Joseph Urgo, President  of St. Mary's College
to speak at July 28th NAACP Meeting

The Wednesday July 28th meeting of the St. Mary's County Branch of the NAACP will host President Joseph Urgo of St. Mary's College. Come hear him speak at the SMECO Building in Leonardtown at 6:30 p.m.

He comes to us from upstate New York where he served as the chief academic officer of Hamilton College and was a professor of English and taught courses in Americal literature while serving as dean of faculty. Originally from Akron, Ohio, he has written five books and dozens of essays.

Married and the father of one son, President Urgo brings a new administration to the College and St. Mary's County. Come meet and greet him. The meetings are always open to the public on the last Wednesday of each month.

SMCM Professor Merideth Taylor
Receives Historic Preservation Service Award

Press Release #10-117

(St. Mary’s City, MD) May 26, 2010— Merideth Taylor, professor of theater and dance at St. Mary’s College of Maryland (SMCM), received a 2010 Historic Preservation Service Award for her documentary “With All Deliberate Speed: One High School’s Story.” The documentary, about the desegregation of Great Mills High School in Southern Maryland, was written, directed, and produced by Taylor and edited by David Taylor and Bryan Tosh at Phocus Video. The award was presented by the St. Mary’s County Board of Commissioners and the members of the St. Mary’s County Historic Preservation Commission.

“I'm grateful to Janice Walthour and Mary Washington for nominating me and have found the community’s response to the film very gratifying,” said Taylor. “I'm hoping that the award will bring renewed attention to the film and that more people will see it as a result. In addition to its availability in libraries, on YouTube and on local cable TV stations, I've been providing personal copies to individuals for a $20 donation to Unified Committee for Afro-American Contribution’s fund for the erection of a monument to the United States Colored Troops. I'm particularly happy to know that the St. Mary's County Public Schools plans to integrate the documentary into the social studies curriculum.”

“It is important that all citizens of St. Mary’s County recognize our role in the segregation era and the desegregation period that followed,” said Francis Jack Russell, president of the County Commissioners. “We must be familiar with the hardships that local African Americans faced during the integration of segregated high schools and Merideth’s documentary plays an important role in educating the public about this transition period.”

Taylor’s documentary gives voice to those who experienced the desegregation process at Great Mills High School between 1958 and 1972. It also outlines the difficult transition period of integrating the segregated high schools’ communities. The film was screened at this year’s sixth annual Southern Maryland Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast at SMCM. The video can be viewed on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=smcm#p/u/2/qg7TXldDgYw. A grant from the PNC Foundation Legacy Project and the Maryland Humanities Council made the documentary possible.

The Historic Preservation Awards began in the spring of 1999 and are given to businesses, organizations, or individuals who demonstrate outstanding achievement in and support for furthering the aims of historic preservation in St. Mary’s County through education, research, development, community leadership, and planning advocacy.

River Concert Series Music Festival
Starts June 18

Stars Joining Maestro Silberschlag Include
World-renowned Musicians
Chappell, Ganz, and Nova

Grand Finale July 30 Features 2010 Tony-nominated
Broadway Singing Sensation Kate Baldwin

Press Release #10-087

(St. Mary’s City, MD) May 27, 2010—The St. Mary’s College of Maryland (SMCM) River Concert Series is right around the corner! The 12th year of the weekly world-class music celebration begins Friday, June 18, and continues every Friday through July 30. Enjoy outstanding music and delicious food from local vendors. Gates open at 5 p.m. and concerts start at 7 p.m. Renowned guest artists join music director Jeffrey Silberschlag and the Chesapeake Orchestra, with a fireworks display over the St. Mary’s River July 2. These outdoor concerts are free and open to the public, and picnic baskets are welcome. For more information, visit the River Concert Series Web site at www.riverconcertseries.com or call 240-895-3038.

The seven-week River Concert Series festival is expected to draw about 40,000 fans. The event has entertained more than 400,000 during its 11-year history. Broadway star and Tony Award-nominated singer Kate Baldwin will join our stage for the season finale on July 30 just after a performance of Beethoven's monumental Fifth Symphony. For the night of June 18, accomplished jazz and classical pianist Jeffrey Chappell joins Silberschlag and the Chesapeake Orchestra for Samuel Barber’s Piano Concerto; the program also features Robert Schumann’s First Symphony “Spring” in celebration of both composers’ birthdays. The night of June 25 will feature Giuseppe Nova, internationally acclaimed flutist from Italy and faculty member in the college’s program in Alba, as well as renowned guitarist and SMCM faculty member Orlando Roman. Fireworks will fill the sky over the St. Mary’s River July 2 as both the college’s own Brian Ganz and the Sax Quartet from the “President’s Own Marine Band” perform with the Chesapeake Orchestra. The concert features the works of John Williams, Gershwin, and the Sousa Marches.

Larry Vote, St. Mary’s College provost and a Helen Hayes Award winner, will guest conduct the Chesapeake Orchestra July 9 in an evening of opera aria favorites featuring Michelle Johnson, soprano; Olivia Vote, mezzo soprano; and Brian Major, baritone. The July 16 concert will welcome the first annual Young Artist Concerto Competition winners. The orchestra will also perform the world premiere of William Kleinssaser’s “Many Rivers” and Prokofiev’s “Symphony No. 5.” St. Mary’s faculty artist and internationally renowned violinist José Cueto will perform Lalo’s “Symphony espagnole.” The evening will also feature a celebration of Mahler’s 150th birthday anniversary with a performance of his powerful seventh symphony.

Below is the 2010 River Concert schedule:

June 18—Birthday Boys:
Silberschlag and the Chesapeake Orchestra celebrate the birthdays of Samuel Barber and Robert Schumann, featuring classical and jazz pianist Jeffrey Chappell. Chappell has performed with such orchestras as the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Washington Symphony Orchestra, and the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra, among many others.

June 25—Trills and Thrills:
Internationally acclaimed flutist Giuseppe Nova, guitarist Orlando Roman, and harpist Floreleda Sacchi will join Silberschlag and the Chesapeake Orchestra for an evening of music, including Stravinsky’s “Pulcinella Suite” and Richard Strauss’ “Bourgeois Gentilhomme Suite.” Italian-born Nova is a faculty member in the college’s Alba, Italy, study abroad program. Roman is a guitar instructor at SMCM and has participated in numerous performances throughout the United States, Mexico, Spain, Germany, Colombia, Cuba, and Eastern Europe.

July 2—Summon the Heroes:
Silberschlag and the Chesapeake Orchestra welcome the Fourth of July weekend with music from John Williams, George Gershwin, and the Sousa Marches, featuring SMCM’s Brian Ganz, piano, and the Sax Quartet from the “President’s Own Marine Band.” This night concludes with fireworks. Ganz is artist-in-residence at the college and has appeared as soloist with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic (of Russia), the National Symphony, the City of London Sinfonia, and the L’Orchestre Lamoureux, among many others.

July 9—A Grand Night of Singing:
The Chesapeake Orchestra and Helen Hayes Award winner Larry Vote, guest conductor, welcome Michelle Johnson, soprano; Olivia Vote, mezzo soprano; and Brian Major, baritone; for an evening of opera aria highlights.

July 16—Young and Gifted II:
Silberschlag and the Chesapeake Orchestra welcome the first annual Young Artist Concerto Competition winners Nina DeCesare, bass, and Brian Hong, violin. The Chesapeake Orchestra will also perform the world premiere of William Kleinssaser’s “Many Rivers” and Prokofiev’s “Symphony No. 5.”

July 23—Jose in Vienna!:
Silberschlag and the Chesapeake Orchestra celebrate Mahler’s 150th birthday anniversary with a performance of “Symphony No. 7.” St. Mary’s College’s artist-in-residence, violinist José Cueto, will perform Mendelssohn’s “Violin Concerto.”

July 30—The Grand Finale:
Silberschlag and the Chesapeake Orchestra welcome 2010 Tony Award-nominated Broadway singing sensation Kate Baldwin. Baldwin was nominated for the Tony Award for her current performance of Finian’s Rainbow.

Silberschlag, music director and conductor of the River Concert Series, Chesapeake Orchestra, and the Italian Alba Music Festival, has recorded with the London Symphony, London Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Warsaw Philharmonic and Czech Radio Orchestra. His performances have been hailed by European critics as thrilling, compelling and outstanding. Silberschlag has collaborated with such artists as Hilary Hahn, Lara St. John, Terence Blanchard, the Ahn Trio, and Jane Monheit.

River Concert Series sponsors include the following: AMELEX, ARINC, ASEC, Arts Alliance of St. Mary's College of Maryland, BAE Systems, Boeing, Booz Allen Hamilton, Cherry Cove Hospitality, Comcast Cable Communications, Compass Systems, CSC, DSC Corp, Eagle Systems, Giant, G&H Jewelers, L-3 Communications, Lockheed Martin, LSI, ManTech International Corporation, Maryland Bank and Trust, Maryland Public Television, Maryland State Arts Council, MetroCast Communications, Navmar, Northrup Grumman, NTA, Phocus Video, Raytheon, River Concert Series Audience, RMC, Rollout Systems, Sabre Systems, SAIC, Sikorsky, Smartronix, St. Mary's County Arts Council, St. Mary's County Government, Target, Taylor Gas, W.M. Davis, Wyle, and Yamaha Pianos.

The goal of the River Concert Series is to assist in economically enhancing the region and cultivating a cultural tourist destination by organizing arts and historical offerings. In 1999, the Chesapeake Orchestra came into a residency relationship with SMCM with the initiation of the River Concert Series. Since then, the Chesapeake Orchestra has sought to provide musical programming to reach the broadest possible audience.

Basic Mediation Training

The Community Mediator Centers of Southern Maryland are looking for a few good volunteers!  Learn to be a mediator and make a difference in your community.

Basic Mediation Training consists of a 3 hour orientation to Transformative
Mediation, followed by 40 hours of theory and practice of mediation in the
transformative framework.

ORIENTATION:

CLASS SCHEDULE:

Place: Orientation and classroom sessions will be held at Wyle Aerospace Conference Center, 22309 Exploration Drive, Lexington Park, MD 20653.

Trainees must attend the orientation and be present all of the training days.

Cost: $75.00 to cover the Training Manual, Mediator's Handbook, a copy of Promise of Mediation, and food [snacks and all meals]. The training itself is offered to you at no cost in the expectation that you will honor a commitment to volunteer for a minimum of 10 hours per calendar quarter in each of the following
two years. If cost creates a hardship, please speak to us about a scholarship.

For an application, call: 301-475-9118 or 443-975-4973

For more information on mediation, visit:
www.calvert-mediation.org or www.st-marys-mediation.org

Sponsored by the Community Mediation Centers of Southern Maryland

SMCM Photo Exhibition Captures the Weather
Part of International Conference on Light and Color

Press Release #10-113

(St. Mary’s City, MD) May 18, 2010—Photographers have always been inspired by the earth’s relationship to the atmosphere: Storm clouds in a dark sky, the burnt orange halo around the sun, and of course eye-popping rainbows. This summer, St. Mary’s College of Maryland will hold a juried exhibition June 12-Sept. 30 of more than 130 stunning photographs taken by scientists, meteorologists, and amateur photographers that capture these amazing atmospheric conditions. The exhibition, “The Atmosphere Exposed: Photographs of Halos, Mirages, Iridescent Clouds…and more,” is part of the International Conference on Light and Color in Nature being held at the college June 16-20.Sponsored by the Maryland State Arts Council, The Patuxent Partnership, and Wyle, the exhibition of photographs at the college’s Boyden Gallery in Montgomery Hall is free and open to the public during gallery hours; (Wednesdays 11-1:30 and Friday afternoons from 4-7 p.m. before the weekly River Concert Series until July 30) For more information, see www.smcm.edu/boydengallery and www.smcm.edu/colorandlight.

Other highlights:
The photo show kicks off with a lecture at 4 p.m. Saturday, June 12, “Weather and Art,” in Schaefer Hall, room 106, followed by a reception at 5 p.m.in the Boyden Gallery. Dr. Stanley Gedzelman, professor at the City College of New York’s Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, describes how various artists have painted the sky, and explains the meteorological content.

A second presentation brings together the scientists and educators from the International Conference for a panel discussion and reception at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 16, at the Boyden Gallery.

A free and open session of the Conference occurs on Saturday, June 19, from 2-4 p.m. in Schaefer Hall, room 106, where a general audience presentation will feature rainbows, iridescent clouds, and other sky phenomena.

Area high school science teachers are invited to join the Conference for a luncheon beginning at noon on Saturday, June 19, to discuss using atmospheric optics in teaching physics, meteorology, and geology. There are five $100 stipends available for local-area high-school science teachers interested in attending the luncheon and the afternoon open session; to apply for one, contact SMCM professor Charles Adler, cladler@smcm.edu, for information.

The 3^rd Annual Encore Chorale Seniors CampComes to SMCM
For Singers of All Levels

Press Release #10-107

(St. Mary’s City, MD) April 30, 2010—St. Mary’s College of Maryland (SMCM) is preparing to host the third annual Encore Chorale Seniors Camp. The camp will be held from June 15-19 and will offer choral rehearsals, voice classes, and professional recitals. Adults 55 years of age and older of all singing levels are encouraged to participate. Registration is available for four more weeks. For more information, visit encorecreativity.org or contact Jeanne Kelly, founder and director of Encore Creativity for Older Adults, at Jeanne.Kelly@encorecreativity.org or 301-261-5747.

Classical, spiritual, and Broadway music are just some of the musical repertoires available. Morning movement and dance classes will be taught by Tiffany Haughn, a Washington, D.C., dance instructor, and afterwards singers will come together for a full choral rehearsal. After lunch, campers can participate in many of the recreational activities available at St. Mary’s College, attend a voice class, or participate in a rehearsal. Another full rehearsal will follow. Professional concerts open to the public will be offered in the evening. Performers include Alan Yellowitz of “The Beat Goes On” and the West Shore Piano Trio. Participants will also be able to attend a River Concert Series performance Friday night. The camp will conclude with a choral concert, open to the public.

The camp is $625 for those staying at SMCM and $450 for local commuters (lunch and dinner included). Participants will dine in the Raley Great Room, the college’s dining hall, and those who are not commuting will have private rooms in the college dorms.

There is strong medical evidence demonstrating that older adults who participate in cultural programs have better health, fewer doctor visits, less medication usage, a positive response on mental health measures, and more involvement in overall activities. The Encore Chorale Camp is a program of Encore Creativity for Older Adults, a nonprofit organization. Encore Creativity, Inc. aims to provide an accessible artistic environment for older adults at all levels, who seek educational art and performance opportunities under a professional artist.

Photo caption 1: Kitty McGettigan of Fairfax, Virginia, Carol Paquette and Sho Maruyama of Arlington, Virginia, Walter Johnson of Bunker Hill, West Virginia and Tom Allred of Arlington, practice singing at the Encore Chorale Seniors Camp at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. The camp offers choral rehearsals, voice classes, and professional recitals and is a program of Encore Creativity for Older Adults, a nonprofit organization. Encore Creativity, Inc. aims to provide an accessible artistic environment for older adults at all levels, who seek educational art and performance opportunities under a professional artist.

Photo caption 2: Anne Rechter of Baileys Crossroads, Virginia and Linelle Broecker of Arlington, Virginia participate in a dance class with instructor Tiffany Haughn at the Encore Chorale Seniors Camp at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. The camp offers choral rehearsals, voice classes, and professional recitals and is a program of Encore Creativity for Older Adults, a nonprofit organization. Encore Creativity, Inc. aims to provide an accessible artistic environment for older adults at all levels, who seek educational art and performance opportunities under a professional artist.

Photo caption 3: Paulette Wamego of Washington D.C., Phyllis Duty of Haskell, Oklahoma, Cornelia Wilder of Delray Beach, Florida, Eileen Johnson of Bunker Hill, West Virginia, and Nancy Webb of Washington D.C. practice singing at the Encore Chorale Seniors Camp at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. The camp offers choral rehearsals, voice classes, and professional recitals and is a program of Encore Creativity for Older Adults, a nonprofit organization. Encore Creativity, Inc. aims to provide an accessible artistic environment for older adults at all levels, who seek educational art and performance opportunities under a professional artist.

Explore and Discover the New
NAACP INTERACTIVE TIMELINE

February 27, 2010

Today, we are proud to unveil our new NAACP Interactive Historical Timeline, which provides a dynamic look at our history as an organization and our role in the civil rights movement.

The Timeline, generously funded through a grant from the Verizon Foundation, is the only online resource of its kind, with archives of photos, video and film clips to bring history alive.

Here are some of the many interactive features you can explore:

• Watch President Obama's Inaugural Address or Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech
    
• Learn the role of individuals like Cesar Chavez, Ruby Dee and more players of the civil rights movement
     
• Discover the lesser known heroes and events that shaped our world that have gone largely overlooked by history
    
• See the broad geographic reach of historic milestones, like Brown vs. Board of Education
    
• Check out our specially-produced videos featuring notable celebrities like Laurence Fishburne, Tatyana Ali, and Chandra Wilson

We trust that the NAACP Interactive Historical Timeline will provide a deeper understanding of the people who sacrificed and triumphed to move civil rights forward and build one nation versus one divided by race.

Please take a look around, explore, discover and learn at the NAACP Interactive Historical Timeline.

Sincerely,

Benjamin Todd Jealous President and CEO NAACP

St. Mary's County NAACP
Establishes Claudia Pickeral Memorial Scholarship