Composer Sets Jehanne Dubrow's Poems to Music

Song cycle of From the Fever-World

to Premiere May 13 in Illinois

HIGHLAND PARK, IL—Poet and professor Jehanne Dubrow, director of the Rose O’Neill Literary House at Washington College, will hear her words set to music when Polish composer Johanna Bruzdowicz’s song cycle From the Fever-World premiers Sunday afternoon, May 13.  Presented by the Pilgrim Chamber Players, the performance will take place in the Highland Park Community House, Highland Park, Ill., and will feature six musicians — a string quartet, a pianist, and a mezzo-soprano.  

The new chamber music piece is the composer’s adaptation of six poems from Dubrow’s book of the same name, From the Fever-World, a series of fragments written in the voice of an imaginary Yiddish poet named Ida Lewin. Dubrow was inspired to create Ida, along with her fictional Polish town circa the 1930s, while doing research as a Sosland Foundation Fellow at the Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies in D.C. Reading community memory books from disappeared Jewish towns in Eastern Europe, she began to invent the kind of Yiddish poet she would hope to come across as a historian and translator.

A reviewer in the online journal Blackbird praised the poetry of From the Fever-World as “a remarkable and moving work of the imagination,” in which Dubrow offers “a fully formed and often harsh world of ritual, dailiness, loss and sheer terror.”   

Dubrow spent an international childhood as the daughter of diplomats with postings throughout Europe. She knew Bruzdowicz from her family’s time in Poland and sent the composer a copy of From the Fever-World when it was first published in 2007. “It seemed like a collection that Johanna might like,” says Dubrow, explaining the origins of the artistic partnership. “The collection is inherently theatrical,” she adds, “it reads like a series of dramatic monologues.”  When Bruzdowicz determined they were inherently musical as well, Dubrow recommended which poems could stand on their own when transformed into song. 

A native of Warsaw, Bruzdowicz started composing at age 12. She has since composed four operas and an opera-musical (Tides and Waves), plus music for ballet, symphonies, chamber groups, television, plays and films. An advocate for new music, she includes electroacoustic and electronic music in her considerable repertoire. She also is an accomplished writer with music criticism, screenplays and television scripts to her credit.

Dubrow will hear Bruzdowicz’s interpretation of her poetry for the first time during rehearsals the Friday morning before the premier. It’s something she looks forward to with great anticipation. She hopes the musical version of the From the Fever-World will subsequently be performed not only in the countries where the composer holds dual citizenship, Poland and France, but also back in the United States. “ I would love to bring the song cycle to the East Coast to colleges and religious spaces,” she says.

The From the Fever World premier is part of a concert titled “Across Musical Borders,” which also includes a Schulhoff piano-cello duo and a string quartet by Ravel. Dubrow and Bruzdowicz will address the audience before mezzo-soprano Julia Bentley, violinists Michele Lekas and
 Renée-Paule Gauthier, violist Doyle Armbrust, cellist
 Mark Lekas and pianist Sung Hoon Mo take to the stage to officially introduce From the Fever-World into the greater world of classical music. For more information, visit http://www.pilgrimplayers.org/.  

Sophomores Receive PBK Blumenthal Awards To Fund Scholarly Pursuits in Drama and History

Andrea Clarke '14

CHESTERTOWN, MD—Gerda Blumenthal awards from the Washington College chapter of Phi Beta Kappa will fund a drama camp for girls in Cameroon and fuel a research paper on the role of barbarism in South American history.

In most years, one award valued between $800 and $1,200 is granted. However, because no Blumenthal Award was given last year, the Phi Beta Kappa chapter was able to bestow $1,200 awards on two sophomores: Andrea Clarke and Nicolas Campisi.

Clarke, a Baltimore native, will use her award to help fund an all-girls drama camp she plans to run in Mora, Cameroon this summer. She will be teaching the basic principles of drama to local middle and high school students. Through the program, she hopes to encourage creative thought and promote a sense of empowerment in the students.   

Nicolas Campisi '14

Campisi, a native of Argentina, plans to write a journal article about South American history. As part of his research, he will be traveling to the University of Massachusetts at Amherst Library to read personal letters written by German painter Johann Moritz Rugendas, who traveled and worked throughout South America in the early to mid 19th century. 

    

Clarke and Campisi will present their completed projects to the members of Phi Beta Kappa next fall.

The awards, which support specific intellectual pursuits related to the Humanities, honor Dr. Gerda Blumenthal, a well-respected scholar who taught French and World Literature at Washington College from 1955 to 1968. To be eligible, a student must be a rising sophomore or junior with a GPA of at least 3.5 and submit a detailed project proposal to Phi Beta Kappa.

For more information about Washington College Phi Beta Kappa and the Gerda Blumenthal Award, visit http://academics.washcoll.edu/phibetakappa.php.

Dr. Gerda Blumenthal chaired the Modern Languages department at WC. 

After 44 Years, Professor Garry Clarke Says Farewell with Friends in Reunion Concert

CHESTERTOWN, MD—Retiring Washington College music professor Garry Clarke will say farewell to the campus community he has served for 44 years with a special reunion Vocal Consort concert Saturday, May 19, at 4 p.m. The venue will be Hotchkiss Recital Hall, inside the Gibson Center for the Arts on the College campus, 300 Washington Avenue.  Designed as part of Commencement and Reunion Weekend at the College, the concert will be performed by not only a dozen current and graduating student members of the Vocal Consort and Early Music Consort, but also by WC alumni who once sang in the groups.  A reception will follow in the lobby area outside the recital hall.

The brief program will be a sampler of classical pieces, and there will be time for just one rehearsal before the concert. “This will be a fun opportunity for me to see many old friends and for us to sing together once again,” says Clarke, who has led the Consorts since 1983. “We welcome anyone who wants to come and listen.”

The concert and reception will be an opportunity for the campus and community to say thanks to Clarke for a career devoted to helping others learn, appreciate and enjoy the power of music. He came to Washington College in 1968 as Assistant Professor of Music in a brand new department and spent the next four decades building and nurturing a vibrant curriculum, overseeing the progress of every Music major, and contributing his talents as a performer, teacher and leader both at Washington College and throughout the Eastern Shore. Promoted to the rank of Associate Professor in 1973, he became a full Professor in 1979.

An accomplished concert pianist, composer, and writer, he has regularly led students in performances, including the Renaissance Christmas Dinner, dramatic productions, and the Washington College Vocal Consort and Early Music Consort, and has chaired the Washington College Concert Series.

He also served the campus community in a number of leadership positions, foremost his stint as Acting President from 1981-1982, and his recurring role as Dean of the College for a total of six years. In appreciation of his effective teaching and leadership, Washington College has over the years awarded him the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching, the Gold Pentagon Award for Meritorious Service and an honorary doctorate. When the College renovated the Gibson Center in 2009, Clarke’s former students honored him by dedicating the building’s music library in his name.  Yet another honor that meant a lot to Professor Clarke:  in 1999, the Maryland Gamma chapter of Phi Delta Theta, which he has advised for many years, initiated him as a fraternity brother.

Off campus, he has been active in regional music circles that include the Commission on Liturgy and Music for the Episcopal Diocese of Easton and the boards of Chesapeake Chamber Music, the Talbot Chamber Orchestra, and the Maryland State Arts Council. He has served as the organist and choirmaster for several churches in the area and is currently Director of Music at Trinity Cathedral in Easton.

Clarke received his B. Mus. from Cornell College and his M. Mus. from Yale, where he also taught piano. As a composer and scholar, Clarke has written numerous compositions for a variety of genres that include opera, symphony, vocal and organ. He has published a book (Essays on American Music), an entry in the Grove Dictionary of American Music, and a number of essays on teaching and performing. He also has served as an opera coach for artists on the rosters of the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Opera, and the New Haven Opera Society.

For more information on the Music Department at Washington College, please visit http://music.washcoll.edu/.

Finalists for 2012 Sophie Kerr Prize Announced

Congratulations to the 2012 Finalists: seated, Doug Carter, Maria  Queen, Katie Manion; standing,  Erica Walburg and Natalie Butz.

 * Read Portfolio Excerpts * 

* More about Sophie Kerr *

CHESTERTOWN, MD—Washington College has named five finalists for the famous Sophie Kerr Prize, the largest undergraduate literary prize in the nation, this year valued at more than $58,000.  They are:

Natalie Butz, an English major from Falls Church, Va., who minors in History, Psychology and Creative Writing.  In her four years in Chestertown, Butz has served as Editor-in-Chief of the student newspaper, The Elm, worked in the Writing Center, participated in drama productions, joined the Douglass Cater Society of Junior Fellows, and achieved distinction as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She traveled to Tanzania as part of the College’s summer program there, spent a semester studying in Ireland and worked in New York as an intern at Folio Literary Management. Her writing portfolio includes excerpts from a historical novel-in-progress, short stories, and articles published in The Elm, the Chestertown Spy and Washington College Magazine. “Her creative work is distinctive for its commitment to research, and she tackles difficult topics such as race, class and gender with real honesty,” judges from the Sophie Kerr Committee said of her portfolio.

Douglas S. Carter, Jr., an English and Art History double major with a minor in Creative Writing who hails from Pasadena, Md. A member of Phi Beta Kappa, Carter has volunteered in New Zealand through Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WOOF) and, as a Douglass Cater Fellow, hiked the mountain ranges of Northern England and Southern Ireland on Professor Richard Gillin’s Kiplin Hall trip. His writing portfolio includes poems, short non-fiction, scholarly writing and a travel essay. “Doug’s portfolio is defined by a passionate interest in literature and the arts and an engagement with social issues, especially environmental stewardship,” said one judge. “He is optimistic and believes in the power of the arts to do good in the world. He establishes an intimacy with the readers, and his intellectually cordial personality shows through.” Local residents may know Doug through his work as a barista at Sam’s coffee shop and a server at the Chester River Yacht and Country Club. After graduation, he will intern for the new vineyard and winery at Crow Farm, a B & B and grass-fed beef farm in Kennedyville, Md.

Kathryn Manion, a resident of Clarksville, Md., who majors in English with minors in Creative Writing and Anthropology. Involved with many on-campus publications, Manion  has worked as a consultant at the Writing Center and served as head of the Writers’ Union for the past two years. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, the Douglass Cater Society of Junior Fellows, and the English and Anthropology honor societies. Her writing portfolio included short stories and an excerpt from her senior thesis on letter-writing in novels. The judging committee described Manion as a mature, focused student whose scholarship and fiction both display an intensity of purpose. “Her fiction shows flashes of brilliance through her ability to create voice keenly appropriate to the story in progress. Both on the page and as a member of this community, Katie has a quiet confidence in her ability to lead, write and edit,” they added. This summer, Manion will attend the University of Denver Publishing Institute’s prestigious program in writing and editing.

Maria Noelle Queen, a Humanities major and Creative Writing minor from Hagerstown, Md. Queen, a member of Phi Beta Kappa, submitted 18 pages of poetry to the Sophie Kerr Committee, much of it focused on the relationship between a daughter and her parents.  “Her poetry is at times very funny and at times very sad, and it manages to be both extremely personal and yet objective about how she sees herself in the world,” said one committee member. “She has a well defined voice for a young writer and manages that difficult balance between subjective and objective very well.” An avid gamer, Queen hopes to work as a writer for a video game production company such as Bethesda or Bioware, developing plot, characters and dialog.

Erica Walburg, a double major in English and Studio Art from Pewaukee, Wis., who minors in Creative Writing. Walburg is a member of the Douglass Cater Society of Junior Fellows and the Sigma Tau Delta English Honors Society and has been involved in myriad campus activities, including acting in drama productions, singing with the Vocal Consort, serving as Vice President of the Writers’ Union, and editing the Washington College Review, an annual liberal arts journal. She also interned for a summer at The American Scholar, the magazine published by Phi Beta Kappa. Walburg’s portfolio includes parts of a novel, poetry and her thesis on the history and evolution of the graphic novel, which incorporates her research on Aristotle and Pulitzer-Prize winning graphic novelist Art Spiegelman. “Erica’s work reflects her Midwestern roots and her interest in the marriage of the verbal and the visual,” the committee said of her writing. “As she says in the introduction to her portfolio, she wants to return words to their basic function as visual symbols.” 

The five finalists, all graduating seniors who submitted portfolios of their writing to be judged, will travel to New York City for a special program and reception on May 15. There, in a private club in midtown Manhattan, they will read selections from their portfolios and then hold their breath as internationally renowned novelist Colum McCann opens an envelope and announces the winner. The entire program will be livestreamed through the Washington College Web site (www.washcoll.edu) beginning at 6:30 p.m.

The actual check, in the amount of $58,274.11, will be awarded during Washington College’s 229th commencement on Sunday morning, May 20.

A total of 35 seniors applied for the Prize, and they represented a mix of disciplines—not only the expected English majors and Creative Writing minors, but also 15 other majors that included Physics, Philosophy, Business Management, Art and International Relations. The finalists and the eventual winner were selected by members of the Sophie Kerr Committee — the 13 full-time members of the English faculty plus the College president. Committee chair Kathryn Moncrief, chair of the English Department, says this was a strong year for student writing. “This year’s portfolios were remarkable for the scope of their concerns and topics and the depth with which they handled them,” she elaborated. “We could easily have doubled the number of finalists we selected.”

This is only the second time in the 45-year history of the prize that the Sophie Kerr Committee has named finalists. In the past, the name of the single recipient was announced during Commencement, but the names of those who came close remained a secret the committee members vowed not to disclose.

This is also the second year that author McCann, whose novel Let the Great World Spin won the 2009 National Book Award and the 2011 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, will offer keynote remarks and announce the winner.

In holding the announcement ceremony in New York, the College acknowledges the importance of the city as the literary capital of the world and the personal journey of Prize benefactor Sophie Kerr.  A native of Denton, Md., Kerr moved to New York as a young woman and built a successful 40-year career as national magazine editor and writer. Her townhouse on East 38^th Street became a literary salon for her friends in journalism and the arts. At her death, she bequeathed much of her estate to Washington College, with the stipulation that half its income would be awarded annually to the senior showing “the most ability and promise for future fulfillment in the field of literary endeavor.”

The other half of the endowment brings a steady stream of notable writers, authors and editors to campus for readings and workshops, provides scholarships for students who show literary promise, pays for library books, and supports various other literary activities.

Miller Library Renovation Complete, Open Oct. 14

The newly renovated Miller Library reopened October 14. In the revamped facility, the Washington College community has direct access to the collection, interlibrary loan services, printing and to new and revitalized spaces for teaching, researching, and working in comfort. The Math Center and Office of Academic Skills is fully operational in the library as well. The OIT educational services provided by the Multimedia Production Center and Beck Instructional Lab will be phased back into the library and will be fully functional soon after the opening; in the meantime those services will continue to be offered in William Smith Hall 111 and 226, respectively. The café will be completed with the Grand Opening scheduled for November 9 at 4:30 p.m. If you have questions or comments please do not hesitate to call or email Ruth Shoge (rshoge2@washcoll.edu) or Jennifer Nesbitt (jnesbitt2@washcoll.edu).

Original Release: May 2, 2012

Miller Library to Close May 12 for Extensive Renovation Work Expected to Last Four Months

CHESTERTOWN, MD—Washington College’s Miller Library will close for a major renovation beginning May 12 and is expected to remain closed for approximately four months.

The renovation will greatly enhance the library’s spaces for study, teaching and research and will provide a more comfortable climate-controlled building for all patrons.  When it reopens, the library will boast five enclosed collaborative group spaces, an open quiet-study area on the second floor, a redesigned and expanded Archives section, new offices for instructional technology, enhanced spaces for Office of Academic Skills, and a café.

The renovated infrastructure will include a new geothermal HVAC system, including air handlers and ductwork, as well as new electrical and plumbing systems, new flooring, ceilings and lights.  In addition, the library plaza will be enhanced and made more functional with new tables, chairs, and plants.

College Librarian Ruth Shoge says she regrets the inconvenience the renovation will cause the community, especially those who use its Kent County News archives. “We look forward to seeing everyone when we re-open in the fall,” she adds.

Smithsonian "American Pictures" Series Concludes with Author James McBride on James Brown

CHESTERTOWN, MD— On Saturday, May 12, memoirist, novelist, and musician James McBride will conclude the 2012 “American Pictures” series with a riff on a dynamic 1969 photograph of soul music legend James Brown performing at the Shrine Auditorium.

A joint program of Washington College, the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the “American Pictures” series offers a highly original approach to art, pairing great works with leading figures of contemporary American culture. Each talk features an eminent writer, artist, critic or historian who chooses a single favorite image to explore, revealing how artworks reflect American identity and inspire creativity in many different fields.

This spring’s all-star line-up has featured four of America’s most celebrated and multi-talented writers: McBride; renowned illustrator and writer Maira Kalman (who opened the series on March 24); journalist, travel writer and historian Tony Horwitz (who spoke on April 7); and biographer Edmund Morris (who appeared on April 21). The series director is historian Adam Goodheart, Hodson Trust-Griswold Director of Washington College’s C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience.

James McBride is an acclaimed author, screenwriter and musician; his memoir, The Color of Water (1996), was a New York Times bestseller and has sold millions of copies worldwide. His first novel, Miracle at St. Anna, was adapted in 2008 into a major motion picture written by McBride and directed by Spike Lee. McBride’s second novel, Song Yet Sung (2008), was selected by the Maryland Humanities Council the following year for the “One Maryland, One Book” program.

McBride has written for the Washington Post, People, the Boston Globe, Essence, Rolling Stone, and the New York Times. A saxophonist who studied composition at Oberlin Conservatory of Music, he tours with his own band. McBride received the Stephen Sondheim Award and the Richard Rodgers Foundation Horizon Award for his musical “Bo-Bos,” co-written with playwright Ed Shockley. He is currently at work on a new book about James Brown.

The photograph that McBride has chosen to speak about, “Singer James Brown During a Performance at the Shrine” (1969) memorializes the legendary performer at the height of his career, bringing funk music to an audience eager to embrace the new sound. Photographer Julian Wasser began his career in the 1950s as a copy boy in the Washington, D.C. bureau of the Associated Press. As a Hollywood-based contract photographer for Time, People, and Life, his powerful, often startling portraits – including shots of essayist Joan Didion, comedian Lenny Bruce and avant-garde artist Marcel Duchamp – captured a seminal period in the Los Angeles arts scene.

All “American Pictures” events take place at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery, located at 8^th and G Streets, N.W., in Washington, D.C.  McBride’s talk will begin at 2:00 p.m. in the museums’ Nan Tucker McEvoy Auditorium. Free tickets are available beginning at 1:30 p.m. at the G Street lobby information desk on a first-come, first-served basis. No reservations are necessary for the general public.

Students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of Washington College may reserve tickets to American Pictures events on a first-come, first-served basis. The Starr Center will also run free buses from Chestertown to Washington for each talk. Buses will depart at 10:30 am and leave D.C. for the return trip at 7:30 pm. For details or to make a reservation, please call 410-810-7165 or e-mail lkitz2@washcoll.edu. For more information, visit http://starrcenter.washcoll.edu.

About the Sponsors

            Founded in 1782 under the personal patronage of its namesake, Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland upholds a tradition of excellence and innovation in the liberal arts. The American Pictures series is a project of the college’s C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience and its Department of Art and Art History.

            The National Portrait Gallery tells the history of America through the individuals who have shaped its culture. Through the visual arts, performing arts and new media, the Portrait Gallery portrays poets and presidents, visionaries and villains, actors and activists whose lives tell the American story.

            The Smithsonian American Art Museum, the nation’s first collection of American art, is an unparalleled record of the American experience. The collection captures the aspirations, character and imagination of the American people from the colonial period to today.

Top Ranked Men's Lacrosse Hosts Centennial Championship, Faces McDaniel Friday Afternoon

CHESTERTOWN, MD—This weekend, for the first time in eight years, the Shoremen will host the Centennial Conference Men’s Lacrosse Championship in Chestertown. The action kicks off Friday, May 4, at 1:30 p.m. on Kibler Field at Roy Kirby Jr. Stadium, as the top-seeded Washington College team faces off against fourth seed McDaniel College.

Later that afternoon, at 4 o’clock, second seed Dickinson College, the reigning conference champion, plays third seed Gettysburg. The winners will compete for the Centennial Championship on Sunday, May 6, beginning at 1 p.m.

The Shoremen secured the top seed and hosting rights with a 9-3 win over Ursinus on April 28, improving to 10-4 overall and 7-1 in conference play. More information on the 2012 Centennial Conference Men's Lacrosse Championship Tournament can be found at on the Athletics Website.

Men’s lacrosse is not the only team to finish strong for the season. In fact, as the seasons wound down, Washington College became the first school in Centennial Conference history to qualify for all six of the conference's spring championship tournaments — men's and women's tennis, men's and women's lacrosse, baseball, and softball — in the same year.

The 2012 Centennial Conference Baseball and Softball Tournaments are four-team, double elimination tournaments. In baseball, the Shoremen, who are seeded third, will open the tournament Friday with a 3 p.m. game at second-seeded Haverford College in Haverford, PA. All of the tournament games on Saturday and Sunday will be held at top-seeded Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. McDaniel is the tournament's fourth seed. Visit the Centennial Conference Website.

The softball tournament will be hosted by top-seeded McDaniel in Westminster, MD, Saturday and Sunday. The Shorewomen softball team, seeded second, will open their tournament Saturday with a 10 a.m. game against third-seeded Gettysburg. Ursinus is the tournament's fourth seed. For more, visit the Centennial Conference Website.

In previous tournament play, WC’s women’s lacrosse team made it to the finals on a forfeit by F&M but fell to Gettysburg April 29. Haverford dashed the tournament dreams of both men’s and women’s tennis in the first round of play on April 25.