Sheryl Southwick, Happy Birthday

EXHIBITIONS

The Annual Members’ Exhibition: The Museum @ 60
Through January 13, 2019
Free Docent Tours Wednesdays, 11 a.m.- 12 noon, meet at Front Desk
The Academy Art Museum is celebrating its 60th Anniversary. In honor of this milestone, the Museum is suggesting the theme of “60” for its 2018 Members’ Exhibition. Museum members have been invited to get creative, imaginative and experimental around the suggested “60” theme in any medium. The new dates for the Members’ Exhibition will coincide with the holidays, during peak family visits and holiday cheer, as well as many opportunities for art sales. New York Artist Emily Lombardo served as Judge for the exhibition. The Academy Art Museum exhibitions are sponsored by the Talbot County Arts Council, the Maryland State Arts Council, and the Star Democrat.

EVENTS

Open MIC
Second Monday Each Month
December 10 – Airing of Grievances
7 to 9 p.m.

Andre Kertesz, Clock of the Académie Française

LECTURES

Kittredge-Wilson Lectures
These lectures feature an exciting array of speakers who impart a diversity of perspectives on subjects such as art, architecture, history and literature.

The Altering Eye: Photography at the National Gallery of Art
Sarah Greenhough, Senior Curator of Photographs, National Gallery of Art
Friday, December 14, 2018, 6 p.m.
Cost: $24 Members, Non-members $29 (Pre-registration is suggested)
In 1990, Sarah Greenhough became the founding curator of the Department of Photographs at the National Gallery of Art and has been responsible for establishing and growing the National Gallery’s collection of photographs, which now numbers more than 17,000 works made between 1839 and the present.

ADULT CLASSES

Handmade Coastal Holiday Ornaments
Instructor: Maggii Sarfaty
Two-day workshop: December 6 and 7, Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. – 12 noon
Cost: $105 Members, $126 non-members (Plus $8 materials fee paid to instructor)

Maggii Sarfaty

Earring Frenzy
Instructor: Melissa Kay-Steves
Date: December 5, Wednesday, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
Cost: $50 Members, $60 Non-Members (Plus $35 materials kit fee paid to the instructor at first class)

CHILDREN’S CLASSES

Family Ornament Day
Instructor: Museum Staff
Saturday, December 8, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
FREE

PERFORMING ARTS CLASSES

Piano & Guitar Lessons
Instructor: Raymond Remesch
Contact Instructor for further information at (410) 829-0335 or rayremesch@gmail.com

Voice Lessons
Instructor: Georgiann Gibson
Contact instructor for Information at (410) 829-2525 or georgiann@atlanticbb.net.

Ballroom and Latin Dance
Instructor: Amanda Showell
Contact instructor for information at (302) 377-3088 or visit dancingontheshore.com.

For additional information, visit academyartmuseum.org or call the Museum at 410-822-2787.

Dreading another season of canned Christmas music? Fear not. Inspired by genre-bending artists like Chris Thile and The Piano Guys; Front Porch Orchestra is giving six Delmarva-area performances of their crown jewel: 17 movements of Pytor Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Ballet played bar-for-bar on banjo, violin, viola, two guitars, string bass and percussion. In lieu of dancers, the music is accompanied by a frumpy narrator telling a satirical rendition of the ETA Hoffman story in bits between each movement.

This concert is unlike any other performance of classical music. The arrangements retain the dynamics, countermelodies and nuance that make it a brilliant composition, while framing it in a way that keeps the average music-listener tuned in. Studio recordings can be streamed via frontporchorchestra.bandcamp.com.

Front Porch Orchestra formed in early 2017 in Easton, Md. After refining their sound for almost two years and giving successful local concerts, they will for the first time share their music outside of Maryland’s mid-shore.

Bluegrass Nutcracker performance dates:

12/1 @ 2pm: Academy Art Museum in Easton, Md
12/8 @ 2pm: Milton Theatre in Milton, De
12/14 @ 8pm: Chesapeake Arts Center in Brooklyn, Md
12/15 @ 2pm: Church Hill Theater in Church Hill, Md
12/16 @ 2pm: Jammin Java in Vienna, Va
12/21 @ 8pm: The 447 in Cambridge, Md

For all inquiries, contact Ray via RayRemesch@gmail.com

Facebook.com/frontporchorchestra

Chesapeake Music and Oxford Community Center partner for an end of year World Premier jazz concert featuring the Anderson Twins, with an ensemble of twenty musicians on the main stage. The concert is entitled “Benny meets Artie with Strings”, a celebration of the work of Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw. The show will be held at the Oxford Community Center, Saturday, December 1^st from 7:30pm – 9:30pm.

Goodman and Shaw’s legacy reaches beyond jazz; both recorded classical and third-stream works, constantly pushing the boundaries of pop music while exemplifying perfection on the clarinet. Since their days in elementary school, the Anderson twins have been studying jazz clarinet and are now honing their own artistic voices performing in New York City and beyond. The brothers performed at the 2016 Monty Alexander Jazz Festival and are excited to return to the Eastern Shore with a bigger, more dynamic presentation to bring in the Holiday season.

“This partnership with Chesapeake Music allows the OCC to continue its mission to enrich the lives of the community while inviting all of Talbot County to hear world class music in our concert hall. The acoustics are amazing.” said Joe Fischer, President of the Board of Trustees, “The OCC stage was meant to be filled with the best of the best and Chesapeake Music has fantastic relationships with internationally acclaimed talent. We are very proud of this concert and look forward to more collaborations with Chesapeake Music in the future.”

Peter and Will Anderson, photo credit: Maryann Lopinto

“Chesapeake Music is enthusiastic about the December concert in partnership with the Oxford Community Center. Our first priority is to bring the best in live musical performances to our community. We continue to explore new combinations, music, and partnerships that will delight our audiences and build the audience of tomorrow”. Courtney Kane, President, Chesapeake Music.

“I last saw the Twins in concert at Lincoln Center. The opportunity to see this show premier in our own backyard is special” added Al Sikes, Board Member, Chesapeake Music and Jazz Committee Chair.

“Peter and Will Anderson are virtuosos on both clarinet and saxophone” – The New York Times

“Saxophones and clarinets elegantly converge, converse and engage in delightful counterpoint…the arrangements, imaginatively unfolding in ways that consistently bring a fresh perspective to classic pop and jazz tunes” – The Washington Post

Doors open at 7:00pm with cash bar available. Tickets are $50 for general admission; $250 for the VIP package which includes premium seating and a meet and greet with the Anderson Twins and ensemble. The VIP meet and greet includes an open bar and light hors d’oeuvres from 9:30pm – 10:30pm.

OCC offers a wide diversity of programs throughout the year thanks to the generous annual fund donors, attendees and sponsors. Chesapeake Music concerts offer the opportunity to travel the world through an incredible variety of music with internationally-acclaimed artists’ right here on the Eastern Shore. The money raised by this December 1^st event goes directly towards both organizations partnered to serve our greater community.

The Anderson Twins concert event is generously sponsored by Doc’s Sunset Grille and Campbell’s Boatyards.  Programs at both organizations are funded in part by a grant from the Talbot County Arts Council with revenues provided by the Maryland State Arts Council with additional support from corporate and private benefactors.

For more on the Anderson Twins, visit www.peterandwillanderson.com.

To purchase tickets, visit www.ChesapeakeMusic.org or call 410 819-0380.

The Talbot Spy is sharing with our readers each week the MCTV produced Weekend Marquee with Tim Weigand as host. We hope you enjoy this short two minute preview of what’s coming up over the next few days.

PFLAG Mid-Shore (Chestertown and Easton) and Washington College will be hosting its annual Transgender Day of Remembrance, as it continue its mission to build on a foundation of loving families united with LGBTQ people and allies who support one another until all hearts and minds respect, value and affirm LGBTQ people.

PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays ) is a national organization that provides peer support through advocacy, education and public speaking. PFLAG’s is made up of and acts as the extended families , as well as unites families and allies with people who are in our LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning) community.

Sunday, November 18
5:00 PM to 6:30 PM
Norman James Theatre 
Washington College
Chestertown 

Brendan Behan’s The Hostage is, “bright and bawdy, irreverent and tender” at CHT says Peter Heck in his review. Pat Patterson directs this dark Irish comedy that runs through November 18, with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm. Reservations can be made by calling 410-556-6003 or online at churchhilltheatre.org.

Set in 1960 Ireland, between the glory days of Easter Uprising and the horrors of the Troubles, Irish nationalism flourishes but is without firm direction. Pat and Meg, who run an informal brothel in Monsewer’s house, reluctantly agree to house a British hostage seized by the IRA in hopes of saving a condemned Irish terrorist. But the ensuing mix of part-time militiamen, prostitutes, and nostalgic patriots leads to confusion and misunderstandings. Heck notes that, “The Hostage is an exhilarating experience with a talented cast delivering a script that ranges from the scurrilous to the poetic – sometimes hitting both extremes in a matter of moments.”

Photo: Residents of the boarding house see the Hostage (Max Hagan, center, forward) for the first time. From L-R they are, Eamon Murphy, Christopher Wallace, Maya McGrory (behind) Christine Kinlock, Natalie Lane, Hester Sachse, Michelle Christopher, Herb Ziegler, Julie Lawrence (behind), Charles Michael Moore, Howard Mesick, Kellan Paddy. Photo by Steve Atkinson

Christopher Wallace plays Pat, the landlord; Christine Kinlock plays his consort, Meg; and Herb Ziegler plays Monsewer, the Anglo-Irish owner of the house. Max Hagan portrays the hostage, Leslie Williams. Residents include two prostitutes (one mostly retired), played by Natalie Lane and Michelle Christopher; a seedy civil servant and an improbable social worker, played by Howard Mesick and Hester Sachse; and a couple of promiscuous men of fluid gender, played by Michael Moore and Kellan Paddy. Maya McGrory plays Teresa, the young and innocent housemaid. An extremist IRA officer is played by Paul Briggs, assisted by an eager volunteer played by Eamon Murphy. Troy Strootman is a Russian sailor, perhaps the only one in the house with money in his pocket.

Julie Lawrence, the show’s Music Director, and Phil Dutton take turns playing Kelly, an onstage presence throughout the play, providing piano accompaniment for songs, a friendly place to sit, and even cash when the beer runs out.

Patterson’s production team includes Producer Sylvia Maloney, Set Designer Michael Whitehill, Choreographer Cavin Moore, Costumer Juanita Wieczoerck, Lighting Designer Douglas Kaufmann, Dialect Coach Sally Borghardt, Photographer Steve Atkinson and Sound Designer Kat Melton. Stage Manager Sheila Austrian and her assistant Speedy Christopher work behind the scenes. Randy Welch, the bagpipe consultant, recorded music especially for the show and provided a full piper’s kit for Monsewer.

David Massey released his new CD October 30^th entitled Late Winter Light.  The benefit concert Saturday, November 17th at the Oxford Community Center is his first public performance highlighting the new album.

Massey describes his new compilation as a reflection of his life. “The songs on the new record were written over a long period of time (the oldest probably in 2000), and in looking back and choosing the tunes to put on the album I was inspired by remembering how many different phases there can be in a life and then thinking about how we enjoy or grapple with whatever realities are facing us during those phases.”

David recently retired as a partner in the mergers and acquisitions group of a large Washington DC law firm which limited his live performances in the past. However, he found time to record three albums. Late Winter Light is his fourth.

Photo courtesy of David Massey

Rootstime called Blissful State of Blue a masterpiece, and added “David Massey manages, with his storytelling, to blow away celebrities such as John Prine, James McMurtry, Todd Snider and others that have preceded him.”

David has assembled an extraordinary band consisting largely of the players on his past three CDs, all veterans of the Washington music scene.  Their versatility allows them to explore the wide variety of styles and genres reflected in Massey’s compositions – from swampy rockers to bluegrass-inflected country rock to delicate ballads.

Massey explains, “My first three albums were different in that they consisted of whatever songs I’d written at the point in time I was recording the record; I didn’t have a significant backlog of unrecorded tunes to choose from.  Also, of course, I was younger, so maybe those records didn’t quite reflect the perspective that comes from seeing 60 in the headlights!”

David’s promoters in the US and Europe have just begun their launch to radio stations and reviewers. Those entities increase airtime, awareness and buzz which helps secure the album’s success. The new CD is available on iTunes, Spotify, Google Music and most other music streaming sites currently.

David Massey is donating this concert to generate revenue for the community center. OCC offers free and low cost programs throughout the year thanks to the generous annual fund donors, event attendees and sponsors. The money raised by the events goes directly towards serving our greater community with new educational programs, after school activities for kids, national speakers, concerts and more. The Concert Saturday, November 17th starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10. Cash bar.

To get your tickets visit oxfordcc.org or call 410-226-5904. For more visit David Massey’s web site at www.davemasseymusic.com.

The Academy Art Museum has announced changes to its Board of Trustees. Outgoing trustees who have devoted six years or more of service to the Museum include Warren Cox, Rodanthe Hanrahan, Simma Liebman, Patricia Saul and Bruce Wiltsie. Trustee Katherine Allen has given four years of board service. Ben Simons, Director of the Museum, comments, “It is fitting in our anniversary year to commend these individuals who have demonstrated remarkable commitment, leadership and devotion to the well-being of the Museum to help prepare it for the next 60 years.”

Six new trustees have been appointed to the Board: Donna Alpi, Max Farrell, Trish Malin, Jill Meyerhoff, Courtney Clark Pastrick, and Mary Ann Schindler. Donna Alpi of Oxford and Arlington, VA practiced tax law with the firms of Skadden Arps and then Hogan and Hartson in Washington, DC. She is a graduate of the Law School of the University of Pennsylvania and Penn State. She also has an LLM in Taxation from Georgetown University Law Center. She is actively involved in the Tred Avon Yacht Club and was a member of the TAYC Junior Sailing Committee, serving as the Junior Sailing Fundraiser Chair and the Registration Chair. She was also a member of the Board of Directors of the Arlington Free Clinic, which provides health care to uninsured Arlington residents.

Pictured are five of six new Trustees on the Board of the Museum. Standing, L-R: Catherine McCoy, Board Chair; Jill Meyerhoff, Mary Ann Schindler, and Ben Simons, Director. Pictured seated are Trish Malin, Courtney Clark Pastrick, and Donna Alpi. Absent from the photo is Max Farrell.

Max Farrell of Easton and Chicago, IL served as Director of Corporate Contributions for Kraft Foods and President of Kraft Foods Foundation. She also served as Corporate Relations Director at Allstate Insurance Company, and as President of the Allstate Foundation. She attended Clemson University and received an MBA from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management. After leaving the corporate community, Farrell became engaged in civic and community endeavors in Chicago. She currently serves as a board member of the Lyric Opera of Chicago where she served as President; and as a board member of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Field Museum, The Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago, Northwestern University and The Joffrey Ballet.

Trish Malin of Easton is a retired Marketing Director for a range of blue-chip food and packaging companies. She has a master’s degree in Business Studies from University of London. She has volunteered for Best Friends, a non-profit animal sanctuary in Utah, and was president of her Homeowners Association in Palos Verdes, CA. Malin has an active interest in DC theatres and the Washington Ballet, and is a member of the Cosmos Club in Washington, DC. She is on the board of Chesapeake Music, helping to run the Monty Alexander Jazz Festival in Easton.

Jill Meyerhoff of Easton has been involved in both community service and business in Talbot County for over 30 years. She and her father owned and operated the powerboat business Tidewater Yacht Sales. Since then, Meyerhoff has focused on education, serving as an assistant at Easton Montessori School, volunteering at The Country School, and serving as head of the Parent Association and as a trustee for Gunston School. She has also held Executive Board positions in the Garden Club of the Eastern Shore and currently serves as its President. The Meyerhoffs tend to their farm on the Miles River and their flock of sheep, which yields heirloom blankets, throws and fine crafts.

Courtney Clark Pastrick of Easton and Chevy Chase, MD has led her family’s philanthropic giving as President of the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation and today as Chairman of the Board. She is active in the Washington, DC-area community where she has served in leadership roles with several local non-profit organizations, including as former Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Washington Jesuit Academy, a middle school for at-risk boys in DC, and as a trustee for Collegiate Directions, Inc., a college access program for low-income, first-generation-to-college students in Maryland. Pastrick currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Vanderbilt University and DC-CAP, a college access program for public and charter school students in DC. She also serves on the board of Clark Enterprises, the private investment firm founded in 1972 by her father. She holds a JD from the Catholic University of America and a bachelor’s degree from Duke University.

Mary Ann Schindler of Easton is an artist who has pursued painting, sculpture, mixed media and installation. Her work has appeared in several regional and DC Metro area galleries, and is represented in private collections throughout the United States. She had a career in commercial art and illustration, as well as her own marketing business. She has a bachelor’s degree from Trinity College, Washington, DC. Schindler has been involved in volunteer work for many local organizations, including ESCMF (now Chesapeake Music), the Cinema Society, ArtWorks for Freedom, Empty Bowls, Festival of Trees, and the Main Street Arts District initiative in Cambridge. She is a sponsor of the Museum’s new Artist-in-Residence program, co-chaired the 2017 ArtWorks for Freedom/Easton exhibit at the Waterfowl Building, and is the co-founder of the Artistic Insights Fund of the Mid-Shore Community Foundation.

Catherine Collins McCoy, Chair of the Museum’s Board of Trustees comments, “We are thrilled to have this talented group join our Board of Trustees as the Museum builds on its achievements by expanding the reach of its educational programs and the excellence of its exhibitions and collections.”

Auditions for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf by Edward Albee will be held at the Garfield Center for the Arts on Thursday, November 15th at 6pm, Saturday, November 17th at 10am and Tuesday, November 20th at 6pm. Directed by Gil Rambach, the play runs three weekends from February 8th-24th.

George, a professor at a small college, and his wife, Martha, have just returned home, drunk from a Saturday night party. Martha announces, amidst general profanity, that she has invited a young couple—an opportunistic new professor at the college and his shatteringly naïve new bride—to stop by for a nightcap. When they arrive the charade begins. The drinks flow and suddenly inhibitions melt. It becomes clear that Martha is determined to seduce the young professor, and George couldn’t care less. But underneath the edgy banter, which is crossfired between both couples, lurks an undercurrent of tragedy and despair. George and Martha’s inhuman bitterness toward one another is provoked by the enormous personal sadness that they have pledged to keep to themselves: a secret that has seemingly been the foundation for their relationship. In the end, the mystery in which the distressed George and Martha have taken refuge is exposed, once and for all revealing the degrading mess they have made of their lives.

Winner of the 1963 Tony Award for Best Play.

Actors needed:

Two Women, Ages 18-60

Two Men, Ages 25-50

Familiarity with the play is beneficial, and scripts will be available at the Garfield for your perusal. Be prepared to do cold readings from the script. Anyone interested in assisting backstage and with costumes or props is also encouraged to come to auditions.

If you have any questions about the production, please contact the Garfield (410-810-2060) or Executive Director Tess Hogans at thogans@garfieldcenter.org. The Garfield Center for the Arts is located at 210 High Street in Chestertown.