gallery, please visit www.theartistsgalleryctown.com and www.facebook.com/6goodpainters.

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‘GCTV – The Garfield Streams the Arts’ to Premiere Wednesday, March 25

March 25, 2020 by Garfield Center Leave a Comment

Due to the continuing health crisis, and closures due to state government requirements, the Garfield Center for the Arts has announced GCTV – The Garfield Streams the Arts, a program that will give home audiences weekly streaming live content they can enjoy in the comfort of their own homes. The program will begin on The Garfield’s Facebook page starting Wednesday, March 25 at 7:30 PM. The Garfield Center’s Facebook page is located at www.facebook.com/garfieldcenterforthearts.

The Garfield Streams the Arts will present a variety of content showcasing local talent. Each week, content will feature local musicians and bands, and theatrical performances by actors who will present a variety of source material. The premiere event will feature comedic and dramatic monologues and other various readings from multiple participating actors, each from their own live-stream location.

Additional upcoming streaming events will include performances by Bob and Pam Ortiz, Nevin Dawson, Shannon Whitaker, and Brad Chairs, among others. Future additional performers and content, as well as a calendar of events for the performances, will be available on our website at www.garfieldcenter.org.

Each GCTV performance will be uploaded to the Garfield Center’s YouTube page shortly after its live presentation for anyone who is unable to view the live stream performance. In addition to these performances, The Garfield Center is also preparing to upload more of its past performances to its YouTube page, which can be found at www.youtube.com/PrinceTheatreCtown.

The Garfield Center would also like to hear from any other performers who want to participate in this program. To express your interest, send an email to ncarter@garfieldcenter.org.

The Garfield Center is committed to continuing The Garfield Streams the Arts, and expanding it if possible, for as long as social distancing is necessary and until we can safely reopen our facility to audiences who participate in, enjoy and support the arts and the cultural events we produce for our community.

About The Garfield Center for the Arts at the Prince Theatre
Located at 210 High Street in the Arts & Entertainment District of historic Chestertown, Maryland, the mission of the Garfield Center for the Arts is to invigorate the cultural life of our community by nurturing, celebrating and supporting arts and artists through performance and education. Since its inception in 2002, the Prince Theatre Foundation has enjoyed success in various community endeavors: Producing top of the line theatrical and musical productions such as Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, My Fair Lady, Short Attention Span Theatre, The 39 Steps, Mister Roberts, Love, Loss and What I Wore, Sylvia, Sweeney Todd, Animal Crackers, Miracle on 34th Street, Annie: The Musical and, most recently, Greater Tuna. The Garfield also provides quality educational, enriching experiences in the arts for children and adults, such as Playmakers’ Summer Camp, Hedgelawn multi-cultural performance series, MUSICAMP and our monthly programs Open Mic Night, Live Playwrights’ Society and the newly formed Improv Group, and collaborates with Kent County Schools to provide enrichment opportunities for elementary, middle and high school students through our Spring and Fall Educational Outreach Program. Both the theatre, and the foundation that calls it home, are recognized and valued as a unique community center for the arts on the Upper Eastern Shore.

To learn more about the GCA, visit www.garfieldcenter.org, like us on Facebook (facebook.com/garfieldcenterforthearts) or follow us on Twitter (twitter.com/GarfieldCenter) or Instagram (instagram.com/garfieldcenterforthearts).

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The Spy Streaming Guide–What to Watch

March 25, 2020 by Steve Parks Leave a Comment

TV, of course, is always a home-entertainment source—at times unreliably so. But some of us who may be tech-challenged—under the age of 35 or so—probably haven’t taken full advantage of the burgeoning roster of excellent programming outside network and cable fare.

It’s time to catch up, especially now. None of us knows when next we can get out to catch a movie, concert, play, or musical at a local or out-of-town theater. If you’re already streaming savvy, skip the next part and go on to selected recommendations.

There are so many shows—miniseries, documentaries, and ongoing series running several seasons that we could not scratch the surface here. Certainly, I haven’t seen them all. I don’t think anyone has that much time on their hands—even now, as we’re mostly housebound. But all you need is a laptop or smartphone with decent sound quality. If not, then figure out how to run it through your TV. Or, easier still, invest in the modest cost of a streaming device, such as Roku, connecting to your flatscreen. That way, you can plug into such repositories as Netflix, which offers as many fine movies and other programming as HBO, for instance.

Here are three wide-ranging choices I recommend:

HILLARY, a four-part documentary available on Hulu

I know. Hillary. She’s so last election cycle. But considering she’d be president today, except for her electoral college loss to Donald Trump as she won the popular vote by nearly 3 million, there’s something very much current events about this up-close and unusually personal look at Hillary Clinton, from schoolgirl to the only woman ever nominated by a major party to be president of the United States. Never mind that she was probably the most famous woman in the United States for 30 years, she’s remained an enigma. It’s about time, some would say long past time, that we got to know her. One critic wrote that the documentary comes both too soon and too late.

Too soon, of course, because how much Hillary can you take? But it’s not just Hillary. For 20 years, we had no one in the White House besides a Bush or a Clinton. Even though an eight-year Obama hiatus, there was Hillary, first as secretary of state, then U.S. senator from New York and finally, inevitably, presidential candidate Clinton II.

The “too late” part goes almost without saying. But one of her supporters says it out loud, suggesting in this documentary astutely created by filmmaker Nanette Burstein that if “Hilary” had come out before the election, “we would’ve won.”

But the here-and-now in the documentary is hard to miss.

Of Bernie Sanders, running again for president long after his past-expiration date, Hillary said: “Honestly, Bernie just drove me crazy… Nobody likes him; nobody wants to work with him; he got nothing done. He was a career politician — he did not work until he was, like, 41 and got elected to something. It was all just baloney, and I feel so bad that people got sucked into it.”

OK, tell us what you really think.

Then there are the separate, never more personal, recollections of the roughest patch of any marriage of a president and first lady. (Bill: “It was awful, what I did.” Hillary: “I was so angry.”)

But their anguished looks and mannerisms say more than any words possibly could. Or any impeachment. The anguish, however, appears even greater among Clinton loyalists grieving on the night of her defeat. How is it, they ask, that Hillary paid more for her husband’s sexual indiscretions than Trump did for his?

It can’t just be about the emails. Misogyny played a more significant part than most anybody, but Hillary knows. She doesn’t use that as her excuse. “There are a thousand reasons,” she says, any one of which…

Recommended reading: “Hillary Rodham Clinton: Hard Choices,” a memoir.

THE HANDMAID’S TALE, now in season 4 on Netflix

In the Republic of Gilead, harrowingly depicted in Margaret Atwood’s novel, women of child-bearing age are consigned to the role of servile surrogate breeders. They give birth, but they are not allowed to be mothers. As instructed by Aunt Lydia, terrifyingly played in the Netflix series by Ann Dowd, this will become the young women’s new normal. Among them is Offred, played by Elisabeth Moss, with the plucky resolve of a survivor who hasn’t yet surrendered all notions of self-worth.

Over the course of three seasons, she matriculates through a curriculum that leads her from victimization to resistance. It’s a dangerous path. Those who are caught defying the reproductive order of the republic are punished in the most public and primitive way. Enemies of the state are put to death in the Old Testament way—stoning. And just in case any of the breeder witnesses to the execution miss the point, the condemned sometimes have their hands hacked off, so they have no means to deflect the rocks hurled at them.

Seasons three and four run deep into the resistance phase of this engrossing and evolving series. But all four are still available for “Handmaid’s Tale” virgins, so to speak.

Recommended reading: Atwood’s novel of the same title, of course.

THE PLOT AGAINST AMERICA, a miniseries on HBO pay cable or HBO Go streaming service

The year is 1940, and American hero Charles Lindbergh, the first human ever to cross the Atlantic solo in the air, is running for president against FDR. He’s a novice. No government experience whatsoever and a celebrity that cloaks his dark, anti-Semitic side. Fueled by the wealth and influence of fellow bigot Henry Ford, Lindy, in the 2004 Philip Roth re-imagining of 20^th-century American history, defeats Roosevelt in a stunning upset. Taking their cue from the unbridled new president, Americans suddenly feel free to express racist and ethnic revulsion to “others,” not from their neighborhoods. It’s a slow-destabilizing rot on the soul of America as envisioned in Roth’s late masterpiece.

Here, David Simon, with his writing partner Ed Burns, creates a Newark, New Jersey, as realistic as the Baltimore they co-created in “The Wire,” widely regarded as a television masterpiece. Each member of this Jewish family reacts in starkly different ways to the new threat from within, rising on the heels of the defeat of Hitler.

Full disclosure: Simon is a colleague from my days as an editor at the Baltimore Sun, where he gathered first-hand material for his “Homicide” series on NBC and “The Wire,” and earlier as editor-in-chief of the University of Maryland daily paper, The Diamondback, a few years after me. He grew up in a Jewish neighborhood in Silver Spring. So, the Newark neighborhood of Roth’s memory is not so distant from Simon’s. He brings it to chilling realism in this miniseries that runs every Monday night through April 20. You can still catch the first installment before Monday on HBO or anytime on HBO Go video on demand.

It could be Lindy’s America, just as this one has become Trump’—so far—because we’ve we let it. The parallels are unmistakable even without political finger-pointing. That would turn “Plot” into propaganda rather than drama. Simon and Burns know drama whenever they latch on to it.

Recommended reading: “The Plot Against America,” a novel by Philip Roth

Steve Parks is a former New York arts critic, writer, and editor now living in Easton.

Fantastic Fungi Now Showing Online March 26

March 24, 2020 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

Showings of the film Fantastic Fungi now will be offered online on Thurs., March 26. The 4 p.m., 9 p.m., and midnight screenings include live Q & A sessions with filmmaker and time-lapse photography pioneer Louie Schwartzberg, along with mycologist Paul Stamets. Advanced registration is at fantasticfungi.com/connect.

Schwartzberg is credited with Moving Art, Wings of Life, Mysteries of the Unseen Worlds 3D IMAX, and more, with Fantastic Fungi offered as an immersive experience inspiring a shift in consciousness and a renewed love of nature.

The film originally was to be shown at Temple B’nai Israel on March 26, as one of 500 worldwide locations screening the film. Out of the Fire restaurant and Dock Street Foundation of Easton, Md. sponsored the original Easton event, with Mid-Shore partner participants including the Eastern Shore Food Lab, Evergreen Cove, Pickering Creek Audubon Center, Chesapeake Harvest, the Maryland Biodiversity Project, Eat Sprout, and more.

Mycologist Paul Stamets with Director Louie Schwartzberg while filming Fantastic Fungi.

“This stunning documentary explores the connectivity and power of the often-overlooked fungi kingdom” said Out of the Fire owner Amy Haines. “We’re seeing how important connectivity is, and this film helps present how fungi can help address many of the pressing medical and environmental challenges we face.”

Academy Award-winner Brie Larson narrates Fantastic Fungi,while taking the viewer on an immersive journey through an underground network with the potential to heal and save the planet.The stories are shared through the eyes of scientists and mycologists including Paul Stamets, and best-selling authors Michael Pollan, Eugenia Bone, and Andrew Weil to build awareness of the beauty, intelligence, and solutions the fungi kingdom offers in response to some of the most pressing medical, therapeutic, and environmental challenges.

The film is being released in tandem with the book Fantastic Fungi: How Mushrooms Can Heal, Shift Consciousness, and Save the Planet, which is available online at fantasticfungi.com.

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Chesapeake Chamber International Music Competition & April Events Postponed

March 21, 2020 by Chesapeake Music Leave a Comment

Following the recent public announcements of closures by federal, state and local government agencies as a preventative public health measure, Chesapeake Music must regrettably make changes to its presentations scheduled for the near term. The International Chamber Music Competition to be held on April 4, 2020 is postponed, as well as the community concerts planned for April 5, 2020. Also, the Sharel Cassity Quartet concert, at the Talbot Country Club, April 25, 2020 is postponed.

According to Barry Koh, President of Chesapeake Music, “Our Competition and Jazz Program committees are exploring alternate dates for these events and we will keep you informed as the plans are developed.”

Koh adds, “Presently, there is no clear indication when social and cultural activities will return to normal, however we are hoping that the annual Chamber Music Festival will be able to start on schedule, June 3, 2020. We are proceeding with the activities that lead to this opening date as we normally would. Nevertheless, we are closely monitoring the advice and announcements from the government agencies and will advise you promptly of any change in plans.”

For further information, visit chesapeakemusic.org or call 410-819-0380.

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The Garfield Center to Temporarily Close Due to Growing National Health Crisis

March 13, 2020 by Garfield Center Leave a Comment

In order to responsibly address the continuing health concerns over the spread of COVID-19, and in coordination with Public Health officials’ recommendations regarding social distancing during this crisis, the Garfield Center has instituted a plan to reduce the risk of exposure for our audiences.

The Garfield Center is temporarily closing to the public, effective immediately, for a period of at least two weeks until March 29. During this period of time, we will continue to monitor the situation and assess any potential for continuing our closure.

As a part of our greater Chestertown and Kent County community, we feel great responsibility toward the health and welfare of our friends, neighbors and visitors. Our decision to temporarily close is not made lightly, but with everyone’s best interest at heart. We look forward to reopening at a time in the near future when we can entertain our patrons once again.

The following programs are immediately affected by the current situation:

The Kent Cultural Alliance staged reading of “American Son” and discussion, planned for this Saturday, March 7, has been postponed to a date still to be determined.
Ongoing Chester River Youth Choir rehearsals have been suspended until further notice.
The film premiere of “She Wins; Beyond the Bruises” and its discussion, scheduled for March 21, has been postponed to a date still to be determined.
The Garfield Improv Night, scheduled for March 24, is cancelled.
Open Mic Night, scheduled for March 25, is cancelled.
No box office hours during the closure.
If further schedule adjustments become necessary, they will be announced at a later date.

Critical business with the Garfield Center will continue during the temporary closure by appointment only. Our staff is available via email: Nic Carter (ncarter@garfieldcenter.org) for music and theatrical programming issues, Paul Cambardella (pcambardella@garfieldcenter.org) for education programming issues, and Steven Arnold (sarnold@garfieldcenter.org) for all other issues.

The Garfield Center will monitor local and state health authorities and quickly follow any guidance they suggest. Should the Garfield Center’s temporary closure be extended we will announce that information as soon as it is determined.

The best resource for further updates is via our website at www.garfieldcenter.org. You will also find a link there to join our email list for future updates.

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Chestertown RiverArts Reclaimed Runway To Be Held Online

March 12, 2020 by Chestertown RiverArts Leave a Comment

“Recycleopatra,” photo credit to Andover Media

With the health of the community in mind, Chestertown RiverArts announces the cancellation of the face-to-face Reclaimed Runway event, and a shift to an alternative online event as part of the effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus so that fewer people are sick at any one time, and everyone can be treated properly.

In order to share the fabulous outfits concocted by this year’s talented designers, and in the spirit of the boisterous fun that is the Reclaimed Runway, RiverArts presents OH NO NO CORONO… We’re Taking It Online!, an interactive, virtual Reclaimed Runway show, livestreamed from the RiverArts Main Gallery, hosted by The Mad Prophet of All Things Recyclable Greg Farley, with online People’s Choice voting, judging for the “Best In Show” prize, exciting auction items, and of course the opportunity to donate generously and support RiverArts vital community programs and activities.

“Social distancing” doesn’t have to mean “social isolation”

RiverArts has determined, “We won’t shut our community down—we’ll find out-of-the-box ways to come together safely.” Plans are in progress for a lively, engaging, and innovative event bringing people together to have fun and support RiverArts. More details will be forthcoming about:

- - How to watch the livestreamed show
  - Perks available by buying a “Virtual Table” for a watch party at your home with a small group of friends
  - The big reveal of Online Auction Items and how to bid
  - Details about RiverArts funding needs and what your contributions will support

Join RiverArts for this new version of the Reclaimed Runway, and be part of finding cutting-edge ways to connect. Donate online anytime at www.ChestertownRiverArts.org

RiverArts has also announced that KidSPOT’s Saturday drop-in session has been cancelled for March 14. Any further cancellations or changes to RiverArts events will be decided as needed as the situation evolves, always with the safety of the community as the primary concern.

RiverArts galleries and main office are at 315 High Street, Suite 106, Chestertown, MD 21620 – (in the breezeway). Gallery hours are Tuesday – Friday, 11 AM to 5:30 PM, Saturday 10 AM to 5:30PM, Sunday 11 AM – 3 PM, First Fridays until 8 PM.

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Registration for MUSICmakers and Playmakers Camps Begin March 9

March 9, 2020 by Garfield Center Leave a Comment

Registration for both the Garfield Center For The Arts summer camps, MUSICmakers and Playmakers, will begin March 9 online at garfieldcenter.org/camps.

MUSICmakers will have similarities to Musicamp, the music-theatre program offered by the Garfield over the past several years. Unlike scripted productions in past camps, MUSICmakers will produce a completely new work that emphasizes original music created by the participating children within an imaginative and expressive workshop environment. Registered kids do not need to be musicians or have experience in music. The one-week camp will explore songwriting, expressive movement, sound, rhythm, art and creative play as the kids bring their own ideas to life. The camp staff will provide the structure, inspiration, and support necessary for its participants to put together and perform a final musical presentation on stage for parents, families and the public. At the end of the week, a complete performance of their original work will be offered for a family and public audience. MUSICmakers will run Monday through Friday, July 6 – 10, from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM, and it will culminate in a performance on Friday evening, July 10 with the potential of a second performance in the afternoon or evening of Saturday, July 11. Because of the concentrated form of this week, campers must be available to attend every day of the 5-day camp as well as the performances.

Leading MUSICmakers is Jodi Bortz. A musician, artist, and teacher, she has spent her life working in many facets of the creative arts. She grew up in the Chestertown area and participated in programs such as Odyssey of the Mind and Maryland Summer Centers for the Arts that sparked an interest in creativity and the creative process. After graduating from Moravian College, she continued as adjunct faculty helping to set up the Suzuki School of the Moravian College Music Institute. She continued to work with young musicians and behind the scenes in student musical theatre productions periodically until 2015 while also holding a corporate management position during the day. She has taught instrumental music at Blair Academy, was the director of the Lehigh Valley Flute Camp, and has always maintained a studio of private lesson students. Locally, Jodi has been the Executive Director of RiverArts and was also the KidSPOT coordinator, responsible for developing programming for the popular Saturday Free Play program. Currently, she teaches private music lessons, conducts the Centreville UMC choir, runs Blue Canary Letterpress, and works with Main Street Chestertown on promoting our great town! Jodi lives with her husband Gregg, and her daughters Sydney and Bailey.

Playmakers Summer Theatre Camp at The Garfield Center For The Arts is provided for children ages 8-15. Playmakers runs four weeks, Monday through Friday from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, starting Monday, July 13, culminating in two 7:00 PM evening performances and a 2:00 PM matinee performance that includes all participants on the weekend of August 7, 8 and 9. The slated production for this year’s Playmakers is The Wizard of Oz. Children ages 8-10 will make up the chorus and supporting characters, while the 11-15 year old campers will play the lead roles. There will also be three cultural performances, presented by The Hedgelawn Foundation, for the campers during the four weeks of camp. The cultural performances are also open to the public for a nominal fee.

Leading Playmakers this summer is Catherine Byrd Bushby. Catherine has been a co-director for Playmakers summer camp at the Garfield for the last eight years, and is thrilled to continue her work nurturing young artists. Originally a native of Richmond, Virginia, she graduated from James Madison University where she majored in Communication Arts with a concentration in Theatre. She then studied acting in New York City, under Michael Beckett at the Herbert Berghoff Studio and under Esther Brandice at Actor’s Advent. Since coming to Chestertown in 1990, Catherine has performed in numerous local productions. Some of her favorite roles over the years have been Lettice Douffet in Lettice and Lovage, Marquise de Merteuil in Dangerous Liasons, the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz, Ruth in Blithe Spirit, Mistress Page in The Merry Wives of Windsor and Claire in A Delicate Balance. She heads up the Language Arts and Drama Departments and also teaches Literature at Radcliffe Creek School, where she has directed a gazillion plays. Catherine has been married to her husband Skip for 34 wonderful years and they have three grown children.

For more information about MUSICmakers, contact Director Jodi Bortz at musicmakers@garfieldcenter.org. For more information about Playmakers, contact Director Catherine Bushby at playmakers@garfieldcenter.org. General inquiries about either camp may also be sent to the GCA’s Education Outreach Coordinator Paul Cambardella at pcambardella@garfieldcenter.org. The Garfield Center for the Arts is located at 210 High Street in Chestertown and can be found online at www.garfieldcenter.org.

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Violinists ‘Great and Small’ to Play for Resonance March 22

March 8, 2020 by National Music Festival 1 Comment

The sounds of Spring will literally be in the air at the next concert in the National Music Festival’s Resonance series on March 22. What better way to usher in the new season that will have arrived a few days earlier?

Violinist Emily Daggett Smith and pianist Constantine Finehouse will perform Beethoven’s Spring Sonata, more formally known as “Sonata No. 5 in F Major,” at St. Paul’s Kent, 7579 Sandy Bottom Rd., Chestertown.

Emily Daggett Smith

“I love performing with him,” Smith said of Finehouse. “We have similar approach and the way that we communicate about music comes very naturally.” Later this spring, Smith will return for a third season as a violin mentor for NMF, which will be celebrating its 10^th anniversary this year, May 31 – June 13.

Smith plays with “inexpressible élan,” according to the Seattle Times. The Boston Globe, her hometown newspaper, called a performance there simply “gorgeous.”

She made her New York concerto debut with the Julliard Orchestra in Alice Tully Hall. Since then, Smith has played at the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, the Shanghai Grand Theatre, and the Vienna Konzerthaus. She holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from The Juilliard School and a Doctor of Musical Arts from Stonybrook University.

Constantine Finehouse

Finehouse has performed extensively in the U.S. and abroad, including in Salzburg, London, Moscow, and St. Petersburg. He holds degrees from The Juilliard School and Yale University and currently teaches at the New England Conservatory.

The two musicians have collaborated often, said Smith, adding “I feel that when we perform there’s a spontaneity and a kind of trust and ability to be in the moment.”

Smith and Finehouse have chosen some of their favorite works, including César Franck’s “Sonata in A Major for Violin and Piano,” which the two have recorded for Eidolon Records.

The sonata runs the gamut from “serenely calm and beautiful in the first to tumultuous in the second,” Smith said. “I’ve heard people say the second movement sounds like ‘All hell is breaking loose.’” The third movement feels like an improvisation of inspired themes.

“The fourth opens beautiful and playful, all sunshiny,” she continued. “Then Franck reviews everything that has gone before, so we revisit the whole spectrum. And finally, it concludes with an uplifting theme.”

In a solo turn, Finehouse will perform Chopin’s “Ballade No. 4 in F Minor.”

Fiddlesticks!

The March 22 Resonance concert will feature opening numbers by the Fiddlesticks! Quartet, young musicians trained in the National Music Festival’s Fiddlesticks! Youth Strings Program, which provides free string instrument lessons to local youths. The quartet’s members include Brenna Quicho, violin; Winston Williams, viola; and Corrina Boyd, cello. They will play for approximately 30 minutes before the concert, as the audience arrives. The doors will open at 2:30 p.m.

Complimentary desserts and beverages are offered during intermissions of Resonance concerts. If the weather fails to deliver a true spring day, the parish hall’s fireplace will be put to use for warmth.

Tickets are $20 for adults and $5 for students with ID and children under 14 (https://nationalmusic.us/events-and-tickets/single-concert-tickets/). Admission is included for holders of the NMF combination pass and the Resonance season pass. The final Resonance concert of 2020 will feature Julia Mintzer, mezzo-soprano, on April 26.

Season passes are also now on sale for the 2020 National Music Festival at https://nationalmusic.us/product/festival-pass/.

RES·O·NANCE /ˈrezənəns/ Noun: the quality in a sound of being deep, full, and reverberating … a quality of richness or variety.

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