Washington College Celebrates Helen Gibson's 90th Birthday

Free Public Concert in Her Honor to be Held August 27

Chestertown, MD, August 15, 2002 — Washington College will hold a free public concert Tuesday, August 27, 2002 in honor of Helen Gibson, former First Lady of Washington College, who will be celebrating her 90th birthday.

World-renowned pianist Stefan Scaggiari will perform in the Tawes Theatre, Gibson Performing Arts Center, at 4 p.m. The public is invited to attend the concert and the reception to follow. As the wife of the late College president Daniel Z. Gibson, Helen Gibson first arrived in Chestertown in 1950. As the First Lady of the College from 1950 to 1970, Gibson was instrumental in bringing a greater appreciation and support for the arts to Chestertown and to the College. A talented pianist in her own right, she co-founded the Washington College Concert Series, now in its 51st season. In that same year, Gibson founded the Women's League of Washington College, still going strong with fund-raising efforts in support of scholarships for students and materials for the College's Miller Library. Recently, she helped to provide the impetus for the creation of the campus' arboretum. Mrs. Gibson enlisted the help of College friend Winslow Long, a member of the College's 1782 Society, and biology professor Rosemary Ford in the creation of the arboretum, dedicated in 1998. "Helen's energy and vision have given much life to the arts and helped to shape the creative culture that distinguishes our campus and Chestertown today," said Dr. John Toll, president of the College. "We are proud to honor Helen and her contributions to Washington College on the very special day of her 90th birthday, and hope that all her friends and acquaintances in Chestertown will come to celebrate it with us."

Concert Series Welcomes Pianist Paul Maillet & Friends January 25th

Chestertown, MD, January 4, 2002 — The Washington College Concert Series begins the New Year with a performance by accomplished American pianist Paul Maillet, accompanied by cello, violin and clarinet, Friday, January 25, 2002, at 8:00 p.m. in the College's Tawes Theatre, Gibson Performing Arts Center. This golden anniversary season of the Washington College Concert Series is dedicated to its cofounders Helen S. Gibson of Chestertown, wife of the late Daniel Z. Gibson, president of the College from 1950 to 1970, and the late Robert L. Forney of Chestertown, who chaired the concert series committee and supported it financially for many years.

Paul Maillet has received enthusiastic acclaim for his performances worldwide and played soloist with orchestras in Europe, North America, Asia and South America. Winner of numerous competitions, Maillet studied piano at the Eastman School with Cecile Genhart and with Leon Fleisher and Leonard Shure at the Peabody Institute. He currently studies with Dorothy Taubman and is a regular performer and faculty member of the Taubman Institute-Amherst Music Festival.

With him this performance are Sheng-Tsung Wang on violin, Louis Bianco on clarinet, and Benjamin Myers on cello. One of the pieces that they will perform will be Messiaen's "Quartet for the End of Time," written in 1941 when the French patriot and composer was imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp.

Single admission tickets for the Washington College Concert Series are available at the Tawes Theatre box office before performances and are $15.00 for adults and $5.00 for youth 18 years of age and under. Season tickets are available for $50.00 and single patronage sponsorships begin at $75.00. Season tickets can be purchased by check or money order from the Washington College Concert Series, 300 Washington Avenue, Chestertown, MD 21620-1197. For information or a season program brochure, call 410-778-7839.

Pianist Inna Faliks to Perform September 23

50th Season of Concert Series Honors Founders

Chestertown, MD, August 6, 2001 — The Washington College Concert Series opens its 2001-2002 season with a performance by accomplished young pianist Inna Faliks on Sunday, September 23, 2001, at 4:00 p.m. in the College's Tawes Theatre. This first concert in the series' fiftieth season is dedicated to Helen S. Gibson of Chestertown, one of the founders of the Concert Series and wife of the late Daniel Z. Gibson, president of the College from 1950 to 1970.

Born in Odessa, Ukraine, American pianist Inna Faliks currently works with Leon Fleisher at the Peabody Conservatory and has soloed with orchestras such as the Chicago Symphony and Concert Artists of Baltimore. Called "a delight to hear" and "warmly poetic" by Baltimore Sun critic Phil Greenfield, Ms. Faliks has been invited to record her debut CD of mostly Beethoven works for the Connoisseur Society label in 2002.

As a National Federation of Music Clubs Young Artist, Ms. Faliks has been presented in recitals and orchestral appearances around the country for the past two seasons. Most recently, she performed in the Chautauqua Festival and Brevard Festival, completed a tour of Arkansas and Kentucky, and gave her European debut in Toulouse, France.

Single admission tickets for the Washington College Concert Series are available only at the Tawes Theatre box office before performances and are $15.00 for adults and $5.00 for youth 18 years of age and under. Season tickets are available for $50.00 and single patronage sponsorships begin at $75.00. Tickets are available by check or money order from the Washington College Concert Series, 300 Washington Avenue, Chestertown, MD 21620-1197. For information or a season program brochure, call 410-778-7839 or email kate.bennett@washcoll.edu.