Concert to feature CSM students
The College of Southern Maryland presents the Southern Maryland Concert Band (SMCB) at 8 p.m. on May 3 at the Fine Arts Center on the La Plata Campus, 8730 Mitchell Road, La Plata.
The SMCB, under the direction of Michael Peerless, continues its collaboration with CSMs music program, through which students receive college credit in exchange for participation in the band. The May concert will feature CSM music majors Scott Davis, Courtney A. Dunn, Laura Grantham and Marcus Nash of Waldorf, Yusef Fletcher of White Plains, Gabriel Hurley of Mechanicsville and Sara Jacobs of Indian Head.
The partnership between CSM and the Southern Maryland Concert Band is a wonderful intersection of CSMs arts program and community involvement with the performing arts, said CSM Professor and Coordinator of Music Dr. Stephen Johnson. He said that student enrollment has increased this year as has interest among students to continue with the band even after graduation.
The performance will feature a variety of patriotic compositions, classical pieces and works by American composers. “I look forward to another great concert of diverse band styles ranging from arrangements of contemporary choral music to Broadway show tunes and band masterpieces of the past,” said Johnson.
SMCB was founded in 1984 by Charles Armstrong in Charles County. A long-time music teacher, Armstrong pieced together a group of former students from his more than 25-year career. The band was officially named the Southern Maryland Concert Band in 1985 to reflect the geographic diversity of its membership and its public performance locations throughout Southern Maryland.
The SMCB is the only community-based instrumental ensemble dedicated to providing quality, affordable performances to families in the region.
By offering a challenging and superior music repertoire and rehearsing diligently from January through the end of October, the SMCB ensures the finest musical product each year, said Mary Lane, SMCB co-founder and clarinetist. I especially look forward to our formal concerts and consider these shows to be the highlight of our concert calendar.
Tickets are $5 in advance, $7 on the day of the performance. For information, visit www.csmd.edu/Arts or contact the Box Office at bxoffice@csmd.edu or call 301-934-7828.
Calendar Listing
CSM Hosts the Southern Maryland Concert Band. 8 p.m., May 3. College of Southern Maryland, La Plata Campus, Fine Arts Center, 8730 Mitchell Road, La Plata. The Southern Maryland Concert Band is an all-volunteer, non-profit, community-based ensemble of adult and student instrumentalists dedicated to performing quality concert band music for audiences in and around Southern Maryland. $5 in advance, $7 day of concert. www.csmd.edu/Arts, bxoffc@csmd.edu or 301-934-7828.