Allegro Academy will host its first Open House in its new location, the historic Masonic Temple at 114 N. Washington Street, on Saturday, February 18 at noon. Guests are invited to tour the Academy’s expanded lesson studios, rehearsal, and performance space while enjoying live music and refreshments.  Now in the heart of downtown Easton, Allegro aims to continue and strengthen its outreach to the greater Talbot County Area.

In its first five years as a non-profit music conservatory, the Academy has augmented its programs over time to include the Allegra! Women’s Chorus, Allegro Children’s Chorus, Summer Sing choir festival, group classes and private lessons in voice, piano, violin, and guitar. Exemplifying the many ways music inspires audiences, performers and students, Allegro Academy promotes a lifelong appreciation for the music and the performing arts. Allegro Academy’s mission is to offer exceptional music education and performance experiences to the greater Talbot County Area and to make these offerings affordable to all. Many of the Academy’s programs are offered at little or no cost to the participant and audience member.

Allegro Academy’s vision is to create a community that understands and appreciates one another through the joy of making music together. Please visit www.allegroademyeaston.com for more information.

Allegro Academy, now in its new location in the heart of downtown Easton, will be offering two singing programs for musicians of all ages in 2023.

The Allegro Children’s Chorus will be reinstated with the first session beginning February 8.  Singers will take part in six weekly rehearsals on Wednesday evenings, 5:15- 6:30pm, in which they will explore vocal production, rhythm skills, and musicianship through songs and activities.  Choristers will also participate in performances in community events and with local artists.  Allegro Children’s Chorus is available to singers age 8 and up.  The cost for the per session is $50 and need-based scholarships are offered to all participants. All voices are welcome.

Adults singers are invited to register in the 4-week course, Singing 101, where participants will discover what it takes to be a singer.  Classes will be held Fridays February 10, 17, 24, and March 3 from 10:00-11:30am. Singers will learn or perhaps re-visit techniques used in vocal music through the study of proper breathing, pronunciation, voice types, and basic note reading. This course is perfect for those who wish to more intentionally use their voice or brush-up on technique. No experience is necessary to participate.

Singing programs will take place at Allegro Academy, 114 N. Washington St, Easton and will be led by Artistic Director, Amy Morgan.  Morgan is an accomplished musician whose education includes a Bachelors degree in Piano Performance from Salisbury University and Masters Degree in Choral Conducting from Messiah University. Amy has extensive experience as a choral, operetta, and musical theatre director, is a member of the American Choral Directors Association, and is an active musician the Easton community.

The mission of Allegro Academy is to offer exceptional music education and performance experiences to the greater Talbot County Area and to make these offerings affordable to all. Its programs are partially funded by generous contributions from the community, Talbot Arts, and the Maryland State Arts Council.  For more information please visit www.allegroacademyeaston.com or call 410-603-8361.

Allegro Academy will host its first Open House in its new location, the historic Masonic Temple at 114 N. Washington Street, on Saturday, February 18 at noon. Allegro Academy began bringing music and the performing arts to its new home on January 1, 2023.  Featuring expanded lesson studios, rehearsal, and performance space in the heart of downtown Easton, the new facility will enable the Academy to strengthen its outreach into greater Talbot County.

“We envision Allegro Academy at the Masonic Temple becoming a more comprehensive conservatory in the future, one that connects musicians of all ages and incomes,” John H. Miller, former president of the board of directors, said.

Now in its fifth year as a non-profit music conservatory, the Academy has augmented its programs over time to include the Allegra! Women’s Chorus, Allegro Children’s Chorus, Summer Sing choir festival, group classes and private lessons in voice, piano, violin, and guitar. Exemplifying the many ways music inspires audiences, performers and students, Allegro Academy promotes a lifelong appreciation for the music and the performing arts. Allegro Academy’s mission is to offer exceptional music education and performance experiences to the greater Talbot County Area and to make these offerings affordable to all. Many of the Academy’s programs are offered at little or no cost to the participant and audience member.

“We hope members of the community will enjoy seeing our exciting new facilities on February 18,” Executive Director Amy Morgan said. “This auspicious move would not have been possible without the charitable spirit of the Easton community and our dedicated leadership, including current Board President, Lori Cuthbert,” Morgan noted.

“We are especially grateful to Lori and her sister, Kimberly Baker, who have made a generous $25,000 gift in honor of their parents, Lynn and Carol Cuthbert.” Morgan continued. “We could not have made this move without their generosity.”

“The performing arts are critical for enriching people’s lives, and making them available to everybody in our community could not be a more important goal,” Cuthbert said.

“Music and dance were always present in our house,” the charter member of the Allegra! Women’s Chorus, who is serving a second term on the Academy board, continued. “Our parents would be so happy and proud to know their gift is enabling Allegro to make a real home in the heart of Easton where we can grow and expand our artistic programs.”

Allegro Academy’s vision is to create a community that understands and appreciates one another through the joy of making music together. Please visit https://www.allegroacademyeaston.com/ for more information.

Allegra!, a prestigious 16-voice women’s ensemble, will be presenting a free concert program on Saturday, November 5, 7pm.  The performance will take place at Trinity Cathedral, 315 Goldsborough St, Easton.  All are welcome.

The program Garden of Dreams will feature the premier of a commissioned piece by the same title.  Garden of Dreams was written by contemporary composer Sarah Quartel, based on the poetry of Sappho, and published with Oxford University Press. Also included is Sanctum, a 2016 work by Quartel. Sanctum is a captivating setting of four movements of the Requiem text, inspired by the landscape of the west coast of Canada. Each movement depicts an aspect of Vancouver Island (the water, mountains, wind, and sky), exploring landscape as a place of healing and sanctuary. The program will also include music by Kim Andre Arensen, Shawn Kirchner, and Rosephanye Powell.

Allegra! was formed in the spring of 2019 and is directed Allegro Academy director Amy Morgan.  The mission of Allegro Academy is to offer exceptional music education and performance experiences to the greater Talbot County Area and to make these offerings affordable to all.  Programs of the Academy are funded by generous gifts from the community, Talbot Arts, and the Maryland State Arts Council.  For more information please visit www.allegroacademyeaston.com or call 410-603-8361.

Music conservatory Allegro Academy invites the public to join its fifth anniversary festivities at a live music event on Saturday, October 15, from 5 to 7 PM, at The Hummingbird Inn, 14 N. Aurora St, Easton, MD. The evening’s celebration will include performances from Allegro ensembles, students, and teachers, lite fare, and a cash bar.

Founded in 2017, Allegro Academy’s mission to offer exceptional music education and performance experiences and to make these offerings affordable to all has been realized through its variety of programs that welcome community members of diverse ages and backgrounds.  Such programs include the Allegro Children’s Chorus, Allegra! women’s chorus, Summer Sing Choir Festival, and private lessons in voice, piano, and violin. Allegro Academy’s programs are offered for free or at little cost to audience members and participants and need based scholarships are offered for youth programs.

Allegro Academy’s programs are made available by generous gifts from members of our community and the Talbot County and Maryland State Arts Councils. For more information please contact Allegro Academy Artistic Director at 410-603-8361 or visit www.allegroacademyeaston.com.

Allegro Academy is pleased to announce the return of its Summer Sing Choral Festival.  Singers and concert-goers are invited to join in performances on July 30 at 4pm and 7pm at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, 315 Goldsborough St, Easton. This season’s festival will feature the music of J. S. Bach and Felix Mendelssohn in songs of strength and peace, a program that includes a Bach Cantata based on the 23rd Psalm, the well known Verleih uns Frieden’ (Grant us thy Peace) by Mendelssohn and Bach chorale of same title.  The program also includes the choral and orchestral setting of Psalm 115 by Mendelssohn.

The Summer Sing is an intergenerational community choral festival that invites area singers to perform a major work with professional soloists and instrumentalists. Previous seasons have attracted a standing-room-only audience of over 200 people of all ages and backgrounds who came to Trinity Cathedral to listen to a 50-member volunteer chorus of local residents, including singers from Annapolis to Delaware and points in between. There are no required auditions as experienced singers, both professional and amateur, gather for the sheer joy of singing and creating a glorious community celebration of choral harmony. Our intergenerational community chorus will share the stage with featured vocalists and instrumentalists of regional and national acclaim who have elicited many audience accolades. Prevented by Covid from offering indoor performances for the past two years, we canceled our 2020 concert entirely, and hosted our Summer Sing outdoors at Trinity Cathedral in 2021. Allegro Academy’s plans for this year’s festival continue to ensure the safety of all participants and audience members.

Thanks to generous gifts from members of our community, Talbot Arts, and Maryland State Arts Council, the Summer Sing Choral Festival available to participants and audiences without charge.  For more information about the performances, participation, or supporting this program, please contact Allegro Academy Artistic Director at 410-603-8361 or amy@allegroacademyeaston.com.

Singers 8 and up are invited to join the Young Singers Academy beginning the week of March 28.  The Young Singers Academy is a five-week program where participants will receive weekly video lessons and materials via email.  These lessons can be used at their convenience and repeated as often as desired.  In addition to the five lessons, participants will join in zoom sessions for a group sing.  Video lessons will explore vocal production, note reading, rhythm skills, and musicianship through songs and activities. This is a free program offered to all youth in Talbot County. Leading the program will be Amy Morgan, Artistic Director of Allegro Academy.  To register, please email amy@allegroacademyeaston.com.

Allegro Academy is funded by the Talbot County and Maryland State Arts Councils, and generous contributions from our community.  For more information its programs, please visit www.allegroacademyeaston.com or call 410-603-8361.

Allegro Academy will be celebrating the holiday season with performances and community singing opportunities the first weekend of December.  Thursday, December 2 at Thompson Park will be a performance with Allegra! women’s chorus, voices from the Young Singers Academy, Easton High School percussion ensemble, and community caroling at 6pm.  Attendees will be met with a program and accompanying book of carols to join in the performance and caroling to follow.  Friday, December 3 Allegra! and percussion will be performing at Talbot Interfaith Shelter’s Home for the Holidays event at the Hummingbird Inn, also at 6pm.  Ensembles will gather for caroling at the Talbot Optimists Club’s tree sale on Saturday, December 4 at 1pm.

Allegro Academy is grateful to the Talbot Optimist Club for their support of the Young Singers Academy and to the Talbot County and Maryland State Arts Councils who support all Allegro programs.  For more information on these programs and more, please visit www.allegroacademyeaston.com or call 410-603-8361.

Singers 8 and up are invited to join the Young Singers Academy beginning the week of September 20.  The Young Singers Academy is a four-week program where participants will receive weekly video lessons and materials via email.  These lessons can be used at their convenience and repeated as often as desired.  In addition to the four lessons, participants will join in weekly zoom sessions for a group sing.  Video lessons will explore vocal production, note reading, rhythm skills, and musicianship through songs and activities.  This is a free program offered to all youth in Talbot County.  Two sessions will take place this fall, September 20- October 15 and November 8- December 10.  Leading the program will be Amy Morgan, Artistic Director of Allegro Academy.  To register, please email amy@allegroacademyeaston.com.

Allegro Academy is funded by the Talbot County and Maryland State Arts Councils, and generous contributions from our community.  For more information its programs, please visit www.allegroacademyeaston.com or call 410-603-8361.

Allegro Academy begins a new season of music instruction this September, welcoming a new instructor and expanding offerings.  Lessons in beginning to advanced piano, voice, and violin will be taking place at Trinity Cathedral in Easton weekday afternoons and evenings.

New to the Academy is Carolyn Cutler, teaching voice and beginning piano.  As an accomplished vocal soloist, Carolyn Cutler has performed throughout the United States at churches, conferences and community events.  She studied music at Florida State University as a voice principal with a secondary in piano. Carolyn is also an experienced choral conductor and pianist, having recently retired from nearly 25 years as the Director of Music and Worship Arts at First Presbyterian Church of Mount Dora, Florida.

Teaching violin will be Merideth Buxton, who has taught on the Eastern Shore since 1982. Merideth is the founder, director, and principal instructor of First Strings, a youth outreach program of Chesapeake Music, and also performs frequently as a viola soloist and orchestra member. Merideth’s background includes a Bachelors in Music Education from the SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music and a Masters in Suzuki Pedagogy from Ithaca College.

Ms. Cutler and Ms. Buxton will be joined by Academy Director, Amy Morgan, who serves as piano instructor.  Amy’s education includes a Bachelors degree in Piano Performance from Salisbury University and Masters in Choral Conducting from Messiah College. She has served as the Director of Music at Trinity Cathedral since 2014, is a member of the American Choral Directors Association, American Guild of Organists, and is an active musician the Easton community.

Allegro Academy is funded by the Talbot County and Maryland State Arts Councils, and generous contributions from our community.  For more information its lessons and programs, please visit www.allegroacademyeaston.com or call 410-603-8361.