Music will once again lilt through the trees when Adkins Arboretum hosts Forest Music on Sat., Sept. 25 from 2 to 4 p.m. Presented in partnership with Chestertown’s National Music Festival (NMF), the event will feature four musicians playing separately in the forest and then coming together for a brief quartet performance.
Adkins Forest Music. Clockwise from top left: Nevin Dawson, Ton Demby, Yoshiaki Horiguchi, Maria Rusu.
Forest Music is presented in honor of the Arboretum’s members, whose generosity supports Arboretum operations and makes possible free admission in 2021. All are welcome.
Yoshiaki Horiguchi has been acclaimed by the Baltimore Sun for his ability to perform with a “dazzling display of dexterity and panache.” A proponent of music accessibility, he is an active double bassist, a collaborator, a pedagogue and an educator who brings music to numerous communities in the Delmarva region and beyond. Although classically trained, his endeavors span a broad spectrum of genres. Horiguchi has also been an NMF apprentice and has performed as part of the NMF Resonance concert series.
Maria Rusu, a native of Romania, comes from a family of musicians. She began her musical studies at the age of six, first studying violin and then switching to viola. Rusu is heavily involved in the tri-state area music community, performing as a jazz singer and teaching violin, viola and jazz voice. She serves as core faculty at The Music School of Delaware in Wilmington and is a member of the Wilmington Symphony Orchestra and the Newark Symphony Orchestra, as well as assistant conductor of the Delaware Youth Symphony Orchestra. She has been an NMF apprentice for both viola and arts administration.
Ron Demby has been a music educator for Queen Anne’s County Public Schools for nearly 30 years. He is currently the band director of Sudlersville Middle School and previously held the same position at Queen Anne’s County High School. He holds a B.A. in music education from Elizabethtown College and a Master of Education degree from Salisbury University.
Nevin Dawson studied viola at Penn State University while earning a degree in forestry and has played with numerous symphonies and chamber ensembles, including Pennsylvania Centre Orchestra, Canberra Symphony Orchestra and the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra. A versatile player in classical, folk, jazz and other genres, he plays with Shore Strings, the Dover Symphony, The Pam Ortiz Band, Harp & Soul and Front Porch Orchestra and is featured on eight studio albums. He currently teaches violin, viola and cello in Chestertown and serves as sustainable agriculture coordinator for University of Maryland Extension.
Musicians will perform solo from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. and will come together for a brief group performance. Admission is free, though advance registration is appreciated at adkinsarboretum.org.
The National Music Festival brings together inspiring mentors and the next generation of gifted musicians, providing education, scholarships and affordable, adventurous public performances in and around Chestertown, Md. Held for two weeks in June, the Festival was postponed in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID precautions. It is scheduled to resume in 2022. Visit nationalmusic.us for more information.
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.
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