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May 28, 2023

Chestertown Spy

Nonpartisan and Education-based News for Chestertown

Arts Arts Notes

The Artists’ Gallery Presents “Visions of the Eastern Shore” by Shirley Hales

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On First Friday, June 2nd, and throughout the month of June, The Artists’ Gallery will feature work by their exhibiting artist, Shirley Hales, in “Visions of the Eastern Shore.” Her paintings in watercolor and acrylic are reminiscent of the sights and sounds found along the Eastern Shore. The inspiration for this new body of work by Shirley Hales is based on her love of the Chesapeake Bay and the simplistic beauty that may be found within the lush countryside and waterways of the Eastern Shore.

Almost fifty years ago, while cruising the Chesapeake Bay’s many ports of call with her husband, David, Shirley began to discover the treasures found along the Eastern Shore. Ultimately, they selected a weekend getaway home in Rock Hall that they still maintain to this day, along with a home in southwestern Florida. During the recent COVID quarantine, Shirley did a bit of research and unearthed her ancestral links dating back to the 1600’s and 1700’s to the Tilghman families of Somerset and Accomack and the Ratcliffs and Warners of Talbot County, as well as other early settlers in Delaware and Virginia. After discovering her roots, it was clear to her that “the attraction to this region had been destined.”

“Morning Crab Run,” watercolor, 20×27 by Shirley Hales

Shirley’s love of painting on a professional level began to blossom in 2000, while studying at the Torpedo Factory in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. She has been a professional artist for the past 23 years, receiving awards and recognition throughout her career. Shirley is a member of the Working Artists’ Forum (WAF) in Easton, Maryland as well as the Chair of the WAF Membership Committee. Along with 42 juried local artists, Shirley’s art will be displayed and available for purchase at the Plein Air Easton, Local Color Show at Christ Church in Easton, Maryland during the weekend of July 20-23, 2023. In addition to exhibiting her work with The Artists’ Gallery, Shirley is a member of River Arts in Chestertown and the founder and past president of the Harbour View Gallery in Cape Coral and a member of COCO Gallery in Estero, Florida.

The public is invited to visit The Artists’ Gallery for her opening reception on First Friday, June 2nd from 5-8 p.m. for light refreshments and to meet the artist. The Artists’ Gallery is located at 239 High Street in Chestertown and is open Tuesday-Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and on Sundays from 12:30-4:30 p.m. For more information, please call the gallery at 410-778-2425 or visit www.theartistsgalleryctown.com.

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Young Artist’s Harp Seminar Returns to Washington College

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Now in its 21st season, the Young Artist’s Harp Seminar (YAHS) returns to Maryland’s Eastern Shore this July. Over 50 of the world’s top young harpists will reside at Washington College for two weeks of intensive study, coaching sessions with renowned instructors, and concert performances open to the public.

The festivities open on July 10 at Chestertown’s Emmanuel Episcopal Church with a chamber music concert featuring Nancy Allen, principal harpist of the New York Philharmonic, and chair of the harp department at The Juilliard School.

Harpists coming from California, to Canada, to Costa Rica, and everywhere in between, will embark on a two-week course of study with renowned YAHS faculty. A training ground for elite artists, many YAHS alumni have subsequently attended top schools and conservatories, such as The Juilliard School, the Cleveland Institute of Music, the Curtis Institute of Music, the Paris Conservatory, and many others.  YAHS alumni have also claimed top prizes at major international competitions, including France’s prestigious Concours de Harpe Lily Laskine and Japan’s Nippon Harp Competition.

Throughout their two weeks at YAHS, harpists have opportunities to practice performing on stage, in masterclasses, and in a series of simulated orchestral auditions.

Susan Bennett Brady (Principal Harpist with the Atlanta Opera Orchestra) and Kimberly Rowe (editor of Harp Column magazine) founded the YAHS program in 2002 as a way to give young harpists ages 12–26 an intense performance and practice environment with top instruction. In 2008, they launched the international Young Artist’s Harp Competition, and in 2014, the auxiliary one-week YAHS Prep program debuted for harpists ages 8–17. The YAHS is excited to return to Chestertown to join the passionate culture of music on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

Concert-goers will have many opportunities to hear the young harpists—along with faculty and special guests—in action this summer at a series of concert events open to the public.

Most YAHS students are serious about the harp, and many have plans to pursue it as a career path. Some students, however, don’t see a professional harp career in their future, and for Rowe and Brady that’s fine: “Our number one goal is simply to impart a love for music and for the harp.” They are confident the students’ experiences at YAHS will help them meet their goals, whatever they may be.

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Chestertown’s 2023 National Music Festival Includes Something for Everyone

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Chestertown’s renowned National Music Festival has announced its June 2023 concert schedule. From June 4-17, the Festival will bring together 28 of the nation’s most esteemed mentors and 100 promising apprentices, presenting over 30 events, ranging from major symphonies to chamber music, pre-concert talks, and master classes, plus dozens of free open rehearsals. Mentors are professional musicians who teach and perform all over the country; apprentices are young professional musicians on the cusp of their careers. Festival musicians come to Chestertown this season from 10 countries and 30 US states.

Concert schedules, tickets, and Festival Passes are available on the Festival’s website, nationalmusic.us.

Highlights of the much-anticipated 11th season include:

  • Monumental symphonic works, including the 7th Symphonies of Beethoven and Mahler, Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite, and Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun;
  • Performances by audience favorite and acclaimed guitarist Camilo Carrara;
  • Chamber music, including works by Prokofiev, Barber, Messiaen, Bartok, and Haydn;
  • A free Family Concert featuring percussion;
  • Forest Music, a unique performance art event in collaboration with Adkins Arboretum (tickets available at adkinsarboretum.org).

Garnering national and international attention will be the Festival’s performance of American composer Dana Suesse’s Concerto in E Major for Two Pianos, performed by the young Croatian pianists Petra Akrap & Katarina Nera Biondić and orchestra, conducted by Festival Artistic Director Richard Rosenberg.

“Whatever your musical tastes, we have performances you will love,” said Rosenberg. “In addition to our flagship orchestra concerts, try our ‘Lunchtime Chamber Bites,’ our special Family Concert, or our Market Music in Fountain Park and enjoy!”

Lunchtime Chamber Bites are short, free concerts featuring performances and discussion with the artists. The Family Concert and Market Music concerts are also free, as are several other events. All rehearsals are free and open to the public. Venues for concerts and rehearsals range from local churches to Washington College to the Raimond Cultural Center, MassoniArt Galleries, Sumner Hall, and more. Concert and rehearsal schedules are available on the Festival’s website, nationalmusic.us.

For apprentices, the National Music Festival advances the lives and careers of these promising musicians by providing access to world-class mentors and performance opportunities. Apprentices are chosen in a highly competitive process and attend the Festival on scholarship, free of charge. The Festival is a true community effort as Chestertown area residents open their homes as host families for apprentices and mentors, and Emmanuel Church in downtown Chestertown will provide lunches for the musicians on weekdays.

Visit the Festival’s website for the complete 2023 Festival concert schedule and repertoire and to purchase tickets or Festival Passes: https://nationalmusic.us/eventsand-tickets/concert-schedules/. All tickets are held for pick-up at the concerts; no tickets will be mailed. A number of concerts are free, as are all rehearsals.

The National Music Festival is supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council (msac.org) and the Kent Cultural Alliance (kentculture.org). For more information about the Festival, visit the website at nationalmusic.us or contact info@nationalmusic.us or (443)480-0221.

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Church Hill Theatre Seeks New Directors for the 2024 Season

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Church Hill Theatre, in Queen Anne’s County, has been Delmarva’s premier venue for live drama for more than thirty years. CHT is actively seeking new talent to grow its reputation for excellence. If you have substantial theater experience and can commit the necessary time and attention, CHT would love to hear from you.

The Church Hill Theatre season, which will be announced in mid-June, usually includes four main stage shows (a mix of musicals, comedies, and dramas, each running for three weekends, an established summer camp for children, and occasional smaller productions. Directors receive a modest honorarium, but all the actors and crew members are volunteers. An estimated budget is created for each show’s set, costumes, and props, with musicals receiving a larger budget for musician stipends. Directors are responsible for managing the productions from auditions through the final performance, arranging an appropriate rehearsal schedule and recruiting a crew of set builders, costumers, light & sound designers, etc. CHT keeps a roster of willing and experienced volunteers for these positions but does not maintain a standing production crew.

Potential directors are invited to send contact information and a full theater biography and resume to the Theater Business Manager at businessmanager@churchhilltheatre.org. Once the 2024 season is announced, applicants will be invited to present detailed proposals for the show or shows they would like to direct. Applicants who are unfamiliar with the theater facilities may arrange to inspect the stage, check out the sound and lighting systems, and discuss any other concerns by calling 410-556-6003. The CHT website, churchhilltheatre.org, has additional information about the organization and past productions.

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Authors & Oysters: Michael Stang

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Michael A. Stang

The Bookplate is happily continuing their popular Authors & Oysters event series at The Retriever Bar in 2023. Author Henry Corrigan was featured in the most recent Authors & Oysters event on May 3rd. Next up on Wednesday, May 31st at 6pm, all are invited to The Retriever to welcome author Michael Stang as he discusses his collection of short stories, “The Monster of the Gunpowder River and Other Fabrications”.

Michael A. Stang has written over forty plays, many of which have been produced in the U.S. and Australia. His love of the short story began in grade school and was rekindled during Covid, when this collection was written. Dr. Stang is a retired emergency physician who came to Baltimore for his residency and remained. Besides writing, he enjoys travel, biking, fly-fishing and woodworking. He lives in Baltimore with his wife.

“Michael Stang’s magic-carpet stories fly us beyond the bounds of the real, into a world similar to this one but more magical, more coherent, and much kinder. Take the trip. A visit will do you good.” –William deBuys, Pulitzer finalist and author of The Trail to Kanjiroba

“The stories in The Monster of the Gunpowder River and Other Fabrications are a moving and elegant display of Dr. Stang’s abilities as a chronicler of history, place, character, and the nuances of time on the subjects on which he chooses to turn his knowledgeable gaze—in this case, the surrounds of the Gunpowder River in Baltimore County. The pieces bring to life real symbols, icons, and landmarks filtered through the author’s vivid imagination, at times melancholic and wistful, other times bawdy and outrageous. His tales are a balm for our current, challenging times.” –Dr. Hortense Gerardo, playwright, screenwriter, and Director of the Anthropology, Performance, and Technology (APT) Program at the Jacobs School of Engineering at the University of California, San Diego.

“Behold 7 wonder stories, each structured upon a skeleton of geographic and historic truths, made flesh by their able and tender physician/writer and gifted breath by the pure power of his imagination – together forming a kind of benevolent Golem to snuggle up to each night. Bravo!” –Rebecca Alban Hoffberger, Founder/Director American Visionary Art Museum

For more event details contact The Bookplate at 410-778-4167 or contact@thebookplate.net. This event is free and open to the public and reservations are not required, however the event on 6/14 with Smithsonian curator, Eleanor Harvey, will require reservations to guarantee a seat. Reserve your space by calling the shop at 410-778-4167. The next Authors & Oysters is scheduled for 6/7 with local favorite, Jamie Kirkpatrick. All events are held in the back room of The Retriever, located at 337 ½ High Street in Chestertown, Maryland. 

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Baltimore-Based Honey Dewdrops at the Mainstay

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On Friday, June 9 at 8 pm, The Mainstay is pleased to present the seamless acoustic music of the Honey Dewdrops.

The husband and wife Americana team The Honey Dewdrops – Laura Wortman and Kagey Parrish– have long felt the push-and-pull between their original roots in the Appalachian mountains of Virginia and their current home in urban Baltimore. Soon after relocating to Maryland in 2009, they became enmeshed in Baltimore’s thriving string-band music scene, and found it to be “one of the most open and enthusiastic creative communities” they’d come across. Seven albums and fourteen years of touring domestically and internationally later, Laura and Kagey continue to expand their contemporary folk sound, using their beautiful playing and harmonies, and other musician contacts to emphasize what connects with their audiences.

The Honey Dewdrops

With a background in American string-band music and a close-harmony style reminiscent of Appalachian mountain singing, Wortman and Parrish bring a familiar yet unique sound to listeners with clawhammer banjo, mandolin, acoustic and electric guitars. Their partnership has long focused on writing original songs and adding new ideas to the repertoire. Their live show at the Mainstay also features Baltimore multi-instrumentalist Alex Lacquement on upright bass, and percussionist, EJ Shaull-Thompson.

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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The Garfield Center’s Annual Short Attention Span Theatre Opens June 23

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Presenting a diverse set of short plays ranging from the outrageous to the hilarious, this year’s edition of the Garfield Center’s Short Attention Span Theatre received over 1000 script submissions from local, national and international playwrights. SAST opens for live performances starting June 23rd. Produced by Mark Sullivan, and mounted in collaboration between a large cast and crew of local performers, directors and technicians, SAST will once again feature 8 ten-minute plays, some of which will be appearing on a stage for the first time.

Directed by GCA Executive Director Steven Arnold, “On Queue” is a modern, comedic take on “Waiting for Godot.” Written by Morey Norkin, a resident of Japan who has Maryland roots, the director has cast J.W. Ruth and James Fordi in the play. Ruth was seen in GCA’s “The Play That Goes Wrong” as Max, as Chicklet in “Psycho Beach Party,” and in the title role in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” Fordi is a local resident, a current Washington College student, and a participant in the college’s theatre program.

In “Oh, No! I Flew Too Close to the Sun!,” a comedy by Oregon playwright Rand Higbee, a Roman-era convict attempts to clear his record by appearing as Icarus in a performance at the Colosseum – but there’s a catch! The director is Shannon Carter, who was Fiona in “Shrek,” Sandra/Florence in “The Play That Goes Wrong” and performed in a variety of acting and singing roles all over the Eastern Shore. Carter’s cast features Brianna Johnson, who appeared in GCA’s “Psycho Beach Party” and “Prescription: Murder,” Robert Walton, who performed in last year’s “SAST,” “The Play That Goes Wrong” and “Shrek,” and Ian Stotts, who portrayed Judah in GCA’s “Joseph.”

Police murder procedures meet “Whose Line is it, Anyway?” in “Annnd Scene (of the Crime),” directed by Brianna Johnson. The play, written by Ohio-based John Busser, features Adrienne Wrona, who appeared in “The Play That Goes Wrong,” “Shrek” and “SAST,” Dominic Delcoco, who performed in 2022’s “SAST” and as “Gingy” in “Shrek,” and Ian Stotts.

In “Quack,” directed by Jennifer Kafka Smith, a method actor constantly inhabits his current character role much to the annoyance of his wife and her sister. Smith, who directed “Annie” and “Shrek” for the GCA, has cast newcomer Audrey Roberts from Cambridge, newcomer Lydia Clark from Worton, and Gil Rambach, who appeared in “Shrek,” “SAST” and directed 2019’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” for the GCA.

In a fantasy kingdom’s distant past, a tailor asks the Queen to break tradition by determining his own preferred surname. His chosen name, “Dragonslayer,” is also the title of North Carolina playwright Clinton Festa’s comedy. Directed by Patrick Pearce, who has appeared on the GCA stage in “The Play That Goes Wrong,” “Psycho Beach Party,” “Prescription: Murder” and “SAST,” the show features a large cast of performers, including Amanda Fry, who has multi-year “SAST” credits, Ian Stotts, Robin Wood, who played FDR in “Annie,” Kyleigh Batchelor, who appeared in the children’s chorus in “Joseph,” Gil Rambach, Robert Walton, and J.W. Ruth.

J.W. Ruth directs “Evolution,” by St. Louis playwright Marjorie Williamson. Set in the dawn of civilization, it imagines that even prehistoric cave dwellers can resist change. The cast includes Colleen Minahan, who recently appeared in Church Hill Theatre’s “Sense and Sensibility” and “The Outgoing Tide,” and Pennsylvania resident and GCA newcomer Craig Stump.

Mark Sullivan is the director and playwright for “That Sounds Like Murder.” Hilarity and confusion abound on a dark and stormy night as three actresses attempt to solve a mystery but are thwarted by an unlikely source. Sullivan has cast Amanda Fry, Shannon Carter, and Adrienne Wrona.

“Game Day” is by local playwright and Live Playwrights’ Society participant Jon Clark. In this comedy, a man is facing a life-or-death situation but his dilemma is overshadowed by an argument with surprising revelations. Directed by Adrienne Wrona, the play features Shannon Carter, Dominic Delcoco, and James Fordi.

Performances begin June 23rd and run at 8 PM on Fridays and Saturdays and 2 PM on Sundays through July 9th. Tickets are $20.00 for general audiences and $10.00 for students and can be purchased online anytime at www.garfieldcenter.org or by calling the box office at 410-810-2060 Wednesdays through Fridays from 10 AM to 3 PM.

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Joe Holt’s June First Friday Show at the Mainstay

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On Friday, June 2 at 8 pm, jazz-impresario Joe Holt, host of the Mainstay’s monthly First Friday series, welcomes bluegrass fiddle player Nate Grower as his guest. Nate is perhaps best known as the fiddle player for performing artist superstar David Bromberg’s band. Expect an interesting exchange of genres.

During Nate’s tenure with Bromberg’s band, he has toured throughout the United States, Australia and Japan. In the process, he’s played with a steady stream of musical guests, including the late Allen Toussaint, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, John Oates (of Hall and Oates), Sam Bush, KebMo and Arlo Guthrie.

Nate Grower

When Joe Holt was seven years old, his family moved from his boyhood home in Kentucky to New Jersey. His parents acquired a spinet piano, and the young boy’s course was set. But, in Joe’s words “If I had grown up in Kentucky, I probably would have ended up a bluegrass musician”. Was that on Joe’s mind when he invited Nate Grower to join him on stage at the Mainstay? What certainly was on his mind was that both he and Nate are natural improvisers. The show promises to be “a multi genre evening of musical fireworks.”

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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Chesapeake Music Brings Jazz Artist Mary Halvorson to the Eastern Shore

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Chesapeake Music is thrilled to present international performing guitarist and composer Mary Halvorson, winner of multiple DownBeat magazine critics poll awards and MacArthur Foundation “genius grant” fellow. Halvorson will be appearing with her Amaryllis sextet on Friday, July 7, 2023, at the Ebenezer Theatre in downtown Easton, Maryland. The concert begins at 8 p.m. and tickets are available at ChesapeakeMusic.org.

Halvorson has released over a dozen albums as a bandleader, and 60 plus as a collaborator or sidewoman. She has worked with such diverse musicians as Tim Berne, Anthony Braxton, Taylor Ho Bynum, John Dieterich, Trevor Dunn, Bill Frisell, Ingrid Laubrock, Jason Moran, Joe Morris, Tom Rainey, Jessica Pavone, Tomeka Reid, Marc Ribot, and John Zorn.

“We are fortunate to be able to bring one of New York City’s most in-demand guitarists, Mary Halvorson, and her sextet to Easton,” says Don Buxton, Executive Director of Chesapeake Music.

“This is truly a unique opportunity.”

Mary Halvorson’s Amaryllis Sextet to Perform at Ebenezer Theater. (photo credit – Ernest Stuart)

Halvorson’s most recent albums, released in May 2022, showcase her string quartet writing, interpreted by The Mivos Quartet (Belladonna), alongside her new sextet (Amaryllis), which she is bringing to Easton. The sextet features Adam O’Farrill, described by the New York Times as “among the leading trumpeters in jazz;” Jacob Garchik on trombone who, among other things, has contributed over 115 arrangements and transcriptions for the Kronos Quartet; Patricia Brennan on vibraphone, described by The New York City Jazz Record as “one of the instrument’s newer leaders:” Nick Dunston on bass, described by the New York Times as an “indispensable player on the New York avant-garde [scene];” and last but not least Tomas Fujiwara on drums. Fujiwara has been described by Nate Chinen of the New York Times as having “a way of spreading out the center of a pulse while setting up a rigorous scaffolding of restraint…A conception of the drum set as a full-canvas instrument, almost orchestral in its scope.”

Come listen to whom Steve Dollar of the Wall Street Journal called “one of the most exciting and original guitarists in jazz—or otherwise,” and whom Francis Davis of the Village Voice described as “one of today’s most formidable bandleaders.”

Based in Easton, Maryland, Chesapeake Music is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to bring renowned jazz and classical musicians to delight, engage and surprise today’s audiences, and educate, inspire and develop tomorrow’s. They’ve been doing it for more than 35 years! To learn more about Chesapeake Music, visit their website at https://chesapeakemusic.org/.

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Roald Dahl’s Matilda, The Musical Opening Soon at Church Hill Theatre

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Roald Dahl’s Matilda, The Musical, will open at Church Hill Theatre on June 9th and run for three weekends until June 25th.  With a large cast (including 19 local young people), an orchestra, and some nifty special effects, the theatre’s signature musical show is sure to sell out quickly. CHT management suggests you reserve tickets now on the website churchhilltheatre.org or by calling the office at (410) 556-6003.

Matilda was introduced to the world in the 1988 Roald Dahl novel about Matilda Wormwood, a bookish and courageous young woman coping with a dysfunctional family and an abusive school. Using her wits (and telekinetic powers), Matilda overcomes injustice and helps others in the process. Bringing Matilda to a new generation, the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Matilda, the Musical won seven British Olivier Awards in 2012 and the Broadway version earned five Tony Awards in 2013. Since then, this musical with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin and book by Dennis Kelly has delighted worldwide audiences.

Matilda, the Musical features the talents of eight young people of the area, Cece Bagshaw, Isla Clemens, Schuyler Helmsley, Camden Hubbert, Liam Kruhm, Russell Laing, Rooney Rosati and Charlie Thomas, playing the “Little Kids” who face their first day of school in Ms. Trunchbull’s (Kathy Jones) Crunchem Hall. They are greeted by the “Big Kids,” Maria Boone, Addyson Crooks, Olivia Coppage, Emme Dumont, Sam Holdgreve, Dalton Knotts, Joycelyn Matera, Helen Willard, and Travis Stotts who scare them with the threat of exhausting Phys Ed and punishment by “Chokey” if they fail to do as they are told.  Thus begins the journey of Matilda played on alternating performances by Sydney Hill and Carly Mourlas, to survive her dysfunctional family and evil school mistress.

L to R: Back row: Carly Mourlas, Olivia Coppage (Gwendolyn), Dalton Knotts (Alfie), Sam Holdgreve (Veronica); Middle row on floor: Charlie Thomas (Nigel), Schulyer Helmsley (Lavender), Camden Hubbert (Tommy); Front row: Kathy Jones (Ms. Trunchbull), Russell Laing (Bruce). They are rehearsing the song, ”Bruce.”

Featured in this musical are songs that range from “Miracle” in which proud kids sing about their laurels to the plea by Matilda to be just a little bit “Naughty” so that her parents would really listen to her. While parts of the story are humorous, some are sad, some are somewhat uncouth and crass, yet others lead to a child’s view of what being an adult means in “When I Grow Up”.  Appearing in adult roles are Matt Folker, Heather Joyce-Byers, Cavin Moore, Noah Thompson, Becca Van Aken, Hannah Yoder, and Herb Ziegler.

Direction is by Sylvia Maloney, assisted by Becca Van Aken, with  Erin Bradley as musical director and choreography by Cavin Moore.   It features a set design by Michael Whitehill and Tom Rhodes with some very special effects, costumes by Tina Johnson and her team while Doug Kaufmann heads the lighting and sound department. Roald Dahl’s Matilda, the Musical will play at Church Hill Theatre from June 9 through June 25, with performances at 8 pm on Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 pm on Sundays. Tickets are available on the website at churchhilltheaatre.org or through the box office at 410-556-6003.

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