A screening of the documentary film ‘Join or Die’ will explore the lost culture of joining community groups and organizations, with stills from the film shown here, and is set for Thursday, May 23 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Easton branch of the Talbot County Free Library. The one-hour screening will be followed by small group discussions about the film’s theme of civic engagement and its role in strengthening communities. Light refreshments will be served, with no reservations needed. More about the film is at www.putnamdoc.com.

A screening of the documentary film ‘Join or Die’ will spark a community conversation about the need for more people of all ages to adopt the practice of being a ‘joiner’ in our local civic organizations, clubs, and volunteer corps.\

The one-hour film screening is set for Thursday, May 23 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Easton branch of the Talbot County Free Library and will be followed by small group discussions about the film’s theme of civic engagement and its role in strengthening communities. Light refreshments will be served, with no reservations needed.

The free event is made possible through the partner support of the Talbot County Free Library, Chesapeake Film Festival, Needles Eye Academy, Tidewater Rotary, Dock Street Foundation, and the Talbot Family Network.

“We aim to inspire action by sharing the groundbreaking civic findings from this film and highlighting local groups embodying these ideals,” said Nancy Andrew, MSW, executive director of Talbot Family Network. “Our goal is to motivate participants to consider how these findings are impacting life in Talbot County.”

“Becoming a ‘joiner’—as it’s been coined—has many benefits for those participating,” said Andrew. “Our joining together impacts our mental, physical and societal health.

“And that has a bigger, compounding effect,” she says, “on the way we support and care for one another through formal and informal networks which in turn builds resilience and strength for our communities.”

Directed by Rebecca and Pete Davis, ‘Join or Die’ examines how the fate of America, and our small towns like those on Maryland’s Eastern Shore depend on people coming together to be actively involved in civic organizations and clubs. The film premiered in 2023 at the SXSW Film & TV Festival in Austin, Texas, and is an official selection for numerous local, national, and international film festivals.

“As the unraveling of our social fabric has accelerated in the COVID era, the public is searching for fundamental explanations of our civic decline,” they said in their Directors’ Statement. “The film helps provide answers to questions like ‘Why can’t we see eye-to-eye with our neighbors,’”

The directors say Harvard professor and Bowling Alone author Robert Putnam has made great advancements in clarifying our understanding of the roots of our civic unraveling and is a master at translating social science research into engaging stories.

“With ‘Join or Die’, we aim to introduce Putnam’s research on the importance of community to democracy and the decline in American community engagement over the past decades to millions more Americans,” said the directors. “And especially to young Americans who were not alive to experience Bowling Alone going viral decades ago.”

More about the film is at www.putnamdoc.com.

Lesley Aaron, the Artistic Director of the Bay Country Chorus, and a Board member of the Eastern Choral Arts Society.

The Bay Country Chorus is offering a free five-week class designed for students of all ages who want to have a better understanding of the language of music.

The class will be presented by Lesley Aaron, the Artistic Director of the Bay Country Chorus, and a Board member of the Eastern Choral Arts Society. She has degrees in voice and piano performance from Towson University and has directed barbershop groups while living in the Florida Keys. For fourteen years she directed Handel’s Messiah while living in Florida. She was also the Music Director of Marathon Community Church in Marathon Florida.

The course will include the fundamentals of music theory including note identification and values, meter and key signatures, dynamics, and commonly used music notation. Interval training and solfege will be touched upon as well. The manual for this class is Alfred’s Essentials of Music Theory, Bk 1 available from Amazon and other venues. Everyone should bring a pencil.

The course will be held at Brookletts Place, the Talbot County Senior Center at 400 Brookletts Ave in Easton starting on April 29 at 5 pm. It will continue for five one-hour sessions each Monday. The course is free but pre-registration is required. Call 410-820-4761 to register.

April 21st marks the beginning of Chesapeake Bay Week on Maryland Public Television (MPT). And it is safe to say, as MPT enters the 20th year of this remarkable program, the broadcast – now running more than 22 hours – provides better, more significant and more compelling content than ever.

The Spy’s Craig Fuller had an opportunity to speak with Sarah Sampson, the producer of Chesapeake Bay Week at MPT.  She shares a few insights about what we can expect from this exciting series.

The discussion about the future of the Chesapeake Bay, the nation’s largest estuary, moderated by award-winning journalist Frank Sesno, educates us and demonstrates how important this body of water is to the region and the country. This summit can be viewed on April 23^rd at 8 PM.

Programming throughout the week entertains and informs us. Many here on the Eastern Shore of Maryland eagerly await a chance to see Racing Rivals: Log Canoes of Chesapeake Bay.  These quintessential historic vessels provide viewers with a close-up look at what it is like to race a Log Canoe.  Don’t miss the first viewing on Monday, April 22 at 8 PM.  You can enjoy a PREVIEW now.

This video is approximately six minutes in length.

If you are fascinated by oysters, you must explore the history, culture, art, and science surrounding the Chesapeake oyster in A Passion for Oysters on Wednesday, April 24th at 7:30 PM.See the PREVIEW now.

To view the full schedule, CLICK HERE.

Chesapeake Bay Week can be viewed wherever you watch mpt:

PBS App • Live Stream MPT • On Demand • TV

The Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra is the only professional symphony orchestra serving southern Delaware and Maryland’s Eastern Shore with a full season of programs. The MSO is supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council; the Talbot County Arts Council; the Worcester County Arts Council; the Sussex County, DE Council; and the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore, Inc.

The Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra will present the Maryland and Delaware premiere of Peter Boyer’s “Rhapsody in Red, White and Blue” on Friday, May 3, at 7 PM at the Cape Henlopen High School in Lewes, DE, Saturday, May 4, at 7 PM at the Performing Arts Center in Ocean City, MD. and Sunday, May 5, at 3 PM at the Todd Performing Arts Center at Chesapeake College in Wye Mills, MD.

The musical composition, commissioned by and featuring world-acclaimed pianist Jeffrey Biegel, celebrates the 100^th anniversary of George Gershwin’s quintessential “Rhapsody in Blue” and will be premiered until 2026 in each of the 50 states to honor the 250th birthday of the United States of America in 2026. “The Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, the Delmarva Peninsula’s only professional orchestra, is incredibly honored to premiere the work for both the states of Maryland and Delaware” said MSO Board president Jeffrey Parker.

Michael Repper, the Orchestra’s music director, is teaming with Grammy-nominated composer Peter Boyer for the performance.

The work is cast similarly to Gershwin’s in a single multi-sectional movement that captures propulsive energy, along with allusions to blues influences and lyrical evocations of American vistas. The piano soloist, Jeffrey Biegel, has created a multi-faceted career as a pianist, recording artist, composer and arranger.  His electrifying technique and mesmerizing touch have received critical acclaim and garnered praise worldwide.

The American theme of the concert will be continued with Aaron Copland’s classical composition “Appalachian Spring”.  The much- loved piece was originally composed as a ballet score for choreographer Martha Graham.  The music is imbued with Copland’s characteristic open harmonies, folk melodies, and rhythmic vitality, reflecting his intention to create a distinctly American sound.

The third piece in the concert honors our American Indians. ‘Chokfi”, the Chickasaw word for rabbit, is an important trickster legend within Southeast American Indian culture.  It was composed by Jerod Tate, a Chickasaw classical composer, for the Oklahoma Youth Symphony.   Different string and percussion techniques and colors represent the complicated and diabolical personality of this rabbit person, and incorporate a popular tribal church hymn as the melodic and musical base.

The Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, now in its 26^th year, will end its 2023-2024 season with  Woodwind & Strings ensemble concerts on Saturday, May 18, at 7 PM at Epworth United Methodist Church in Rehoboth Beach, DE, and Sunday, May 19, at 4 PM at the Academy Art Museum in Easton, MD

 WHEN and WHERE…

This concert will be performed at three venues on three days on the Delmarva Peninsula.

Friday, May 3 at 7:00 PM – Cape Henlopen High School, Lewes, DE

Saturday, May 4 at 7 PM – Performing Arts Center, Ocean City, MD

Sunday, May 5 at 3 PM- Todd Performing Arts Center, Wye Mills, MD

TICKETS

Individual tickets for this concert are $55 per person at each venue and are available at midatlanticsymphony.org.  The site also has information on group purchases and free tickets for students 18 years and under.

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information about the 2023-2024 season, or to order tickets, please visit www.midatlanticsymphony.org. Tickets may be ordered by telephone at 888-846-8600.

ABOUT THE MID-ATLANTIC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

The Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra is the only professional symphony orchestra serving southern Delaware and Maryland’s Eastern Shore with a full season of programs. The MSO is supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council; the Talbot County Arts Council; the Worcester County Arts Council; the Sussex County, DE Council; and the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore, Inc.

A complete schedule of the 2023-2024 season’s Masterworks and Ensembles programs, venues, times, and other information is available at www.midatlanticsymphony.org.

Casting Call! TAP Announces Auditions for THE HALLELUJAH GIRLS

Tred Avon Players will be hosting auditions for its production of The Hallelujah Girls, written by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, and Jamie Wooten. Directed by Sammie Mooney, the comedy will be performed August 15-25, 2024 at the Oxford Community Center.

AUDITION DATES

Auditions will be held at Oxford Community Center, 200 Oxford Rd, Oxford, Md on:

• Tue, May 7, 6-8 pm

• Wed, May 8, 6-8 pm

• Fri, May 10, 6-8 pm

PLAY SUMMARY
In this Southern comedy, a group of lively women in Eden Falls, Georgia, gather at SPA-DEE-DAH!, an old church turned day spa, to shake up their lives. Led by the spirited Sugar Lee, they confront personal challenges including lost romance, family troubles, and stagnant marriages. Amidst unexpected arrivals, marriage proposals, and rivalries, the women unite to pursue their dreams, resulting in a hilarious and uplifting tale of friendship and empowerment.

CASTING

TAP will be casting eight roles, six women and two men. All ethnicities, body types, abilities, skill levels, etc. are welcome to audition and will be considered for parts.

For more details about audition guidelines and the specific roles, visit https://www.tredavonplayers.org/auditions-1

PRODUCTION CREW

THE HALLELUJAH GIRLS also needs a production crew – sets, lights, sound, costumes, and stage crew.  If you are interested, come to any audition to find out more information, or send an email to Sammie Mooney at [email protected].

ABOUT TRED AVON PLAYERS

Founded in 1982, Tred Avon Players is a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to enrich, educate and entertain its community by providing high-quality theater. Hundreds of local performers, stagehands, audience members and donors have been the backbone of its success throughout the decades. To learn how you can get involved and to purchase tickets for upcoming shows, visit www.tredavonplayers.org and follow Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

ONGOING WEEKLY CLASSES  

Mon, 1-2:30pm; Yoga with Suzie Hurley, Advanced beginners, $20/class, 10 classes $150

Sat, 9:30-11am; Yoga w Suzie Hurley, Intermediate, $20/class, 10 classes/ $150

Tues-Thurs, 10am; Steady & Strong w/ Janet Pfeffer, $10/class 10/$80

APRIL 2024

April 10, 2024, 5:30pm – Seal Level Rising – A Public Event

Join us to explore the ongoing challenges of flooding, high tides, and erosion in Oxford. Through a three-part interactive series, we will look at the impacts of sea level rise in Oxford and possible steps to arrest its most devastating impacts on our community.  We encourage participation at all three sessions since they build on each other, but please join us for all you can attend. FREE. Please RSVP online at oxfordcc.org.

April 11, 2024, 5:30pm – Boating Safety with Gary Culver

Unleash Your Inner Captain – Safer Boating Skills for Every Adventure! This will be an interactive presentation on boating safety skills and emergency preparedness led by Captain Gary Culver of Culver Yacht Services and Coast Guard BM1 Bryant Gooch. FREE. Refreshments and Oysters will be available for purchase. Space is limited, sign up today online at oxfordcc.org.

April 12, 2024, at 7pm – Improv Easton

Get ready for an evening of laughter and spontaneity as Improv Easton returns to the stage at the Oxford Community Center!  Tickets are $10 per person and they sell out quickly! Buy tickets online at oxfordcc.org.

April 27, 2024, Oxford Day 2024 – Play at the OCC

Come to Oxford Day and Plan to ‘Linger for Lunch’ at the OCC with Eternal Life Ministries Grilln’ Crab Cakes and Singing on the Patio with OCC’s Jam Band from noon and beyond. Crab cakes will be for sale and the entertainment is FREE.

April 29, 2024, 5pm – OCC Annual Meeting and Open House

Join us for the Oxford Community Center’s 2024 Annual Meeting and Open House on April 29th at 5pm. Come learn about all the excitement brewing at the OCC as we thank departing board members and welcome our new ones! Light refreshments available. FREE. Please RSVP online so we can plan accordingly!

MAY 2024

May 1, 2024, 5:30pm – Seal Level Rising – A Public Event

Join us to explore the ongoing challenges of flooding, high tides, and erosion in Oxford. Through a three-part interactive series, we will look at the impacts of sea level rise in Oxford and possible steps to arrest its most devastating impacts on our community.  We encourage participation at all three sessions since they build on each other, but please join us for all you can attend. FREE. Please RSVP online at oxfordcc.org.

May 2, 2024, 5:30pm – Fuller & From – Lecture Series Moderated by Dave Wheelan

Every Thursday, The Spy hosts a conversation with Al From and Craig Fuller on the most topical political news of the moment. Come watch them LIVE at the OCC on May 2nd at 5:30pm for an in-person taping of the show. Moderated by Dave Wheelan, Publisher and founder of the Spy. 

May 3, 2024, 6pm – Dinner and a Movie 

Join us for Larry Paz’s delicious Greek Moussaka and Baklava and watch ‘Momma Mia the Movie’. Dinner + Movie $25 pp – starts at 6pm; Movie only is FREE – starts at 7pm. Purchase tickets at oxfordcc.org.

May 4, 2024, 8:30am – Cars & Coffee

Free, Sponsored by Prestige Auto Vault, Eat Sprout & Doc’s Sunset Grille. Come enjoy the incredible array of automobiles!

May 4, 2024, 10:30am – OCC Landscape Ribbon Cutting

Join the OCC in the ribbon cutting for the beautiful landscaping project with the three donors who made it possible, along with the Talbot Chamber and the Oxford community.

May 17-19, 2024, all weekend – 40th Fine Arts Fair

The 40th annual three-day Oxford Fine Arts Show is set for May 17-19, 2024. The prestigious juried exhibition and sales show is well known throughout the area and celebrated as the season’s ‘kick-off’ for art lovers. The schedule of events for the weekend begins with the Friday Preview Party Gala. It provides attendees the only guaranteed chance to ‘Meet the Artists’, view the full exhibit and the first chance to buy the amazing art! This is a fun evening where attendees mingle with the artists and enjoy live music, cocktails and delicious hors d’oeuvres.  The award ceremony happens at the preview party gala. Tickets sell fast, so save-the-date for May 17th, 2024 from 6:00 – 8:00 PM. There are no tickets offered at the door for Friday’s Preview Gala. On Saturday and Sunday, the exhibit is open to the public from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

May 25, 2024, OCC Jazz with Hannah Gill

Eastern Shore native and jazz vocalist Hannah Gill returns to her hometown for a special night at the Oxford Community Center, kicking off the musical series “The Stage @ OCC” on May 25th. Tickets are $60 and can be purchased online at oxfordcc.org.

JUNE 2024

June 1, 2024, 8:30am – One Night in Old Havana – OCC Fundraiser

A grand party conjuring the sights and sounds of old Havana. Latin -inspired small plates, signature cocktails, music, dancing and a cigar bar under the stars. You will enjoy an immersive show featuring singers, salsa dancing and surprises. Join us for One Night in Old Havana! Tickets are $75pp and include heavy hors d’oeuvres, music and dancing. Purchase tickets online at oxfordcc.org.

For more info contact: [email protected] or [email protected]

For tickets to classes and shows visit oxfordcc.org

To volunteer at our events, visit oxfordcc.org/volunteer

Global Jazz Phenom, Hannah Gill

Oxford, Md – Eastern Shore native and jazz vocalist Hannah Gill returns to her hometown for a special night at the Oxford Community Center, kicking off the musical series “The Stage @ OCC” on May 25th.

Gill, who has emerged as a distinguished jazz singer, songwriter, and performer, is currently signed with Turtle Bay Records. Her debut jazz album, “Everybody Loves A Lover,” released in September 2023, has received widespread praise, amassing over 10 million Spotify streams and 22 million YouTube views. She has toured the world numerous times in collaboration with Postmodern Jukebox, and her resume features performances with jazz pianist Gordon Webster, the Glenn Crytzer Orchestra, and Grammy-winner Vince Giordano.

The 26-year-old’s unique voice has been written about in the New York Times, Teen Vogue, NPR, and the Syncopated Times, which describes it as “a crisp Ivy League voice of the era, rich, with a casual confidence.” In a review of her album, All About Jazz notes that the swing era standards selections “while staying true to the original music,” are infused with her style, “which is inflected with blues and soul.”

Liza Ledford, Executive Director of OCC, looks forward to welcoming Gill: “Hannah’s success on the global stage reflects the rich artistic heritage of our community, and we look forward to celebrating her journey and musical prowess right here in her Eastern Shore roots.”

Gill will bring her NYC septet jazz band, which includes female vocals, piano, bass, drums, trombone, trumpet, and clarinet/saxophone. This will be an unforgettable evening of jazz and a rare opportunity to experience the magic of Hannah Gill in the place where her musical journey began!

Limited VIP tickets are available that include a meet and greet with Hannah and the band after the show with desserts and bubbly, as well as front cabaret seating and two drink tickets.

Event Details

Date: Saturday, May 25th

Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Oxford Community Center – “The Stage @ OCC”

Location & Phone: 200 Oxford Rd, Oxford MD — 410-226-5904

Tickets for this special hometown performance can be purchased through the Oxford Community Center’s website at www.oxfordcc.org

*******

Website: https://hannahgillmusic.com/

Social Media: @HannahGillMusic (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter)

The public is invited to the Academy Art Museum for our Instructor’s Studio Sale on Saturday April 13, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The instructors are cleaning out their studios and bringing all sorts of art, frames and art supplies for sale. Enjoy perusing their bins and racks of framed and unframed paintings, pastels, fine art prints, drawings, pottery, photographs and more. Plus art books, supplies and frames. Who knows what hidden gems you might find?  All in a festive outdoor market atmosphere. Rain location is in the AAM performing arts room. 

Participating instructors include Naomi Clark-Turner, Rosemary Cooley, Bernie Dellario, Loretta Lowman, Diane DuBois Mullaly, Sara Linda Poly, Mary Pritchard, Chris Rapa, Sheryl Southwick, and Meg Walsh.

While you’re there, it’s a great time to visit the current exhibits inside the museum.

The Academy Art Museum is located in Easton, Maryland, at 106 South Street, corner of S. Harrison Street. Convenient on and off-street parking. 

Carpe Diem Arts is proud to present this remarkable mid-day program in partnership with Brookletts Place in Easton, 400 Brookletts Ave—scheduled on the Second Tuesdays of the month, September through May 2023. Mark your calendars for our last two concerts of the season: April 9 and May 14. More info at www.carpediemarts.org/brookletts-place

Performances are free of charge and welcoming of all ages.

The April 9 lunchtime concert, 12:15-1:00pm will feature internationally acclaimed singer Lena Seikaly accompanied by bassist Amy Shook and guitarist Tom Laguna.

Palestinian American jazz vocalist Lena Seikaly bids homage to her Palestinian roots, while also celebrating the Great American Songbook.  Lena has been named “one of Washington’s preeminent jazz singers” and “brightest voices in jazz” (The Washington Post). She was a semi-finalist for the 2015 Thelonious Monk Institute International Jazz Vocals Competition, has produced three albums, and has headlined at Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai (China), the Kennedy Center, Blues Alley, and jazz festivals across the U.S. and Europe–including Easton’s own Monty Alexander Jazz Festival!