Free “12@Hotchkiss” Concerts Continue Nov. 2 with the Naval Academy Clarinet Quartet

CHESTERTOWN, MD—The Naval Academy Clarinet Quartet will perform at noon on Friday, November 2, in Hotchkiss Recital Hall, as part of the Washington College Music Department’s 12@Hotchkiss Noon Hour Concert Series.

The free performances in the series feature acclaimed musicians from the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area and are hosted in Hotchkiss on the first Friday of every month during the academic year. All are welcome.

Members of the clarinet quartet have performed extensively as soloists and in chamber groups and orchestras across the country. They are part of the United States Naval Academy Band, “The Navy’s Oldest and Finest,” which has provided music for the Brigade of Midshipmen and the surrounding community since 1852. Located at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, the full band is comprised of 68 professional Navy musicians who have studied at some of the best music schools and conservatories in the country.

The November 2 performance by the clarinet quartet will feature arranged and original works by Bach, Alfred Uhl, Astor Piazzolla, and Mike Curtis.

Hotchkiss Recital Hall is located in the Gibson Center for the Arts on the Washington College campus, 300 Washington Avenue. For more information on the 12@Hotchkiss series, please visit the Music Department website at http://music.washcoll.edu, or contact series director Grace Eun Hae Kim at gkim2@washcoll.edu.

Sandbox Percussion Quartet performs October 5 for 12@Hotchkiss free concert series

CHESTERTOWN, MD—The Sandbox Percussion Quartet will give the next performance of the Washington College Music Department’s “12@Hotchkiss” lunchtime concert series on Friday, October 5. The free public performances, hosted at noon in the Hotchkiss Recital Hall on the first Friday of each month, feature acclaimed musicians from the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area.

         Sandbox Percussion is comprised of Garret Arney, Victor Caccese, Ian Rosenbaum, and Adam Rosenblatt, classically trained musicians who studied at the Peabody Conservatory and the Yale School of Music. They bring a youthful energy to their performances, which range from traditional percussion works to experimental improvisations and new music. The quartet took part in the Summer 2012 Norfolk New Music Workshop in Norfolk, Conn., and made its New York City debut at the St. John’s Episcopal Church Concerts on the Slope series, earning an invitation to be the ensemble-in-residence for the Fall 2013 season. The quartet was a finalist in the New England Chamber Music Competition, held in Boston.

         The October 5 performance at Washington College will feature the work of composers Steve Reich, Jason Treuting and Paul Lansky.

Hotchkiss Recital Hall is located in the Gibson Center for the Arts at Washington College, 300 Washington Avenue. For more information on the 12@Hotchkiss series, please visit the Music Department website at http://music.washcoll.edu, or contact series director Grace Eun Hae Kim at gkim2@washcoll.edu.

         

Honored Violinist Joins Pianist Kim for First Free “12@Hotchkiss” Concert of Season

CHESTERTOWN, MD—Violinist Nabeel Abboud Ashkar will be the special guest Friday, September 7 as the Washington College Music Department kicks off the second season of its popular “12@Hotchkiss” lunchtime concert series on campus.  The free public performances, which are hosted at noon in Hotchkiss Recital Hall on the first Friday of each month during the academic year, feature acclaimed musicians from the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area.

Pianist Grace Kim directs the
12@Hotchkiss concert series.

In the opening concert, Ashkar will collaborate with pianist and faculty member Grace Eun Hae Kim in a program that includes Mozart’s Sonata for Violin and Piano E minor, K. 304 and Beethoven’s Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 5 in F major, “Spring.”  

Ashkar, a Palestinian native of Nazareth, has earned international praise for bringing young Arabs and Jews together through music. He founded the Polyphony Conservatory in Nazareth in 2006 with support from the Barenboim-Said Foundation. In 2011, he helped found the Polyphony Foundation and launch the Polyphony Youth Orchestra. He will receive an honorary Doctor of Arts degree from Washington College during Fall Convocation on Thursday, September 6. 

Hotchkiss Recital Hall is located in the Gibson Center for the Arts building at Washington College, 300 Washington Avenue. For more information on the 12@Hotchkiss series, please visit the Music Department website at http://music.washcoll.edu, or contact series director Grace Eun Hae Kim at gkim2@washcoll.edu.

A day after receiving an honorary degree from the College, violinist Nabeel
Ashkar will perform with Kim Friday, September,  in the first concert of the
 free lunchtime series on campus. The community is welcome.

Free Noon Music Series Concludes April 13 With Opera Talent of The Figaro Project

CHESTERTOWN, MD—The Washington College Music Department presents its last “12 @ Hotchkiss” concert of the season on Friday, April 13 at noon with The Figaro Project, featuring soprano Caitlin Vincent (pictured at right), contralto Kristina Lewis, tenor Andrew Spady, baritone Jason Buckwalter, and pianist Julia Sheriff. Their Opera à la Carte program will include an exciting selection of arias from operas by Mozart, Donizetti, Rossini, Bolcom, Saint-Saëns, and Bizet.

The Figaro Project was founded in June 2009 as a way to create performing opportunities for emerging artists and present opera in accessible and affordable ways. With the encouragement and support of the local community, The Figaro Project quickly developed into a full-fledged opera “troupe” and currently maintains a roster of 23 talented performers. For more information about the troupe and current season, please visit www.thefigaroproject.com.

Photo: Soprano Caitlin Vincent is one of the young talents who perform with The Figaro Project.

Free Friday Concert Series Brings Annapolis Chamber Players to Washington College March 2

CHESTERTOWN, MD—The Washington College Music Department continues its free lunchtime concert series, “12 at Hotchkiss,” on Friday, March 2, at noon with the Annapolis Chamber Players, featuring faculty member Phyllis Crossen-Richardson on clarinet. Crossen-Richardson, who serves as artistic director of ACP, will be joined by flutist Gail Vehslage, violist and violinist Jonathan Richards, cellist Elizabeth Meszaros, and pianist David Ballena.

The concert will take place in Hotchkiss Recital Hall, Gibson Center for the Arts, on the College campus, 300 Washington Avenue. It will include selections of movements from Carl Maria von Weber’s Trio for Flute, Cello, and Piano; Beethoven’s Trio Op. 1, No. 3 for Violin, Cello, and Piano; and Brahms’ Trio Op. 113 for Clarinet, Cello and Piano.

Formed in 2004, the Annapolis Chamber Players grew out of collaborative ventures dating back to the 1990s. The ensemble specializes in mixed chamber music and performs music from the Baroque to the 21st century, interchanging winds, strings, and keyboard instruments. Their innovative programming features Classics & Gems: chamber “favorites” complimented by lesser-known gems of the repertoire for two to eight players.

The Annapolis Chamber Players are devoted to fostering an appreciation of mixed chamber music for all ages. More information about the ensemble can be found on www.annapolischamberplayers.org.