Homepage Notes

Rachel Franklin Opens February Lecture Series at Temple B’nai Israel

January 23, 2020 by Temple B'nai Israel Leave a Comment

Rabbi Peter Hyman has announced that Temple B’nai Israel’s Susan and Barry Koh February Lecture Series theme is “Jewish Composers: A Jewish Legacy.” The concerts are free and open to the community. Performances start at 7:30 p.m. each Thursday in February and will be held at the Temple, 7199 Tristan Drive (just off of Easton Parkway) in Easton, MD.

Dr. Rachel Franklin

Concert pianist and music historian Dr. Rachel Franklin returns to Temple B’nai Israel-The Satell Center for Jewish Life on the Eastern Shore on February 6. Joined by popular jazz bassist Jonathan Miles Brown, she will present a unique program of music and film that traces the journeys of immigrant and first-generation Jewish composers to Hollywood, exploring how so many of them became an integral part of cinematic history.

Dr. Franklin delves into the hidden magic of the greatest film music ever composed. With fascinating movie clips and musical selections, she will look at the history and craft behind the composer’s work, present Oscar-winning sounds and share great cinema trivia.

The Atlantic String Quartet ushers in week two of the Series on Thursday, February 13, featuring Holly Jenkins and Gregory Mulligan on violin, Karin Brown on viola and Bo Li on cello. Selections from contemporary Jewish composers Philip Glass (1937- ) and Jonathan Leshnoff (1973- ), as well as Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847), are scheduled.

Kentavius Jones and Friends bring pop and rock favorites by influential Jewish composers and singers to Easton on February 20. Contemporary hits will be selected from music by The Cars, Leonard Cohen, PINK, Simon & Garfunkel, Mark Cohn, Bob Dylan and many others.

The Concert Series closes on February 27, with local favorites Leroy and Richard Potter and Friends. They will play music from Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess (“Summertime” and “It Ain’t Necessarily So”) and Bernstein’s West Side Story (“Maria,” “Somewhere,” “America”).

The Susan and Barry Koh February Lecture Series is an annual production of Temple B’nai Israel- The Satell Center for Jewish Life on the Eastern Shore. For further information, please call 410-822-0553.

Don’t miss the latest! You can subscribe to The Talbot Spy‘s free Daily Intelligence Report here

Maggii Sarfaty to Exhibit at the Tidewater Inn – February

January 18, 2020 by Working Artists Forum (WAF) Leave a Comment

Autumn Roost by Maggii Sarfaty

The Working Artists Forum of Easton, Maryland is pleased to announce the member whose art will be showcased at the Tidewater Inn, 101 E. Dover Street, Easton, in the Library room for the month of February.

The featured artist is Maggii Sarfaty. Maggii Sarfaty has been painting since she was a child and studied fine art at the Maryland Institute College of Art. Growing up along the Chesapeake Bay of Maryland instilled a love of the water and all things coastal. In 1990 Maggii embarked on her career in interior design as a muralist and faux finisher. Her work has been featured in Women’s Day and Traditional Home and several regional publications. She now adds teaching at the Academy Art Museum and The Dorchester Center for the Arts, as well as set design to her creative resume working with two theatre groups in her hometown Easton, Maryland. She works in watercolor, gouache and oil. Besides studio art she loves to paint “en plein air”. Maggii draws inspiration from the coastal areas of Maryland as well as Sanibel and Captiva Islands and the Florida Keys.

Maggii is a member of the Art League of Ocean City, The Plein Air Painters of the Chesapeake Bay, The Academy Art Museum, The Rehoboth Art League and the Working Artist Forum, and has won numerous awards in various shows.

In addition to the paintings at the Tidewater, prints and originals of her work are available online at

http://fineartamerica.com/artists/maggii+sarfaty and www.MermaidMaggii.etsy.com

Don’t miss the latest! You can subscribe to The Talbot Spy‘s free Daily Intelligence Report here

Academy Art Museum Announces February Events

January 18, 2020 by Academy Art Museum Leave a Comment

Artist Aaron Taylor Kuffner with Director Ben Simons.

EXHIBITIONS
The following Academy Art Museum exhibitions are sponsored by the Talbot County Arts Council, the Maryland State Arts Council, and the Star Democrat. Open daily, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

GAMELATRON @ AAM: Bodyphones
Through April 2020
FREE & Open daily from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Museum Front Yard
Bodyphones is an immersive installation by Aaron Taylor Kuffner (1975), an American-born conceptual artist, based in New York. The artwork’s mission is to expand the legacy and creative cultural power of the traditional Indonesian instrument called the gamelan. Kuffner exhibits his Gamelatrons to create sanctuaries both in public and private spaces.

MUSIC LECTURES
Five Giants of Romantic Music
Dr. Rachel Franklin, Instructor
Thursdays – February 27, March 12, March 26, and April 9
11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
$24 Members, $29 Non-members per lecture
$90 Members, $100 Non-Member for the series

Rachel Franklin

The Museum is welcoming back the dynamic presenter Dr. Rachel Franklin. Her course takes a unique look not only at the music of these five great composers – Mendelssohn, Schumann, Chopin, Liszt, and Wagner – but also at the fascinating way in which their paths intertwined, both socially and artistically. All were born within five years of one another, between the years 1809-1813.

ARTS EXPRESS BUS TRIP
National Portrait Gallery
John Singer Sargent: Portraits in Charcoal
February 25, 2020
$60 Members, $72 Non-members

SPECIAL EVENTS

Open MIC – Second Wednesday Each Month, 7 p.m.
February 12 – Shadows
FREE. Contact Ray Remesch at RayRemesch@gmail.com for additional information

ADULT CLASSES

John Singer Sargent

Intermediate Drawing
Instructor: Bradford Ross brad@bradross.com
6 weeks: February 27–April 2 Thursdays, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
$175 Members, $210 Non-members

Pastel Painting: Sharpening Skills
Instructor: Katie Cassidy wkmcgarry@verizon.net
4 weeks: February 5–26 Wednesdays, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
$185 Members, $222 Non-members

Sketch to Studio Painting Workshop
Instructor: Bernard Dellario bernie.dellario@gmail.com
Weekend workshop: February 8–February 9, Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
$125 Members, $150 Non-members

Oil Painting Workshop: Expressive Brushwork Techniques
Instructor: Brad Ross brad@bradross.com
Weekend workshop: February 22 and 23, Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
$125 Members, $150 Non-members

Bradford Ross

Printmaking Exploration Evenings
Instructor: Sheryl Southwick
4-Week Sessions: February 4, 11, 18 and 25
Tuesdays, 5:45 p.m.–8 p.m.
$125 Members, $150 Non-members, Plus $30 materials fee for papers and inks

Collage Workshop: Scrap Happy Day
Instructor: Sheryl Southwick
One Day Workshop: February 25
Tuesday, 9:30 a.m. –12 Noon
$45, Members, $54 Non-members, Plus $8 materials fee paid to the instructor

CHILDREN’S CLASSES
Construction Mania
Instructor: Museum Staff
Saturday, February 22, 2020
10:00 a.m. – 1.00 p.m.
FREE

Bernard Dellario

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.

Don’t miss the latest! You can subscribe to The Talbot Spy‘s free Daily Intelligence Report here

Marti Gould Cummings at Church Hill Theatre February 21 & 22

January 18, 2020 by Church Hill Theatre Leave a Comment

Marti Gould-Cummings

A local lad who got his start at Church Hill Theatre, Marti Gould-Cummings moved to New York City at 17 to pursue a career in the performing arts. Known for an inventive blend of drag, comedy, and vocal performance, Marti entertains nightly at clubs in New York and often appears on “Watch What Happens Live” with Andy Cohen. An advocate for LGBTQ rights, Marti won the 2019 Glam “Entertainer of the Year” award. Marti has announced a bid to run for Manhattan’s District 7 City Council Seat in 2021.

This fabulous drag queen extraordinaire with unpredictable wit and lots of glitter, tours the world entertaining audiences. Marti returns to the Church Hill stage with an entourage of 4 saucy “Queens of New York”. Expect Selma Nilla, Kiki Ball-Change, Jacklynn Hyde and Chelsea Piers to raise the roof with music and irreverent comedy. Be prepared to laugh, frolic, and sing along with the Queens of NYC.

Drag attire is welcomed!

Tickets are $50.

This 2-night special event includes bubbly with plenty of glam and glitter and an After Party in the Theatre to meet Marti and the Queens of NYC!

Don’t drag your heels! Advance purchase advised; seating is limited and tickets will sell out quickly.

Marti Gould Cummings Broadway Drag Review: Two performances: Friday, February 21, and Saturday, February 22, 2020 at 8 pm. Reservations can be made online at churchhilltheatre.org or by calling (410) 556-6003.

Don’t miss the latest! You can subscribe to The Talbot Spy‘s free Daily Intelligence Report here

Mid-Shore AGO Presents Concert Celebrating Fifth Anniversary

January 17, 2020 by Christ Church Easton Leave a Comment

The Mid-Shore Maryland Chapter of the American Guild of Organists will celebrate its fifth anniversary on Monday, January 27 with a concert entitled, “The Organ in Popular Culture”. The concert will demonstrate how the organ has been used in a myriad of venues including the theatre, roller rinks, ball games, the circus, as well as in sacred spaces. The concert will begin at 7:30 pm with doors opening at 7 pm. There is no charge for the concert, but a freewill offering will be received.

Organist Michael T. Britt

The Mid-Shore Maryland Chapter of the AGO began five years ago when Wes Lockfaw, music minister at Easton’s Christ Church and several other church musicians around the mid-shore petitioned the national organization for a charter that was granted early in 2015. Since its beginning, the Mid-Shore Chapter has sponsored numerous concerts, workshops, and social events which have served to support the work of organists, church musicians, and educators in our region. The chapter also underwrites the nationally syndicated radio program “Pipe Dreams” which airs from the campus of Salisbury University through Delmarva public radio each Sunday evening from six until eight pm. In addition to its fifth anniversary concert, the organization hosts and supports a variety of programs in the area including a program later this winter, “Louis Vierne at 150” that will include organ and choral music composed by one of Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral’s most legendary organists. To see further programming, simply search for Mid-Shore MD Chapter American Guild of Organists.

Organist Michael T. Britt, a Baltimore native, is both a frequent recitalist of classical organ literature, and also a performer of theatre organ music. In demand throughout the country as a silent film accompanist, performing for chapters of the American Theatre Organ Society, and, most recently, for the Region III-American Guild of Organists Convention in Baltimore, he has been featured on Maryland Public Television and other televised presentations on the theatre pipe organ and Maryland’s Free State Theatre Organ Society. In 1998, Mr. Britt was invited to perform at Baltimore’s Senator Theatre where he accompanied five silent films for the National Film Registry Tour, which was sponsored in part by the Library of Congress. He has also performed at the Palace Theatre in Cleveland, Ohio; The Paramount Theatre in Anderson, Indiana; The Byrd Theatre in Richmond, Virginia as well as performances at the Capitol Theatre in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. In 2002, he was invited to perform a series of concerts on the recently restored Aeolian pipe organ installed at the Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington, D.C., and in 2005 was invited to Princeton University to accompany the silent film classic, “Phantom of the Opera” at the University Chapel where recently, he completed his fourteenth performance of this annual event.

In May of 2009, Britt gave a recital on the great Cavaille-Coll organ at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris and in 2017, was invited to perform at the Riverside Church in New York City. Since 2012, he has served as Minister of Music and organist at Brown Memorial Park Avenue Presbyterian Church in Baltimore, Maryland. He is also on the faculty at the Community College of Baltimore County and serves as Organist at Beth-El Congregation as well as house organist at the Weinberg Center for the Arts in Frederick, Maryland.

Don’t miss the latest! You can subscribe to The Talbot Spy‘s free Daily Intelligence Report here

A New Executive Manager at Church Hill Theatre

January 17, 2020 by Church Hill Theatre Leave a Comment

Church Hill Theatre is delighted to announce that Ms. Carmen Renee has been engaged as its new Executive Manager, effective February 1, 2020. Ms. Renee, a resident of Queenstown, has an extensive background in the arts as a performer and educator. She also brings business management experience to the operations side of the theatre.

“Our Executive Manager keeps all the wheels turning at Church Hill,” said Board Chairman David J. Bowering. “We are very fortunate to have been able to attract someone with Ms. Renee’s background and experience in the arts, in education and in business. It is a winning combination for us. Ms. Renee started her professional career at the Summer Opera Theatre in Washington, D.C., so coming to Church Hill Theatre is coming home for her. We’re glad she found us.” he said.

Ms. Renee holds degrees in music from Birmingham-Southern College and Baltimore’s Peabody Conservatory. Most recently, she has been Director of Music for Wye Conservatory and Parish, Wye Mills, and a music teacher with Queen Anne’s County Public Schools. She is also a professional musician and is the proprietor of a music teaching studio. She has performed with the Peabody Conservatory, Lancaster, PA, Opera Theatre, Baltimore Opera, Northern Virginia Opera, Washington Opera, Washington Chorale, Wolf Trap Opera, and Religious and Community Opera of Birmingham, AL. She has management experience in legal, real estate, and medical offices, in addition to performing arts organizations.

In 2020 Church Hill Theatre celebrates its 37^th anniversary as a non-profit community theatre. It has provided theatre-lovers on the Eastern Shore with unbroken seasons of top-quality theatrical productions, and educational programs that train and cultivate young talent with ambitions in the performing arts. The theatre is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a member of the QAC Historic Sites Consortium.

Don’t miss the latest! You can subscribe to The Talbot Spy‘s free Daily Intelligence Report here

The Anderson Twins Return for a Romantic Evening of Jazz

January 16, 2020 by Becca Newell Leave a Comment

Skip the roses this Valentine’s Day for something a little more improvisational: a romantic evening of jazz, courtesy of saxophonists and clarinetists Peter and Will Anderson.

A highly anticipated follow-up to their swingin’ performance in late 2018,“My Funny Valentine: The Love Songs of Richard Rodgers” will take place on Saturday, February 15th, at the Prager Auditorium in Easton. The show will begin at 8 p.m.

The Anderson Twins

The Anderson Twins—who the New York Times calls “virtuosos on clarinet and saxophone”—hail from Bethesda, Md., where they attended Walt Whitman High School before moving to New York City for the Juilliard School. And while they continue to call the City their home, they enjoy returning to Maryland, particularly Easton, to perform.

“The passion the community has for real jazz is heartwarming and inspiring,” says Will.

Joining the twins on stage are guitarist Adam Moezinia, drummer Kevin McDonald, and bassist Blake Meister. Rounding out the ensemble is vocalist Lena Seikaly, whose connection to Peter and Will stems back to high school.

“We love Lena,” exclaims Will. “We actually performed with her often when we were in high school, in the ‘Capital Focus Jazz Band.’”

Named “one of Washington’s preeminent jazz singers” by The Washington Post, Seikaly is renowned her traditional and contemporary jazz vocals. Her approach to the genre and flawless technique provide the perfect accompaniment to the Twins’ imaginative stylings and extraordinary talent.

Lena Seikaly

“She has a deep appreciation and dedication to the Great American Songbook and vocalists, such as Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Sarah Vaughn,” adds Will.

The musicians will celebrate the life and music of Richard Rodgers—one of the most notable American composers,recognized as a visionary for his impact on musical theatre. The performance will showcase gems from his songwriting partnerships with lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein, including “My Favorite Things,” “It Might As Well be Spring,” “Have You Met Miss Jones?,” and, of course, the titular “My Funny Valentine.”

“Rodgers’ melodies are so pure and simple, yet unpredictable that they delight everyone from the casual listener to music fanatic,” says Will.“[His] music is loved by many in the worlds of Broadway, jazz, and popular music.”

Presented by Jazz on the Chesapeake, a program of Chesapeake Music, My Funny Valentine, will begin at 8 p.m. Saturday, February 15th, at the Prager Auditorium in Easton. General admission tickets are $45; sponsor reserved seats are $100. To purchase, call 410-819-0380 or visit Jazzonthechesapeake.com.

Don’t miss the latest! You can subscribe to The Talbot Spy‘s free Daily Intelligence Report here

Academy Art Museum Bids Farewell to Chief Curator Anke Van Wagenberg

January 15, 2020 by Academy Art Museum Leave a Comment

Academy Art Museum Director Ben Simons announced that Chief Curator Anke Van Wagenberg has accepted a new post in Vero Beach, FL as Senior Curator of the Vero Beach Museum of Art. Simons stated: “The Academy Art Museum is very grateful for the eight years of service Anke has provided to the Museum and the community, mounting outstanding exhibitions, growing the Permanent Collection, developing the Collection Society, and forwarding many other curatorial programs. The Board, staff and entire community join me in wishing her all the best in her new post. Her legacy here is secure, and her new opportunity is an exciting one, congratulations to Anke!”

Van Wagenberg told the Spy, “I am so grateful for my time here at this small gem of a museum, specifically to our Director Ben Simons and the Chair of the Board, Cathy McCoy, and a most talented group of docents, staff, and the museum members. There have been many proud moments for me here at the Museum.I mention a few exhibitions, James Turrell, Mark Rothko, Pat Steir, Lynn Meiers, Peter Paul Rubens, Robert Rauschenberg, Bill Viola, Richard Diebenkorn and many more local, regional and national shows. I have no doubt the Academy Art Museum will continue to be successful on every level.”

Shore Arts: MSO Selects Winner of Elizabeth Loker Competition

January 13, 2020 by Steve Parks 1 Comment

The winner of the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra’s inaugural Elizabeth Loker Concerto Competition is Joseph McNure, a 22-year-old graduate student in music at the University of Maryland College Park, whose instrument of choice is the alto saxophone.

Joseph McNure

McNure was awarded $2,000 and a three-concert reprise in March of the winning performance of Paul Creston’s Concerto for Alto Saxophone, along with the full orchestra performing Mozart’s Symphony No. 33. The Creston concerto was a bold choice, composed by an Italian-American born to Sicilian immigrant parents in 1905. Creston died in 1985, and although he was a prolific composer whose work was widely performed through the 1950s, he was better known as a teacher in his later years. McNure interpreted the piece in an original classical jazz format, ranging from frantic piercing to quieter riffs that seemed to evoke familiar refrains you think you know but can’t quite place.

McNure, a Virginia Beach native, was the last of six finalists to perform Thursday night, January 9, at the Avalon Theatre in Easton. Six competitors were selected among about 40 applicants who were judged in December based on audio performances submitted to an MSO team. The team led by Terry Ewell, graduate director of music at Towson University, also consisted of Dane Krich, the orchestra’s general manager, and Julian Benichou, its music director. Ewell and Benichou were judges of the final round of the competition, while Krich emceed the evening’s proceedings.

While McNure said he was “thrilled” to win the competition, he’s been a winner before—capturing top honors in the University of Maryland Concerto Competition last fall.

Second-place was won by Joshua Lauretig, 25, who performed the oboe solo of Vivaldi’s Concerto in C Major. Honorable mention went to 12-year-old Sophia Lin of Longfellow Middle School in Virginia, performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 17 in G Major. The other contestants were saxophonist Tae Ho Twang playing Alexander Glazunov’s Concerto in E-flat Major and cellists Yejin Hong and Eunghee Cho, both of whom performed, separately, Dvorak’s Cello Concerto.

In the awards presentation, Maestro Benichou noted that music competitions are not to be compared to athletic battles in that each contestant in music is out to play one’s best rather than to defeat fellow musicians. In solo competitions, he said, “We don’t learn music so much as learn about ourselves.”

Benichou also paid tribute to the competition’s namesake, the late Elizabeth Loker, longtime Easton supporter of the orchestra who bequeathed a gift to the MSO in her will.

As the winner of this first annual Elizabeth Loker Concerto Competition, Joseph McNure, will perform his triumphant Paul Creston piece with the orchestra, also performing the Mozart symphony, on March 5 at the Easton Church of God, March 7 at Ocean View Church of Christ, Ocean View, Delaware, and March 8 at the Community Church in Ocean Pines, Maryland. Tickets: $45, 888-846-8600.

Steve Parks is a retired journalist, arts writer and editor now living in Easton

Commission a Portrait at Troika Gallery

January 13, 2020 by Troika Gallery Leave a Comment

February may be cold and blustery, but it is an excellent time to be thinking about that unique graduation gift to give in May! Troika Gallery Fine Art Studio features commissioned portraits by Laura Era and Jennifer Heyd Wharton, both members of The Portrait Society of America.

Commissioned Portraits by Laura Era.

A custom portrait is a great way to honor a special occasion, a particular person, or even a pet. Working from photographs, both Laura and Jennifer capture the likeness with professionalism and precision. Portraits are available in oil, watercolor, and pastel.

With a few months’ lead time still available for a May of June completion date, this is the perfect time to have a conversation with these fine portrait artists to determine the size, medium, and composition. Please call 410-770-9190 to start the conversation or stop in the gallery to see examples of past beautiful art portraits.

Commissioned Portraits by Jennifer Heyd Wharton.

Since 1997, Troika Gallery has offered “The Finest of Fine Art” in historic downtown Easton. As the longest operating gallery on the Eastern Shore, Troika showcases original works by 35 national and international artists. February is a great time to visit the gallery as new artwork is refreshing the exhibition space.

Laura Era, Gallery Owner and Peg Fitzgerald, Gallery Manager, welcome your visit and will happily answer your questions on art, portraiture, and framing. Troika Gallery is located at 9 South Harrison Street and is open Monday through Saturday from 11 am until 6 pm and Sunday by appointment, 410-770-9190. www.troikagallery.com

Don’t miss the latest! You can subscribe to The Talbot Spy‘s free Daily Intelligence Report here

Follow Us