(L to R) Dave Hawkins, David Dodd, Sean Schultz

There are lots of great musicians in Talbot County, and plenty of places to hear them play. But until now there has been a real void in the local music scene – there has not been a showcase for original music. I love James Taylor, Dolly Parton, and Chris Stapleton as much as the next guy, but there is something special, sometimes even magical, about hearing songwriters perform songs they have written.

That’s what makes the new Singer/Songwriter Night at Foxy’s Harbor Grille in St. Michaels so welcome. It provides a much-needed opportunity for area musicians to showcase their own songs. 

Singer/Songwriter Night at Foxy’s was the brainchild of David Dodd, who plays with the band Groove Tide and has often played at “Open Mics” in the area. Dodd, whose first love is writing and performing original music, was inspired after playing at a few nights at David Lee’s Original Songwriting Night at the Screaming Goat Yard & Tap in Spring Branch, Texas. He reached out to Foxy’s with the suggestion to do something similar. Dodd serves as the program’s host, and his songs (and guitar playing!) are always a highlight. 

Some of the performers are amateurs, singing their own songs in public for the first time. Others are established artists, already well-known in the area. 

Each of the two nights has had a “featured artist.”  The first week showcased Steve Lowe, who shared a number of songs from his soon-to-be released EP. One highlight was “Feels Like County,” about “life on the river, just taking it as it is.”  Lowe, who often appears with his band (Steve Lowe and Lowe Downs), has a captivating voice and a powerful way of capturing a sense of place – whether that place is his childhood home of Florida (“White Sands/blue skies/everything’s alright/jump right in”) or the Eastern Shore. 

Pete Baker opened the second night, with songs from his four albums as well as a few that are not yet released. Baker is a pro on stage, easily engaging the audience with his crowd-pleasing songs. His style is uncomplicated, in all the best ways, with radio-friendly tunes on the pop side of the spectrum. “Back in the Day,” beautifully captured the feeling of being “blissfully in denial,” as a younger man and of doing everything he could to avoid becoming “one of those who has lost their spark and been beaten down by life.”  Hitting the same theme in another song, Baker sang about the joys of being “happy, poor and free,” and making sure that “I was gong to live before I died.”

In addition to the featured artists, a diverse array of local songwriters, including

• Frank Hogans, whose fingerpicking on the guitar perfectly complimented his stories of love gone wrong (“now we’re on our own, kissing strangers”).
• Oliver Voss (who plays in the area as part of “Oliver and Friends”), who offered a few songs that, he explained, were written that day. This is one of the most exciting aspects of the Singer/Songwriter showcases; inspiring musicians to pen original music. 
• St. Michaels’ favorite Dave Hawkins, who will be the featured artist at the next Singer/Songwriter night (May 19th). 

In addition to serving as host, David Dodd offered some of the best songs of both evenings. A believer in the “write what you know” school, Dodd connected with audience on his songs about traveling to North Carolina and Jamica, about his life on “Gray’s Creek,” and a day spent “Watching the Rain.”

Other performers included Mac Macnamara (of St. Michael’s Junction 33), Suzzane Sanders (“you talk more than any two people I know”), who accompanied herself on the ukulele, and Sean Schultz. Schultz’s “Strange,” a moving song about love and addiction, was a particular highlight

Foxy’s next “Singer/Songwriter” night will be on Monday, May 19, 2025, from 5:00 – 8:00 pm. After a two-week break, it  will return on June 9th, with featured artist Anna Burgess, and continue on Monday nights through the summer.

Mark Pelavin is a consultant and freelance music journalist living in St. Michaels.  You can find more of his work on his Substack.

From June 1-14, Chestertown’s renowned National Music Festival will bring together almost 30 esteemed mentors and 100 promising apprentices, presenting over 30 events, ranging from majestic symphonies to intimate chamber music, pre-concert talks, and master classes, plus dozens of free open rehearsals. Mentors are professional musicians who teach and perform all over the country and the world; apprentices are young professional musicians on the cusp of their careers. Festival musicians come to Chestertown each season from about a dozen countries and 30 US states.

This year’s mentors will include Yoshiaki Horiguchi (bass) and Diana Loomer (percussion), who are both alumni of the Festival, and several mentors who have been with the Festival since its inception in 2011: Dana Goode (violin), Jared Hauser (oboe), Jeff Keesecker (bassoon), Tom Parchman (clarinet), and Jennifer Parker-Harley (flute).

On Friday, June 6, National Music Festival Artistic Director and co-founder Richard Rosenberg conducts the Festival Symphony Orchestra in a program of movie music, starting with Paul Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, which was famously used in the Walt Disney movie Fantasia. Violin mentor Emma McGrath, who travels from Hobart, Tasmania for her second season with the National Music Festival, will be the soloist in Korngold’s sumptuous Violin Concerto, which incorporates music from several of his film scores for Errol Flynn “swashbucklers,” including The Prince and the Pauper, Anthony Adverse, and more. The second half of the program features exhilarating music from the Star Wars movies by the legendary John Williams.

Several mentors and two apprentices will be featured as concerto soloists during the Festival. Saxophonist Laura Ramsay, a student at the University of Michigan, was selected through a highly competitive application process to attend the Festival as a saxophone apprentice and will perform on June 7 as the soloist in Jaques Ibert’s jazzy and tuneful 1930s Concertino da Camera.

Also on the June 7 concert is Frank Martin’s Concerto for Seven Wind Instruments. Trumpet apprentice Brandon Hebert of Louisiana has been awarded the opportunity to perform as a soloist alongside mentors Jennifer Parker-Harley (flute), Jared Hauser (oboe), Thomas Parchman (clarinet), Jeffrey Keesecker (bassoon), Michelle Stebleton (horn), and Michael Kris (trombone).

The guest conductor for the June 7 orchestra program will Matthew Kraemer, who serves as Music Director of the Louisiana Philharmonic in New Orleans, as well as the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra.

Concert schedules, tickets, and Festival Passes are available on the Festival’s website, nationalmusic.us.

Highlights of the much-anticipated 13th season include:

• Music from the cinema, including John William’s riveting score from three Star Wars flicks, as well as a short, long-lost 1907 Pathé film about a jilted pig in a tuxedo;
• Monumental symphonic works, including Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, Brahms’ Symphony 1, and Hindemith’s Symphonie: Mathis der Maler;
• Concerto performances featuring mentors and apprentices; in addition to those mentioned above, on June 13, mentors Elizabeth Adams (violin), Joseph Gotoff (cello), and Minji Nam (piano) will be the soloists for Beethoven’s lighthearted Triple Concerto on June 13;
• Chamber music by Haydn, Korngold, Milhaud, and Stravinsky (his 1920 “Ragtime”), among others;
• A free Family Concert featuring woodwind instruments and followed by an Instrument Petting Zoo;
• Forest Music, a unique performance art event in collaboration with Adkins Arboretum (tickets available at adkinsarboretum.org).

“Whatever your musical palate, we have events you will love,” said Festival Artistic Director Richard Rosenberg. “In addition to our huge flagship orchestra concerts, try our free ‘Lunchtime Chamber Bites,’ our special Family Concert, or our Market Music in Fountain Park and enjoy!”

Asher greeting NMF
Lunchtime Chamber Bites are short, free concerts featuring performances and discussion with the artists. The Family Concert and Market Music concerts are also free, as are several other events. All rehearsals are free and open to the public; families with children are especially welcome at rehearsals! Attending open rehearsals is a wonderful way to introduce young children, (and even their grandparents) to concert music.

Venues for concerts and rehearsals range from local churches to Washington College to the Kent Cultural Alliance’s Raimond Cultural Center, and more. Concert and rehearsal schedules are available on the Festival’s website, nationalmusic.us.

For our talented, competitively selected apprentices, the National Music Festival advances the lives and careers of these promising musicians by providing access to world-class mentors and performance opportunities. Apprentices attend the Festival on scholarship, completely free of charge. The Festival is truly a community effort: Chestertown area residents open their homes as host families for apprentices and mentors, Emmanuel Church in downtown Chestertown provides free lunches for the musicians each weekday, and many local restaurants offer discounts to musicians. A few more host families are still needed; please email info@na’onalmusic.us for more information.

Visit the Festival’s website for the complete 2025 Festival concert schedule and repertoire and to purchase tickets or Festival Passes: nationalmusic.us. A number of concerts are free, as are all rehearsals.

The National Music Festival is supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council (msac.org), Kent Cultural Alliance (kentculture.org), Mid-Shore Community Foundation (mscf.org), The Peoples Bank (pbkc.com), and by tax-deductible contributions from music lovers. For more information about the Festival, visit the website at nationalmusic.us or contact [email protected] or (443)480-0221.

Filmmaker, author, artist, and cultural icon John Waters has spent more than five decades daring people to look at what they usually turn away from. Known for cult classics like Pink Flamingos, Polyester, and Hairspray, Waters made a career out of unsettling, challenging, and, ultimately, delighting audiences. On May 9, he brings his latest one-man show, The Naked Truth, to the Avalon Theatre in Easton.

As Waters describes it, the show is part stand-up, part cultural commentary, part confessional — and entirely new. “I rewrite it completely once every year,” he said. “It’s about everything — politics, fashion, movies, music, how to get on your parents’ nerves. All sorts of things.”

This year’s version salutes the “gender guerrilla generation” and the rapidly changing landscape of identity and sexuality. “It’s amazing how things have changed so quickly; it even startles me,” he said. “There is a whole new world out there. At the end of a date, you used to ask for a good night kiss. Now I read the young people strangle each other.”

Even for someone who made a name by pushing boundaries, the pace of social change today can feel dizzying. “There’s a whole new set of rules — and no trigger warnings anymore, because who are you going complain to?” he said.

But Waters made clear that The Naked Truth isn’t about shock for shock’s sake. “It’s easy to shock,” he said. “It’s much harder to surprise people and make them laugh. That’s what I do. All comedy is political. It’s protection. It’s how you fight back. It’s how you position yourself. Even fashion is political.” He added, “I’m not self-righteous. I make fun of the rules I live by.”

For some ticket holders at the Avalon show, there will also be a special stick-around for a post-show opportunity to take a selfie with the star and a “group therapy” session. As Waters explains, the therapy will be precisely what you might expect — and nothing like the real thing. “We have no shame here. We share different things,” he said. “Things they might not have been able to say in a regular Q&A. There are different neuroses and attractions, but they figure if anybody can understand, it’s me. And they’re generally right.”

When asked, Waters admitted he’s never attended real group therapy. “I always thought they’d tell others what I told them,” he said. “At my show’s group therapy, nothing is off limits. We say things you’re not supposed to say.” He added, “I’m the psychiatrist. I’m the defense lawyer. They’re the patients. They’re the filthiest people alive, not me.”

That perspective fits Waters’ lifelong fascination with outsiders — although, he said, even that definition has shifted. “I’m through with being an outsider. I want to be an insider now,” he said. “Everybody wants to be an outsider today. Instead, I want to screw things up from the inside — in a positive way.”

It’s an unexpected, if fitting, turn for someone whose early work was once banned, condemned, and reviled. Today, Waters is celebrated by some institutions that once shunned him. “I’m so respectable, I could puke,” he said. “Who would have ever thought the Academy Award museum would give me a 12-room show? Not to mention all these awards I’m getting — the Writers Guild Award, an editing award. It’s amazing to me.” 

It’s so amazing that Waters said he’s now addicted to receiving awards. “I miss the day when I was condemned by the Catholic Church, and they gave me all the bad reviews that I used in the ads,” he said. “Same movies, but people just take them a different way.”

Through all the shifts in reputation and audience, Waters said the core of his creative life remains the same. “I’ve written all my movies. I write my stand-up shows. I write books. I photograph,” he said. “Basically, though, I’m a writer. So, every day, Monday to Friday, I get up, think up weird things, and write between 8 am and noon. In the afternoon, I sell it. That’s what I do for a living.”

His latest novel, Liarmouth, came out of that same discipline. “I’m always in airports because I tour all the time,” he said. “So I wrote about a woman who steals suitcases. No, I never saw it happen — but it’s easy to do. And if you get caught, you pretend you picked up the wrong one.”

As for new undertakings, Waters says he constantly collects new material, jotting down ideas and observations in what he calls different “cubby holes” for future projects. “I’m never bored. I don’t understand how anybody can be bored. Just go watch people. There’s no reason to be bored. You only get one life. Pay attention.”

That attitude extends to how he stays plugged into contemporary culture. “I have youth spies that tell me new stuff that’s going on,” he said. “I hate people my age who say, ‘It was much better back in the day.’ No — it wasn’t. You’re just an old fart. They’re having just as much fun now. You’ve got to figure out what that fun is.”

Waters speaks about aging with the same defiance he once reserved for battling censors and critics. “Old chickens make good soup,” he said. (I had to remove the comment that followed this, but in true Waters fashion, you can probably guess it wasn’t Hallmark card material.)

Then again, if material ever runs short, Waters joked, there’s always hospice humor.
“Old queens, wrinkle queens — we’re all still telling stories.”

Asked if Baltimore continues to be a muse even though his fame has grown beyond his native home, Waters said. “Baltimore’s still my favorite city. It’s still the coolest city because it’s cheap — you can still have Bohemia there,” he said. “I think I give Baltimore pride. We humanize the city. We make it popular, he said, crediting other Baltimore storytellers, from Barry Levinson to The Wire creators, with continuing to frame the city through the lives of its citizens. “We all made it about the peculiar people,” he said. “That’s why people connect to it.”

With a body of work that has been dissected by critics, celebrated by institutions, and embraced by younger generations, I asked if he ever felt misunderstood. “No,” he said. I’ve been understood right from the beginning,” And as for misgivings, he said there was only one. “The only regret I have is smoking. I haven’t had a cigarette in 8,149 days. I write it down every day.”

This ability to track regrets while continuing to push limits is at the core of who Waters is. Asked if there was anything he turns away from, he didn’t hesitate. “Sure — racism, stupidity, homophobia, transphobia,” he said. “But at the same time, I try to figure out what causes that and make that person laugh so they’ll listen and maybe change their mind.”

For first-timers attending The Naked Truth, Waters offered a simple piece of advice:
“Don’t call the police,” he said. Still, he said most audiences know exactly what they’re getting into. “I do ask, ‘Are you on a first date? Good luck.’ It will either resolve in marriage, or it will be the worst date ever.” For me 45 years ago, it resolved in marriage. Thanks, John.

John Waters brings The Naked Truth to the Avalon Theatre on May 9. Tickets are available at avalonfoundation.org. And for those attending the post-show group therapy passes, bring your camera– and maybe an issue or two.

There is no need to travel far for Places We Inhabit at the Zach Gallery in Easton, MD. The gallery held an artist talk on Saturday, April 26. Gallery Manager Aynsley Schopper had curated an excellent, invitational exhibition in this new white space of the Zach Gallery in Easton, a refreshing new asset to our Eastern Shore community.  

Cid Collins Walker

Schopper had organized a mini-symposium with the four women artists in the exhibition Places We Inhabit. The title of the exhibition was inspired by the artist Elizabeth Casqueiro’s artist’s statement. She is a visual artist who lives in Washington DC and in Easton, who is always fascinated by the complex interplay between nature – frequently referencing her mother’s “overgrown” flower garden in Portugal – and the built environment, and the meanings inherent in this connection.  Her artwork explores, through an expanded definition of painting, the ways in which these two environments intersect, shaping the places we inhabit, the experiences we have within them, and the people we become. 

Elizabeth Casqueiro

Also in the exhibition is Amy Wickersham, born in Chicago. She received her BFA from Denver University and studied painting and drawing at the Spannocchia Foundation in delicious Tuscany. Both the sunlight and warm colors of Italy are certainly noticed in her work. After New York city, she moved full time to Sag Harbor in 2010.  

Cid Collins Walker is not only an excellent visual artist but also the founder, executive producer and director of Black Opal Productions LLC.  In addition to documentary filmmaking, she is an awarded expert in television and film production, creative direction, animation, print design and brand management. She earned a B.A. in painting from Scripps College in Claremont, CA, followed by Whitney Fellowship in New York. She serves as Artistic Director at Chesapeake Film Festival which takes place annually in Easton.

Amy Wickersham, Spring Rumba, dyed silk on canvas, 40” x 40

Erica-Lunn Huberty did not attend the artist talk, but her work can be admired. She uses embroidery to create artwork that is replete with intricate detail, often incorporating textiles, trim, and lace. Her use of diverse materials links her practice to collage, although Huberty considers her work to be more indebted to the Dutch and Flemish Old Masters., music to Dutch art-historical ears.  

With some 15 people attending the prosecco event on a Saturday afternoon, the three artists present shared their work and their inspirations. Amy discussed her dyed-silk two-dimensional “paintings,” Cid described here “risks and joy, representational combined with abstract works and Elizabeth her background as an architect and interactions with nature. The overall theme seemed to be their artwork as “containers for their respective narratives.”  

The exhibition is on view from March 8 – May 10, 2025. See https://www.zachgalleryeaston.com/

Anke Van Wagenberg, PhD, is Senior Curator & Head of International Collaborations at the American Federation of Arts in New York and lives in Talbot County, MD. 

Over the last few years, Meredith Davies Hadaway has increasingly been seen as the region’s foremost eco-poet as she draws on her time on the Eastern Shore and her love for the Chester River.

That is why Hadaway will be headlining the upcoming Spy Night at the Avalon on May 7th.  She will read from her new book, Among the Many Disappearing Things, a collection of poems that commemorate both the beauty and the fragility of Eastern Shore life and landscapes.

She will be joined by special guest, poet Deidra Greenleaf Allan.

Here is a sample of her work.

This video is approximately one minute in length. For tickets, please go here.

Spy Nights with Meredith Davies Hadaway
with Guest Deidra Greenleaf Allan
Stoltz Listening Room
Doors: 5:30pm / Event: 6:00pm
May 7, 2025

t

The Oxford Community Center is proud to present world-renowned jazz vocalist Allan Harris on Friday, May 2, for a one-night-only performance honoring the legendary Nat King Cole. Part of the acclaimed Jazz Series On Stage at OCC, the concert invites audiences to experience the rich, velvety tones of Cole’s songbook through the singular voice of one of today’s most celebrated interpreters.

Described by The New York Times as a “velvet-voiced baritone with an earthy edge,” Allan Harris has captivated audiences worldwide with his masterful storytelling, elegant phrasing, and genre-defying performances. His tribute to Nat King Cole is more than a concert—it’s a deeply personal homage to an artist who helped define American music and break racial barriers along the way.

“He was for everybody,” said Harris. “He sang for the world, and he delivered the exact songs that the composers wrote. When you heard a Nat King Cole song, you heard every word, every syllable, and it made sense. It was just wonderful.”

Backed by a stellar jazz trio, Harris will perform some of Cole’s most beloved songs, from the buoyant charm of “Rambling Rose” to the silken romance of “Unforgettable,” delivered with the diction, warmth, and storytelling that make Harris a standout on any stage.

“We’re honored to bring Allan Harris to our stage,” said Liza Ledford, Executive Director of the Oxford Community Center. “His connection to this music is palpable, and it will be a night of beauty, nostalgia, and extraordinary talent in an intimate setting.”

Allan Harris: The Music of Nat King Cole
Friday, May 2, 2025 | 7:30 PM
Oxford Community Center | 200 Oxford Rd, Oxford, MD
Tickets and more information: oxfordcc.org

This event is expected to sell out. Advance ticket purchase is strongly recommended.

On Sunday afternoon, at The Ebenezer Theater in Easton, the Hesper Quartet, a Korean-American string quartet based in New York City, charmed the audience with the music of Benjamin Britten and Bedřich Smetana. The quartet was then joined by Chinese pianist Ying Li for a piano quintet by Dmitri Shostakovich. The result: technical mastery, inspirational interpretation, and flawless execution. The concert was held in memory of Anne Moran, who served on the Board of Chesapeake Music and co-chaired the organization’s International Chamber Music Competition.

Last year, the Hesper Quartet swept Silver Medals at the Chesapeake International Music Competition, Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, Lyon International String Quartet Competition, and the Yellow Springs Chamber Music Competition. And just last weekend, the Quartet won first prize at the St. Paul Chamber Music Competition.

Yi Ling was the First Prize winner of the 2021 Young Concert Artists Susan Wadsworth International Auditions, as well as the recipient of the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival Prize and the Tri-1 Noon Recitals Prize, in addition to a host of other awards. 

The Hesper Quartet played Britten’s Three Divertimenti for String Quartet, which Britten wrote in his early 20s and created to represent character portraits of various school friends, sometimes referred to as Go play, boy, play.

The second piece was Smetana’s String Quartet No. 1 (“From My Life”) which is a four-movement autobiographical piece which includes memories of his youth, some nationalistic references, a tribute to his wife, and the final movement which correlates with his declining health and the reckoning of his mortality. Its notable features include a prominent viola solo in the first movement and a sustained harmonic E by the first violinist in the last movement. 

The Shostakovich Piano Quintet in G Minor consists of five movements—a Prelude, Fugue, Scherzo, Intermezzo, and Finale. The Quartet captured the essence of much of Shostakovich’s music, which is characterized by emotion, sharp contrasts, and technical complexity. 

The Hesper Quartet and pianist Ying Li did more than justice to each of these pieces and received a well-deserved standing ovation for their artistry and interpretations. 

Next up on the Chesapeake Music calendar is the much-awaited Chamber Music Festival, which offers six concerts from June 6 through 14, including some with the world-renowned Juilliard Quartet. Subscriptions and individual tickets for the Festival are available on ChesapeakeMusic.org. 

Editor’s note: The Spy has proudly supported the Chesapeake Film Festival since 2010. Over the past fifteen years, we’ve explored various ways to share with our Mid-Shore readers just how fortunate we are to have a festival that consistently delivers thoughtful, engaging, and artistically rich programming.

This year, we’re expanding that commitment by co-producing a monthly podcast with CFF executive director Cid Walker Collins and her devoted team of volunteers. The series will feature in-depth conversations about the films being presented throughout the year, offering listeners a behind-the-scenes look at the creative forces behind them.

Cid will be joined by Irene Magafan, the festival’s new board president, as well as guest hosts who will interview filmmakers, writers, and actors about the art and craft of cinema. These discussions will offer both artistic insight and cultural context, underscoring the value of experiencing these screenings in our own community.

In this first episode of Chesapeake Screen, Cid speaks with Irene Magafan about her work as a filmmaker, her deep passion for cinema, and how her vision aligns with the Chesapeake Film Festival’s enduring mission.

This podcast is approximately ten minutes in length.  For more information and ticket sales, please go here.

Upcoming CFF – Talbot County Free Library partnership screenings: 

• April 30: River — In honor of Earth Day, experience this breathtaking documentary narrated by Willem Dafoe, exploring the vital role of rivers in our ecosystem and culture.

• May 21: Conclave — Dive into the intrigue of this Oscar-nominated film starring Ralph Fiennes and Isabella Rossellini, a gripping narrative of power and secrecy.

• June 21: Wicked — Get ready for a wild and wonderful cinematic journey with this theatrical masterpiece starring Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, and Jeff Goldblum.