Chorus Debuts With Guest Artists Friday, Nov. 9

Chorus director Douglas Byerly.

Pianist Grace Kim.

CHESTERTOWN, MD—The new Washington College Chorus debuts this Friday, Nov. 9, at 12:30 p.m. in Hotchkiss Recital Hall, Gibson Center for the Arts, under the direction of Douglas Brandt Byerly and accompanied by pianist Grace Kim. The free concert is expected to last about 50 minutes.

Special guest artists are soprano Mary Anne Barcellona, who sang the role of Carlotta in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera” and tenor Peter Drackley, who very recently performed the role of Parpignol in “La Boheme” with Lyric Opera Baltimore.

The Washington College Chorus was created this fall to give students, faculty and staff who love to sing the opportunity to do so under professional guidance. Chorus music director Doug Byerly is a lecturer in music at Washington College and a professor of music and Chair of the Department of Fine Arts at Anne Arundel Community College. Grace Eun Hae Kim is a lecturer and piano instructor in the Music Department.

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.