Classical Music

Washington County elementary and middle school students this week just might be surprised at how much classical music they recognize - and even like. Musicians from the Maryland Symphony Orchestra visited five schools in the county on Monday, playing selections ranging from the national anthem to the music used in "Bugs Bunny" cartoons. "I like, probably, the 'Pink Panther' song (the best)," said Brian Poole, an 11-year-old sixth-grader at Boonsboro Middle School. A quintet of brass musicians offered that familiar song among others for about 150 students.

HAGERSTOWN Dih-Dih-Dih - Dummm! Elizabeth Schulze, the Maryland Symphony Orchestra's music director, called out the first four notes of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5. "You know that symphony," Schulze told the student audience at The Maryland Theatre on Friday. Judging by the perked ears, she seemed to be right. Beethoven's Fifth was the finale in a special MSO performance for students in seventh and 10th grades. As predicted, it was the most recognized piece. Celina Martinez, a seventh-grader at E. Russell Hicks Middle School, knew it right away.

Violinist Rachel Barton Pine said she has 80 concertos in her fingers. She'll be playing one of them - Antonin Dvorak's Violin Concerto - with the Maryland Symphony Orchestra this weekend. "It's definitely one of my favorites," Pine said from Chicago in a phone interview last week. "It's so interactive with the orchestra. " She likes that the concerto is not just a vehicle for showing off. The 30-year-old soloist said making music with the orchestra is a very powerful experience - an experience she wants to share with more than perennial concertgoers.

wandaw@herald-mail.com HAGERSTOWN - Classical music fans from the Tri-State area took in a live string quartet performance Sunday at the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts. About 40 people attended the Gallery Quartet's first performance of the year. In its 28th season, the group is the museum's "quartet in residence. " The group plays exclusively for the museum and appearances are open to the public. "We're the oldest regularly performing quartet in the state of Maryland," said Jere Stern, an original quartet member.

HAGERSTOWN -- Wei-Lin Wang's daughter Elysia is only 3 years old but she already knows classical music when she hears it. Elysia recognizes classical music she has heard in her favorite movies when the tunes appear in different contexts, her mother said. Elysia also has her own little keyboard, and sometimes jumps up to her mother's piano, where she tries to sing and play along with her mother. Wang was hoping to further spark her daughter's interest in classical music with a preconcert event for children at the Washington County Free Library on Sunday.

Family: Husband, Jeffrey Rowe; Children, Zack, Cass, Nick, Peyton and Sawyer. Education: Masters in Arts degree. "My mother. She's everything I hope to be. " Favorite part of the job: Helping children. Biggest challenges of your job: Balancing management and instruction. Favorite music: "I am enjoying classical music at the moment. " Favorite car: PT Cruiser. Reading now: "Motivating and Inspiring Teachers" by Whitaker, Whitaker and Lumpa.

"Words and Music" was held at the University System of Maryland at Hagerstown on April 22 to celebrate National Jazz Month and National Poetry Month in April. At the event, jazz musician Joshua Bayer and local poet Hope Maxwell-Snyder shared their talents with community members and USMH students and staff. "The arts can inspire so much in people," said JoEllen Barnhart, USMH associate executive director. "Giving our students and community the chance to talk one-on-one with a published author and allowing them to escape for a little while into the world of jazz, is what bringing a cultural event to USMH is all about.

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.VA. ? Singers from local high schools gathered Saturday morning at Shepherd University for a classical music vocal competition. Zack Nelson, 17, a senior at Clear Spring High School, sang two pieces he had been preparing since June for the judges ? Vergin Tutt'amor ? in Italian ? and a German piece. Zack was awaiting the results of the competition and comments from the judges Saturday afternoon. He started singing along with songs on the radio when he was about 6, and began vocal lessons more than a year ago, he said.

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.VA. ? Singers from local high schools gathered Saturday morning at Shepherd University for a classical music vocal competition. Zack Nelson, 17, a senior at Clear Spring High School, sang two pieces he had been preparing since June for the judges ? Vergin Tutt'amor ? in Italian ? and a German piece. Zack was awaiting the results of the competition and comments from the judges Saturday afternoon. He started singing along with songs on the radio when he was about 6, and began vocal lessons more than a year ago, he said.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. -- The CVSM Community Symphonic Band is accepting new members who are interested in performing in a concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 30. The program for the concert will include classical music, musical theater, jazz, marches and traditional concert band music. Rehearsals are scheduled for 2 to 4 p.m. Sundays, Jan. 9, 16 and 23 in the Chambersburg Area Middle School band room, 1151 E. McKinley St., Chambersburg. The CVSM Community Symphonic Band will be led by Tim Gotwald.

1. Murderer among friends "The Mousetrap" by Agatha Christie will be presented 6 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; matinee Sunday, Feb. 24, at The Washington County Playhouse Dinner Theater, 44 N. Potomac St., downtown Hagerstown. Show opesn Friday, Feb. 8, and continues through Saturday, March 23 A group of strangers are trapped in a manor house during a storm. One of them is a murderer. Tickets cost $29 to $42. Reservations recommended. Call 301-739-7469 or go to www.wcpdt.com . 2.  Sweetheart of an evening Sweetheart Gala will be from 6 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9, at Fountain Head Country Club, 13316 Fountain Head Road, north of Hagerstown.

Andrew Rolland Strock of Hagerstown, Md., entered into God's eternal care Nov. 14, 2012. Born Aug. 28, 1948, he was the son of the late Edgar Rolland Strock and Helen Moore Strock. He graduated from North Hagerstown High School in 1966 in the top 1 percent of his class; from the University of Rochester in New York in 1970; and the Roosevelt School of Psychology of the University of Chicago in 1973 with a master's degree in clinical psychology. He worked for Elgin State Hospital of Psychology for two years in Chicago, Ill. He was vice president of Roman & Strock Inc. Neon Signs from 1965 to 1978.

You might not recognize their names. But if you're a fan of "Malcolm in the Middle," "The Simple Life," "Dateline NBC," MTV's "Road Rules" and "Real World," you probably recognize their music. After all, their work has been featured on some of the top shows on television. They've also lent their music talents to radio and television commercials. But they're not just about soundtracks and jingles. The men known as Zupe and Nichols can play a mean blend of blues, jazz and rock.

If fate had different plans for Elke Baker, today she would be pouring over chemical equations, not sheet music. This weekend, Baker will be a featured performer and teacher at the Upper Potomac Fiddle Retreat in Shepherdstown. The three-day event kicks off Friday night with a concert, followed by two days of workshops and jam sessions. Baker said she was introduced to the violin when she was 7 years old through a school music program. She doesn't know what drew her to the violin, but she said, “at that age it was a matter of thinking it was fun or interesting.” Baker, 42, continued to balance music and academic studies in high school, but when it came time to select a major in college, she decided on biochemistry.

Edgar Eugene Smith, 83, of Hagerstown, Md., died Friday, Jan. 6, 2012, at NMS Nursing Home. Born Nov. 20, 1928, in Washington County, Md., he was the son of the late Herman and Pauline Koons Smith. He served in the U.S. Army from 1951 to 1953. He was employed by the Western Maryland Railway for 36 years. He was a member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Funkstown. He was a member of Benevolent Protective Order Elks Lodge 378 and Morris Frock American Legion Post 42. Edgar was a car enthusiast, and enjoyed classical music, travel and trips with his son to Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore.

There was a decidedly different feel to the  music when the Maryland Symphony Orchestra took the stage Sunday. With Nick Kendall on violin and a drummer sitting at a kit in the middle of the orchestra at The Maryland Theatre, the music took on a funky beat before fans who were anxious for the change. Kendall started his performance at the front row of the spectator section down from the stage. He looked out at the audience at one point and said, “I just need a hug.” “Here,” said MSO Music Director Elizabeth Schulze, welcoming Kendall into her arms.

The Maryland Symphony Orchestra is hot. Its 30th anniversary Masterworks series will open with a program that “is sure to set the place on fire musically,” Music Director Elizabeth Schulze wrote in an email. The concert will open with the overture to “The Creatures of Prometheus” by Ludwig van Beethoven. In Greek mythology, Prometheus stole fire from Zeus to benefit humankind. The concert closes with the 1945 version of Igor Stravinsky's “The Firebird” Suite. Violinist Nick Kendall will return to The Maryland Theatre to perform “Spontaneous Combustion,” the concerto written for him by Chris Brubeck, son of legendary jazz pianist and composer Dave Brubeck.

Easter is fast approaching and do you know why Easter is so "late" this year? The date of Easter is based on the lunar calendar, which notes the phases of the moon. From early in the history of the Christian church, Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon following the first day of spring (the equinox). It varies every year and this year it is within a day of being the latest that it can fall. Egg hunt Hancock's Community Easter Egg hunt takes place Saturday in Widmeyer Park.

MSO concert a treat for those who appreciate classical music To the editor: This morning’s MSO concert report (March 21) which appeared on page A3 concluded with a few concert-goers who had no idea what the music was about, nor did they really care to know. Instead, they attended the concert because they wanted to attend the concert. I’m sure if your reporter asked a few other people, they might have been able to explain how much they liked the music and that’s why they attend MSO concerts — to enjoy great classical music performed by inspired musicians and conducted by an astute conductor who is capable of producing such great music.