The College of Southern Maryland (CSM) continues its year-long celebration of its 60th anniversary by kicking off the 2018-2019 Ward Virts Concert Series with a special performance by CSM faculty Oct. 14 at the CSM Prince Frederick Campus. CSM Adjunct Piano Instructor Michael Santana and CSM Chair/Professor Dr. Stephen Johnson will be performing a variety of works for piano duet, piano solo and solo song for the 60th anniversary celebration.
“We’ll be four hands and one piano,” shared Johnson, “and we are looking forward to our conversation with the audience throughout our performances.” Johnson added the duo will perform a variety of literature ranging from Mozart to the African American song to piano music of the 20th century.
The Ward Virts Concert Series celebrates the life and work of Ward Virts, a talented Southern Maryland pianist who died suddenly in 1993. A group of Ward’s friends and classmates conceived the Ward Virts Piano Project to bring the love of life, beauty and music that Ward embodied to a new generation of Southern Maryland students, performers and appreciative audiences. The concerts are performed on a world-class handcrafted Bosendorfer Grand Piano, a gift to CSM’s Prince Frederick Campus from the Ward Virts Piano Project.
The Ward Virts Concert Series is presented by sponsors Dr. and Mrs. Henry Virts, Eric and Rané Franklin, Mary Anna Phillips, Stovy and Anne Brown and the CSM Foundation. Grants provided by the Arts Council of Calvert County and Maryland State Arts Council also make the performances possible.
The series takes place in the Multipurpose Room 104 in Building B on the Prince Frederick Campus. All performances begin at 3 p.m. Doors open at 2:30 p.m. No tickets or reservations are needed. Concerts are free.
For information on the Ward Virts Concert Series, visit https://www.csmd.edu/community/the-arts/music/ward-virts-series/index.
Calendar
CSM Ward Virts Concert Series: A CSM 60th Anniversary Event. 3 p.m. Oct. 14. College of Southern Maryland, Prince Frederick Campus, Building B, Multipurpose Room, B-104, 115 J.W. Williams Road, Prince Frederick. CSM faculty will perform. Doors open at 2:30 p.m. Limited seating. Free. 301-934-7828 or visit www.csmd.edu/community/the-arts/music/ward-virts-series/index.
CSM Wards Virts Concert Series: Jones-Holton-Faulkner, jazz trio. 3 p.m. Nov. 11. College of Southern Maryland, Prince Frederick Campus, Building B, Multipurpose Room, B-104, 115 J.W. Williams Road, Prince Frederick. Jazz trio Jim Holton on piano, Tony “TNT” Jones on bass and Justin Faulkner on drums will perform a variety of jazz tunes. Doors open at 2:30 p.m. Limited seating. Free. 301-934-7828 or visit www.csmd.edu/community/the-arts/music/ward-virts-series/index.
CSM Wards Virts Concert Series: Sahun Hong, piano. 3 p.m. Feb. 10. College of Southern Maryland, Prince Frederick Campus, Building B, Multipurpose Room, B-104, 115 J.W. Williams Road, Prince Frederick. Pianist Sahun Hong will perform. Doors open at 2:30 p.m. Limited seating. Free. 301-934-7828 or visit www.csmd.edu/community/the-arts/music/ward-virts-series/index.
CSM Ward Virts Concert Series: Brian Ganz, piano. 3 p.m. March 10. College of Southern Maryland, Prince Frederick Campus, Building B, Multipurpose Room, B-104, 115 J.W. Williams Road, Prince Frederick. Pianist Brian Ganz will perform. Doors open at 2:30 p.m. Limited seating. Free. 301-934-7828 or visit www.csmd.edu/community/the-arts/music/ward-virts-series/index.
CSM Wards Virts Concert Series: Creative Concert Group, “Dvořák Reimagined.” 3 p.m. April 14. College of Southern Maryland, Prince Frederick Campus, Building B, Multipurpose Room, B-104, 115 J.W. Williams Road, Prince Frederick. The Creative Concert Group is comprised of chamber musicians who perform creative versions of well-known classical works. Doors open at 2:30 p.m. Limited seating. Free. 301-934-7828 or visit www.csmd.edu/community/the-arts/music/ward-virts-series/index.
CSM Wards Virst Concert Series: Jazz One: “Happening Now.” 3 p.m. May 12. College of Southern Maryland, Prince Frederick Campus, Building B, Multipurpose Room, B-104, 115 J.W. Williams Road, Prince Frederick. Jazz One is an ensemble from the D.C./Baltimore area who perform a variety of concerts focusing on a special genre or time period. Their speciality is recreating historic jazz. Doors open at 2:30 p.m. Limited seating. Free. 301-934-7828 or visit www.csmd.edu/community/the-arts/music/ward-virts-series/index.
During 2018, the College of Southern Maryland celebrates its 60th anniversary. Established as part of the continuing expansion of the community college in America, Charles County Junior College opened Sept. 17, 1958. The La Plata Campus was established at its present location in 1968, with college services expanding to St. Mary’s County in 1978 and Calvert County in 1980. For information about the college’s history, visit https://news.csmd.edu/60th/.
Today, CSM is a regionally accredited community college that provides programs and services with a special focus on local workforce development to maintain and grow a healthy economy and community. CSM serves more than 24,000 credit and continuing education students at its campuses located in Hughesville, La Plata, Leonardtown and Prince Frederick, as well as a Higher Education Center shared with University of Maryland University College in Waldorf and a Center for Transportation Training in La Plata. For information about CSM, call 301-934-7765 or visit www.csmd.edu.