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January 26, 2022

The Talbot Spy

The nonprofit e-newspaper for the Talbot County Community

Arts Arts Notes

February at the Mainstay

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The Mainstay, the Eastern Shore’s 25-year-old nonprofit live music venue located in Rock Hall, Maryland, is ready to usher in its 2022 performance season. Their diverse calendar of jazz, bluegrass, folk music, Celtic, blues, and classical music promises to feature a concert event every weekend throughout the year. Here are the events planned for February:

Friday, 2/4 @ 8 p.m. – The premiere of the Mainstay’s new monthly series “First Friday with pianist Joe Holt”, each month featuring a collaboration with a different guest artist (from a variety of artistic/ musical genres). February’s show is “In Love with Swing” with Cody Leavel (The Glenn Miller Orchestra) on sax and Amy Shook (3 Divas Jazz Trio) on the upright bass and vocals.

Wednesday, 2/9 @ 7 p.m. – The Mainstay introduces its new monthly Open Mic event (held on the second Wednesday of every month). Open to all musicians, poets, comics, and the general public. No admission.

Saturday, 2/12 @ 8 p.m.

Ken & Brad Kolodner and their band perform Old-Time, Bluegrass and Americana on the hammered dulcimer, clawhammer banjo, bass, fiddle, and guitar, with seamless 3-part harmonies.

Saturday, 2/19, 2022 @ 8 p.m.

Jazz vibes player Chuck Redd leads a Tribute to the Bossa Nova and 

the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim, featuring Brazilian singer Maucha Adnet.

Saturday, 2/26, 2022 @ 8 p.m.

A night of Americana and vintage blues with Annie and the Hedonists.

Annie’s voice sits comfortably along the greats of the American blues and

jazz tradition – think Bessie Smith, Sippie Wallace, Billie Holiday. 

For tickets and information visit mainstayrockhall.org Or call (410) 639-9133 The Mainstay is located at 5753 N Main St in Rock Hall, MD 21661

The Mainstay Introduces Two New Series in its 2022 Lineup

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Starting in February of 2022, the Mainstay, Rock Hall, Maryland’s non-profit live music venue, will feature a new live show every week on its diverse, year-round schedule. Two new monthly performance series for the upcoming 2022 season will take their place in the calendar. 

Pianist Joe Holt

For the past five years, pianist Joe Holt was the host of the “Mainstay Mondays” series at the Mainstay. These weekly programs featured a unique collaboration with a different regional guest artist (from a variety of genres) every week. Holt is well known on the Eastern Shore for his imaginative, whimsical improvisations, as well as being a sensitive accompanist and collaborator, and for creating a space for all in the audience to join him. He commands a repertoire of moving ballads, familiar jazz tunes, as well as up-tempo burners. Starting this February, then on the First Friday of every month at 8 p.m., Joe will continue these collaborations as Host and Producer of the Mainstay’s new “First Fridays” series. Mainstay Director Matt Mielnick suggests that this is the perfect way to cap off a night’s entertainment following Chestertown’s First Friday daytime activities. Joe has announced his first few guests for the monthly series: On Friday, February 4 Joe presents a show he has named “In Love with Swing”.

Amy Shook on the upright bass and vocals.

His guest artists include Cody Leavel on sax and Amy Shook on the upright bass and vocals. Amy is well-known to local audiences as the co-leader of the all-women powerhouse 3-Divas Jazz Trio. Cody Leavel, from Rehoboth, DE joined the touring company of the Glenn Miller Orchestra immediately after graduating from college and has been playing professionally ever since. On Friday, March 4, Joe shares the stage with classical piano virtuoso Stephanie LaMotte. Stephanie is the Music Director of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Chestertown and the associate conductor and accompanist of the Chester River Chorale. This dual piano performance will be about a classical and a “jazz”/improvising pianist “navigating the universe together”. Joe quips that the show is the perfect occasion for a reminiscence of classical music humorist Victor Borge. 

Cody Leavel on sax

February 9th will also see the start of the Mainstay’s monthly Open Mic Night series. Subsequently, on the second Wednesday of every month (beginning at 7 p.m.) the Mainstay will welcome area performers to take the stage and perform a sampling of their repertoire. The invitation is open to musicians (individual and small ensemble players) who bring their own instruments to perform both cover songs and originals. The Mainstay provides the sound system, and a piano will be available onstage. The event is perhaps best suited for people who perform on acoustic instruments. The Open Mic also welcomes original poetry recitations and short comedy bits. Players will sign up for a spot in the evening rotation upon arriving and will appear on the program on a first-come-first-served basis. Mielnick adds that the Open Mic format also provides the chance for local musicians to support the talented Kent County musical community, whether they are amateurs or professionals. These events are open to the public and there is no admission charged.

The Mainstay is also renewing its commitment to featuring the area’s best jazz, bluegrass, Americana/ roots, Gospel, and blues in its 2022 calendar. For more information visit the website at mainstayrockhall.org or contact us (410) 639-9133

Island Life Exhibition to Open at CBMM

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Chesapeake photographer Jay Fleming’s work will be featured in a new special exhibition at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Md., starting Jan. 28, 2022. Island Life: Changing Culture, Changing Shorelines will be on display in CBMM’s Van Lennep Auditorium through May 29, 2022.

Originally planned for a 2020 opening, CBMM instead hosted a virtual exhibition of these works at cbmmislandlife.org and will now install 15 of them onsite to celebrate the publication of Fleming’s latest book, Island Life.

Photo by Jay Fleming

Fleming’s photographs reveal how the changing environment is affecting the cultures and shorelines of inhabited and formerly inhabited offshore islands in the Chesapeake. He discovered his passion for photography upon inheriting his father, former National Geographic photographer, Kevin, hand-me-down Nikon film camera at the age of 13. Fleming immediately developed an affinity to looking at life through the lens of his camera and what ensued was an exciting photographic journey that would eventually lead him to his career as a professional photographer. His first book, Working the Water—a photographic narrative of the Chesapeake Bay seafood industry—is in its third printing and Island Life was released last fall. A free, in-person book talk is planned for Wednesday, Feb. 23, with more details available at bit.ly/FlemingArtistTalk.

“Jay Fleming is a consummate visual storyteller,” said Jenifer Dolde, CBMM’s Associate Curator of Collections. “His frequent visits to the islands and shorelines along the Bay have resulted in an intimate knowledge of the land and people, allowing him to capture moments in time that encapsulate our distinctive Chesapeake landscape and culture.”

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to preserving and exploring the history, environment, and culture of the entire Chesapeake Bay region, and making this resource available to all. Every aspect of fulfilling this mission is driven by CBMM’s values of relevancy, authenticity, and stewardship, along with a commitment to providing engaging guest experiences and transformative educational programming, all while serving as a vital community partner. For more information, visit cbmm.org or call 410-745-2916.

CHT’s 2022 Season Opens with Last of the Red Hot Lovers

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Last of the Red Hot Lovers opens on January 28 and runs through February 13, 2022, with performances at 8:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights and 2:00 p.m. on Sunday afternoons. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for members and $10 for students.  Reservations can be made by calling the Church Hill Theatre office at (410) 556 – 6003 or online at churchhilltheatre.org.

Please note that the Church Hill Theatre, Inc. requires proof of vaccination for all audience members, staff, volunteers, performers and Board members at all performances and theatre activities. As you enter, you are expected to show either your vaccination card and photo ID or a digital vaccination card. This policy will remain in effect until further notice. Masks will also be required for audiences, front of house volunteers, and staff inside the theatre except while eating and drinking.

It’s the swinging 1960s and sexually repressed Barney Cashman is determined to be part of the action. Eager but busy managing his seafood restaurant, Barney’s seduction and time-management skills both lack polish. And the women he picks! Elaine is a sexpot for sure, but her needs and Barney’s rapidly diverge. Bobbi seems sweet and vulnerable, until we realize she needs a psychiatrist rather than a lover. And Jeanette—well, she could dampen any man’s libido.  Last of the Red Hot Lovers was a solid hit both on Broadway and on film. The 1972 movie adaptation starred Alan Arkin, Sally Kellerman, Paula Prentiss and Renee Taylor. Fifty years later, Barney’s angst and Simon’s wisdom still speak powerfully to contemporary audiences.

Director Bonnie Hill, with a real affinity for Simon plays, has assembled an outstanding and experienced cast. Bryan Zajchowski, seen as Dr. Finache in A Flea in Her Ear, takes on the demanding role of Barney. Brianna Johnson makes her CHT debut as the wacky Bobbi. Christine Kinlock, last seen at CHT in The Importance of Being Ernest and Other Desert Cities, portrays Jeanette. Hill recently directed all three in Circle Mirror Transformation at the Garfield Center for the Arts.  Lisa Witmer, making her CHT debut as Elaine, has a strong theater background in the Chicago area, including the Second City Conservatory.

The production staff includes: Sheila Austrian, Producer; Steve Atkinson, Stage Manager; Earl Lewin, Set Design; Carmen Grasso, Set Construction, Connie Fallon, Costumes, Doug Kaufmann, Light and Sound, and Juanita Wieczoreck, Properties.

For more information, please visit churchhilltheatre.org.

Harry Potter Book Night at The Bookplate

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All are welcome on February 5 from 5:00-8:00pm to participate in the worldwide Harry Potter Book Night to be celebrated here in Kent County. This free event is supported by Bloomsbury Publishing and will be held at Bookplate, 112 S. Cross St., Chestertown, MD 21620.

Young wizards, witches and Muggles can sit for Tarot readings with experienced local Tara Holste, be sorted into their houses, have their futures unveiled by Professor Trelawney, pose for fan-created photo opportunities, and participate in a store-wide scavenger hunt for a chance to win one of the available Harry Potter gift baskets. Come in costume to take an extra 20% off all book sales that night, and don’t forget your wand! 

In light of the recent Covid-19 surge in our county, the staff at The Bookplate will continue to monitor the situation, and may choose to postpone the event if deemed necessary. The Bookplate, which has required proper masking in the store since March 2020, is always mindful of ensuring the safety of our community of neighbors and friends. Follow The Bookplate on Facebook to be sure to hear the latest news about store events. 

For more event details contact The Bookplate at 410-778-4167 or contact@thebookplate.net. This event is organized by a volunteer committee of loyal Potter fans to celebrate the spirit of Harry Potter. To learn more about the global phenomenon of Harry Potter Book Night, visit www.bloomsbury.com/uk/discover/harry-potter/

**The Bookplate also wants to extend an invitation to our LGBT+ community, many of whom may have felt a loss of connection to the stories as a result of J.K. Rowling’s hurtful comments about transgender men and women. The staff at the shop and the community of volunteers acknowledge that these were harmful and inappropriate comments that in no way reflect the atmosphere of inclusion that is fostered at The Bookplate. All are welcome.

Becoming A Fiber Artist – Jeanne Bosse Hechmer

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Jeanne is a lifelong resident of Easton, Maryland. She graduated from Salisbury State College and went on to teach middle school in Queen Anne’s County until retiring in 1998.

Jeanne’s mother, an accomplished seamstress, taught her how to sew and do needlework. Jeanne sewed clothing and home decorating items for many years. She began quilting in 1980 and has made dozens of quilts and wall hangings.

She draws inspiration from nature, her religion, math, vintage odds and ends, and the work of other artists. Her fiber art pieces and wearables reflect her love of color, fabric, fibers, beads and other embellishments.

Jeanne is a member of Bayside Quilters and has exhibited her work in their shows and in local galleries.

The exhibit runs through the end of February, 2022. We welcome your visit on Wednesdays Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, from 12:00 – 4:00pm each day. The exhibit is free of charge.

Fiber Arts Center of the Eastern Shore, 7 N. 4th St., Denton, MD 21629 Phone 410-479-4296, info@fiberartscenter.com

RiverArts Seeks Executive Director

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RiverArts, a nonprofit community arts organization in Kent County is now accepting applications for an Executive Director to support its mission of “Growing community, creativity, and connection through the arts.” RiverArts pursues this mission through work in its four centers in Chestertown- the Gallery & Gift Shop, KidSPOT, the Clay Studio, and the ArtsAlive! Education Center.

The Executive Director will lead all strategic and operational components of the organization, working with the board and staff to build community understanding around the current mission, develop appropriate goals and strategies to advance that mission and establish operational objectives that support the mission and business plan. The continued success of RiverArts relies on the support of a large membership; nurturing and growing this membership, including a dedicated group of organizational volunteers, is another essential piece of the Executive Director’s daily work.

A full position description, specifying duties and qualifications, can be found on Idealist or Indeed Executive Director – Chestertown, MD 21620 – Indeed.com. Applicants can also apply via email by sending a cover letter detailing their qualifications, along with their resume and contact information for three professional references to the RiverArts Executive Director Hiring Committee at admin@chestertownriverarts.org.

The hiring committee will begin the review of applications on Friday, January 21st, and will continue on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Journeys Imagined, Paintings by John Moran, on View at Adkins Arboretum

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John Moran’s paintings are like stories in the process of unfolding. On view at the Adkins Arboretum Visitor’s Center through Feb. 26, Journeys Imagined, his exhibit of watercolor, oil and acrylic paintings, brims with rich, glowing color and animated trees, hills, clouds and abstract forms. There will be a reception to meet the artist on Sat., Feb. 19 from 2 to 4 p.m.

Although his paintings almost always suggest landscapes, they hover strangely between representation and abstraction. Colorful, inviting and often playful, they are full of the dreamlike, half-formed shapes you might glimpse in your imagination.

There’s a curved, cream-colored shape in “Nearing the Distance” that seems like a boat afloat in a sea of purple and violet water with islands and dark hills beyond. But none of it is distinct. The “boat” might just be a reflection of a pale cloud in the upper left or a shimmer of moonlight across the water.

Moran’s paintings are evocative of many things, but you can never be quite sure of what, and it’s this uncertainty that makes them so appealing. With no idea how a painting will turn out, Moran begins with some washes of color, then he paints in more colors and shapes, alters them, scrapes some paint away and paints some more. It’s a process of continual change as he experiments with how colors and shapes react to one another.

“It’s never planned,” he said. “I’m working on a painting now that’s all blue, but yesterday or the day before it was all red.”

John Moran, “Nearing the Distance,” oil on canvas, 18” x 24”

Now living in Chester, Moran grew up in Washington, D.C., and began taking art classes in his late twenties at the American Academy of Art in Chicago. For 25 years, he lived in West Virginia and continued to paint, mostly creating plein air watercolor landscapes, while raising his family, farming and working at a government job. After his retirement in 1997, he chose to concentrate on art and in 2006 earned an MFA from the Hoffberger School of Painting at the Maryland Institute College of Art.

Over the years, Moran has developed his own very distinctive style, though occasionally there’s a nod to Arshile Gorky, Joan Miro, Salvador Dali or some other artist. Because he is so fascinated with the process of painting, he relishes the work of many different kinds of painters, listing Francis Bacon, David Hockney and Wayne Thiebaud as some of his favorites.

For Moran, the process of painting is almost more important than the finished work, and he enjoys the unexpected accidents that happen along the way. Dripping paint might turn into tree trunks or a coal-black mass might suggest a rocky seacoast, while a band of sooty red and luminous scarlet shapes below it call to mind molten lava churning deep in the earth.

There is much that is unpredictable and even slightly mystical in his paintings. Moran likes to think of them as visual poetry, never static and always open to new interpretations.

“I don’t know why these are what they are, and I can’t explain it,” he said. “I think it’s another language. Painting expresses something that can’t be said in words.”

Journeys Imagined is part of Adkins Arboretum’s ongoing exhibition series of work on natural themes by regional artists. It is on view through Feb. 26 at the Arboretum Visitor’s Center located at 12610 Eveland Road near Tuckahoe State Park in Ridgely. Contact the Arboretum at 410–634–2847, ext. 0 or info@adkinsarboretum.org for gallery hours.

Adkins Arboretum is a 400-acre native garden and preserve at the headwaters of the Tuckahoe Creek in Caroline County. For more information, visit adkinsarboretum.org or call 410-634-2847, ext. 0

Chesapeake Music’s Rising Stars Winter Concert Features Pianist Elliot Wuu and Cellist Sterling Elliott

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Pianist Elliot Wuu

Chesapeake Music’s Rising Stars winter concert will present two outstanding young classical musicians in performance at the Ebenezer Theater in Easton, Maryland (17 S. Washington St.) on February 13th at 2 p.m. Pianist Elliot Wuu and cellist Sterling Elliott will perform music by Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Saint-Saëns, and Tchaikovsky. The concert will also be streamed for a week, following the live performance.

In this exciting concert, Elliot Wuu will open with one of Robert Schumann’s major solo piano works: “Kinderszenen“ (Scenes from Childhood), which depicts both the happiness and sadness of youth in 13 musical snapshots. Next up will be Franz Schubert’s “Wanderer” Fantasy (Fantasie in C Major), long considered Schubert’s most technically demanding solo piano work.

In the second half of the program, Sterling Elliott will join forces with Elliot Wuu, and this will mark their first public duo collaboration. They will perform Ludwig van Beethoven’s late “Cello Sonata No. 4,” an emotionally expressive work that also demands technical prowess of both players. Following will be an arrangement of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s famous “dante cantabile.”

Concluding the concert, Elliot and Sterling will play an arrangement of Camille Saint-Saëns’ “Havanaise in E Major,” a show-stopper with its fiery, virtuosic outer sections and dreamy, lyrical central melody for the cello.

Although young – both artists are 22 – Elliot and Sterling are widely lauded as exceptional musicians. The Republic, in reviewing Wuu’s 2017 performance of Saint-Saens’ G minor piano concerto, wrote, “Wuu is an unbelievable talent who will undoubtedly stun audiences all over the world with his powerful musical gifts.” And the Tribune Star reviewed his 2018 concert with the Terre Haute Symphony, stating, “The remarkable young pianist commands a keyboard with the power, speed and finesse of artists twice his age.”

Cellist Sterling Elliott

The New York Concert Review praised Sterling’s 2018 solo recital at Carnegie Hall, writing: “The very fine young cellist Sterling Elliott played with perfect intonation, style, and total involvement.” And Victor Carr, Jr. of Classics Today wrote of an early performance, “Elliott’s impeccable musicianship, as well as his discernible love for the music, won over the audience, which responded with sustained standing applause.”

Both of these young artists received baccalaureate degrees from The Juilliard School, and both are presently pursuing master’s degrees at Juilliard, each having been awarded Kovner Fellowships there. Despite the rigor of their classes, they have been able to win prestigious competitions and awards and embark on concertizing careers at major venues in the U.S. and abroad.

Elliot Wuu won the 2021 Salon de Virtuosi Prior Family Foundation Career Grant and was named a Young Steinway Artist as well as a Gilmore Young Artist, two of the most prestigious awards given to young pianists. Sterling Elliott, who is now represented by Colbert Artists Management, received both an Avery Fisher Career Grant and a Salon de Virtuosi Career Grant in 2021. In 2019, he was the first recipient of The National Arts Club’s Herman and Mary Neuman Music Scholarship Award as well as the first prize winner of the senior division of the National Sphinx Competition, becoming the youngest winner in the Competition’s history.

Despite their numerous competition successes, awards, and concert engagements, both musicians feel strongly that completing their educations remains paramount. At Juilliard, Eliot continues to study with Robert McDonald – a pianist well-known to Chesapeake Music audiences at the annual Chamber Music Festivals – and Sterling is studying with Joel Krosnick and Clara Kim.

Sterling summed up their shared goal to keep education a top priority, saying, “I saw the need to finish my degree and felt the need to go back for my master’s. There’s no way I could have stopped my education at this point. I could continue performing as I have been, but I would feel artistically incomplete to stop my learning. There’s so much to learn now, and I have to continue.”

For more information and to purchase tickets, please see www.chesapeakemusic.org.

Academy Art Museum Kicks Off Emerging Collectors Circle

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Pictured is Allie Prell, new Chair of the Academy Art Museum’s Emerging Collectors Circle, visiting the Museum’s 2021 Members’ Exhibition.

The Academy Art Museum is thrilled to announce a new initiative for arts appreciators and emerging collectors under age 45 or those who have started to build their collections within the past three years. The Emerging Collectors Circle is a community program that seeks to make collecting art and engaging with the art world more accessible and to generate conversations about living with art.

Local businesswoman Allie Prell, Chair of the Academy Art Museum’s new Emerging Collectors Circle& Co-Owner of Trade Whims in Easton, comments, “I think that there are a lot of creative people in our community and I am looking forward to meeting the people who are going to be a part of this. The goal is to have this be something that is organic and that the people, who are a part of it, help create and make special.”

“Art as a whole, whatever the medium, is a way of expressing creativity – it’s a universal language that can open up doors and take down walls and bring a community together.”

Members of the Emerging Collectors Circle receive one signed limited-edition print by the Museum’s Artist-in-Residence per year, as well as invitations to programming throughout the year, such as curator-led visits to art fairs in the Mid-Atlantic, coffee talks on contemporary art at the Museum, and tailored advice on how to grow an art collection. Those who are exploring the idea of building an art collection or have recently started one are encouraged to join this vibrant community of fellow collectors and learn about opportunities to purchase affordable art. Having or wanting to start an art collection is not a requirement for membership; most of the group’s activities are geared towards fostering a community of individuals who are curious about art and are open to exploring the work of new artists in a wide variety of art mediums such as painting, photography, sculpture, graphic art, and illustration.

“I love the way that I’ve grown my own collection with my husband. Through exposure to our local Plein Air Easton and the Waterfowl Festival, we have purchased pieces we like and when we travel, we try to pick up something specific to that location whenever we can. We started that on our honeymoon,” Prell shares.

She credits her family with influencing her collection, including her mother where art was always in their home and her sister, who is a photographer.

“I love anything that can capture a moment or a feeling. I think that’s one of the reasons why Edward Hopper is my favorite artist. I would say I just love his work because I feel like when I look at it, I can be right there in it. It’s almost like it transports me,” she adds.

Prell shares that she is really excited about where the Academy Art Museum is going right now. She states, “I feel like the new director and curator understand the community and just want to make it better. This program is geared towards my generation on the Shore and will enable me to learn more about our community and to meet the artists who are coming here. It will also help me better understand why I collect and what I collect.”

“We hope to demystify the contemporary art world for people who don’t know how to start collecting or who are just starting to collect. Members will have access to activities every other month, such as a visit to the Smithsonian Craft Show this spring, behind-the-scenes museum tours, and visits to collectors’ homes and artists’ studios. It’s an enriching way to support AAM and artists, and grow as a collector,” states Sarah Jesse, Director of the Academy Art Museum.

“I am really excited to meet more people in this community who appreciate art and artists and are interested in being more involved with the Museum. This new community is a huge step towards our mission to have a wider audience, and through their participation, they support vital and accessible programming at the Museum,” states Mehves Lelic, the Museum’s Curator.

Dues per individual or household for the Emerging Collectors Circle are $250/year and will support evening programming for younger audiences at the Museum. Seasoned collectors are encouraged to join the Museum’s Collection Society. For further information on both, please visit https://bit.ly/AAMCollectionGroups or contact Mehves Lelic, Curator at the Museum at mlelic@academyartmuseum.org.