Summer Series Kicks Off with Chautauqua, Jennifer Cooper and GrooveSpan
The College of Southern Marylands (CSM) Twilight Performance Series returns beginning July 7 for its ninth summer season of free, family-friendly entertainment on the La Plata, Leonardtown and Prince Frederick campuses. Throughout July guests can expect to be entertained by national and local blues, jazz, rock and military bands and CSMs Childrens Theatre as well as by Chautauquas historical portrayals.
Twilight kicks off with a performance by Southern Maryland native Jennifer Cooper and GrooveSpan July 7 at the Leonardtown Campus and with performances by Chautauqua characters featuring a theme of Sporting Lives July 7, 8 and 9 at the La Plata Campus.
Performances will take place outdoors on the La Plata Campus Fine Arts (FA) Building lawn and the Leonardtown Campus great lawn. Audience members are encouraged to bring a lawn chair or blanket as well as food or beverages (no alcohol permitted).
In the event of rain, performances will move indoors. On the La Plata Campus, performances will be in the Fine Arts Center and on the Leonardtown Campus, Building A, Auditorium. Performances are subject to change. For a schedule of the full series, visit www.csmd.edu/Arts.
Chautauqua
The annual Chautauqua program includes interactive, family-friendly presentations and is an educational program of the Maryland Humanities Council presented in partnership with CSM. This years theme, Sporting Lives, features Olympic track and field champion Wilma Rudolph July 7, baseball legend Babe Ruth July 8 and versatile athlete Jim Thorpe July 9.
Rudolph won three gold medals in track and field during the 1960 Summer Olympics, making her the first American female to do so. She is regarded as a civil and womens rights pioneer. Rudolph attended Tennessee State University on a full scholarship and received a bachelors degree in elementary education. Following her athletic career, she worked at Cobb Elementary School and coached track at Burt High School, both in Tennessee. Rudolph will be portrayed by Gwendolyn Briley-Strand.
Ruth is considered to be one of the greatest baseball players of all time and established many Major League Baseball batting and pitching records before he retired in 1935. Throughout his career, he played for the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and the Boston Braves. Ruth will be portrayed by Gene Worthington.
Thorpe was an athlete of both Native American and European ancestry. Among his many achievements include winning Olympic gold medals for the 1912 pentathlon and decathlon, playing collegiate and professional American football, and playing professional baseball and basketball. Thorpe will be portrayed by Mark Megehee.
Each evening will open with music, followed by presentations by the Chautauquans with an opportunity for questions and answers. For information on Chautauqua, visit http://mdhc.org/programs/chautauqua/.
Leonardtown Campus Twilight Performance
GrooveSpan, an ensemble Cooper created to satiate her desire to sing classic tunes from a variety of genres, decades, styles and grooves of popular music, offers repertoire that includes everything from vintage jazz standards to classic rock, from Duke Ellington to Doobie Brothers, from Antonio Jobim to Adele, from Bill Withers to Blondie. Founded in 2010, GrooveSpan performs at the Back Creek Bistro, the Blue Dog, the Running Hare Vineyard and the Port of Leonardtown Winery. The group appeals to all age groups from young adults to senior citizens. For information, visit http://go-diva.webs.com/aboutgroovespan.htm.
Twilight sponsors include Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, CSM Foundation, Community Bank of the Chesapeake, the Town of Leonardtown and the St. Marys County Arts Council. Sponsorships are available. For information, call 301-934-7647 or visit http://csmd.edu/Foundation.
Chautauqua is a program of the Maryland Humanities Council presented in partnership with CSM. The Maryland Humanities Council, Inc. is an independent non-profit organization which receives support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Maryland Division of Historical and Cultural Programs, corporations, foundations and individuals.
For information on the Twilight Performance Series, visit http://www.csmd.edu/Arts/TwilightSeries/index.html.
Calendar Listings
Charles County
CSM Twilight Performance Series: Chautauquan Wilma Rudolph. 6:45 p.m., July 7. College of Southern Maryland, La Plata Campus, Fine Arts Lawn, 8730 Mitchell Road, La Plata. Considered the fastest woman in the world in the 1960s, Wilma Rudolph became the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field at the Olympics. Rudolph is one of the historical figures featured as part of the Maryland Humanities Councils annual Chautauqua program. The performance will be presented as part of CSMs Twilight Performance Series. Each week the series features a different performance on each campus. Bring a picnic and a lawn chair or blanket (no alcoholic beverages permitted). Free. For a complete schedule of performances, visit http://www.csmd.edu/Arts/TwilightSeries/index.html or contact 301-934-7828.
CSM Twilight Performance Series: Chautauquan Babe Ruth. 6:45 p.m., July 8. College of Southern Maryland, La Plata Campus, Fine Arts Lawn, 8730 Mitchell Road, La Plata. Considered to be one of the greatest baseball players of all time, Babe Ruth established many Major League Baseball batting and pitching records before retiring in 1935. Ruth is one of the historical figures featured as part of the Maryland Humanities Councils annual Chautauqua program. The performance will be presented as part of CSMs Twilight Performance Series. Each week the series features a different performance on each campus. Bring a picnic and a lawn chair or blanket (no alcoholic beverages permitted). Free. For a complete schedule of performances, visit http://www.csmd.edu/Arts/TwilightSeries/index.html or contact 301-934-7828.
CSM Twilight Performance Series: Chautauquan Jim Thorpe. 6:45 p.m., July 9. College of Southern Maryland, La Plata Campus, Fine Arts Lawn, 8730 Mitchell Road, La Plata. An athlete of Native American and European ancestry, Jim Thorpe played professional football, baseball and basketball as well as participated in the 1912 Olympics. Thorpe is one of the historical figures featured as part of the Maryland Humanities Councils annual Chautauqua program. The performance will be presented as part of CSMs Twilight Performance Series. Each week the series features a different performance on each campus. Bring a picnic and a lawn chair or blanket (no alcoholic beverages permitted). Free. For a complete schedule of performances, visit http://www.csmd.edu/Arts/TwilightSeries/index.html or contact 301-934-7828.
St. Marys County
CSM Twilight Performance Series: Jennifer Cooper and GrooveSpan. 6:45 p.m., July 7, College of Southern Maryland, Leonardtown Campus, Great Lawn, 22950 Hollywood Road, Leonardtown. GrooveSpan is the ensemble gathered by Southern Maryland native Jennifer Cooper to satiate her desire to sing classic tunes from a wide variety of genres, decades, styles and grooves of popular music. The performance will be presented as part of CSMs Twilight Performance Series. Each week the series features a different performance on each campus. Bring a picnic and a lawn chair or blanket (no alcoholic beverages permitted). Food vendors will be on-site. Free. For a complete schedule of performances, visit http://www.csmd.edu/Arts/TwilightSeries/index.html or contact 301-934-7828.
Captions
To view graphics for the events, photos of the performers and captions, visit http://csmphoto.zenfolio.com/15twilightpromos. Photo credit is: Submitted by College of Southern Maryland, unless otherwise noted.
WILMA RUDOLPH 2015.jpg
http://csmphoto.zenfolio.com/15twilightpromos/h46beb94d#h46beb94d
The annual Chautauqua program includes interactive, family-friendly presentations and is an educational program of the Maryland Humanities Council, presented in partnership with CSM. This years theme is Sporting Lives and will include 20th century athlete Wilma Rudolph. Rudolph, who is most known for being the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field during a single Olympic game, was also a pioneer for civil as well as womens rights. Rudolph will be portrayed on July 7 at the La Plata Campus. Illustration by Tom Chalkley.
BABE RUTH 2015.jpg
http://csmphoto.zenfolio.com/15twilightpromos/h46beb978#h46beb978
The annual Chautauqua program includes interactive, family-friendly presentations and is an educational program of the Maryland Humanities Council, presented in partnership with CSM. This years theme is Sporting Lives and will include 20th century athlete Babe Ruth. Ruth is considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time and established many batting and pitching records before his retirement in 1935. Ruth will be portrayed on July 8 at the La Plata Campus. Illustration by Tom Chalkley.
JIM THORPE 2015.jpg
http://csmphoto.zenfolio.com/15twilightpromos/h46beba89#h46beba89
The annual Chautauqua program includes interactive, family-friendly presentations and is an educational program of the Maryland Humanities Council, presented in partnership with CSM. This years theme is Sporting Lives and will include 20th century athlete Jim Thorpe. Thorpe was an athlete of Native American and European ancestry and helped pave the way for non-white athletes to participate in professional sports. During his career, he played football, baseball and basketball, among other sports. Thorpe will be portrayed on July 9 at the La Plata Campus. Illustration by Tom Chalkley.
THORPE RUTH RUDOLPH.jpg
http://csmphoto.zenfolio.com/15twilightpromos/h46beb937#h46beb937 and http://csmphoto.zenfolio.com/15twilightpromos/h46bebae3#h46bebae3
The annual Chautauqua program includes interactive, family-friendly presentations and is an educational program of the Maryland Humanities Council, presented in partnership with CSM. This years theme is Sporting Lives and will include Olympic runner Wilma Rudolph on July 7, Major League Baseball star Babe Ruth on July 8 and multi-sport athlete Jim Thorpe on July 9. Chautauqua performances take place at the La Plata Campus. Illustration by Tom Chalkley.
TWILIGHT.jpg
http://csmphoto.zenfolio.com/15twilightpromos/h46beb949#h46beb949
CSMs 2015 Twilight Performance Series will feature free weekly performances on each campus this summer. Performances begin at 6:45 p.m. and will be on the Leonardtown Campus, the La Plata Campus and the Prince Frederick Campus. For schedule, visit http://www.csmd.edu/Arts/TwilightSeries/index.html.
GrooveSpan.jpg
http://csmphoto.zenfolio.com/15twilightpromos/h46beba72#h46beba72
Southern Maryland-based act Jennifer Cooper with GrooveSpan will perform July 7 at the Leonardtown Campus as part of CSMs 2015 Twilight Performance Series. Photo courtesy of GrooveSpan.