Soloist

"Fasten your seat belts," said Maryland Symphony Orchestra Music Director Elizabeth Schulze to members of the audience Sunday afternoon at The Maryland Theatre. She thanked them for their loyalty in the "adventure" of her first season and prepared them for the interesting and emotionally challenging program she was about to conduct, the final concert of the MSO's subscription series. The MSO performed Dmitri Shostakovich's Violin Concerto, Op. 99, featuring soloist Livia Sohn.

Fourteen-year-old Shunsuke Sato - pronounced SHUN-skay SAH-toe - has been playing the violin for about 12 years. Yes, do the math, the teenager was 2 when he started at Suzuki Talent Institute in Tokyo. His family moved to the United States the following year. Shunsuke will be the soloist on Max Bruch's "Violin Concerto No. 1" with Maryland Symphony Orchestra Saturday, Oct. 24, and Sunday, Oct. 25. He'll join conductor Barry Jekowsky in Prelude, the discussion that will precede the performances.

Elizabeth Schulze directed members of the Maryland Symphony Orchestra and The Maryland Theatre audience to their feet Saturday night and led them all in a rousing performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner. " She then took everyone on a journey to the Broadway stage. The orchestra performed a medley from "Man of La Mancha" and "Heroes, Monsters and Madmen" during the MSO's pops concert, which kicked off the orchestra's 25th and Schulze's eighth season. Schulze introduced tenor soloist Craig Schulman, who has performed on Broadway, operatic and concert stages.

By KATE COLEMAN / Staff Writer Soprano Rochelle Ellis has many roles: wife, mother, faculty member, visiting artist at New Brunswick, N.J., schools, soloist and bad-weather schlepper of her son on his newspaper route. [cont. from lifestyle ] "I always gravitated toward singing, and I love to perform," she says. Ellis sang in high school and credits her church choir with preparing and influencing her. She went to college having done "The Messiah," Beethoven's ninth symphony and other quality pieces.

BALTIMORE - Guest Conductor George Cleve leads the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and internationally acclaimed horn player Barry Tuckwell for his final performances as a soloist Thursday, Jan. 23, and Friday, Jan. 24, at 8 p.m. in Celebrity Series performances, and Saturday, Jan. 25 at 11 a.m. in a Casual Series concert at Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St. The program on Thursday and Friday consists of Adolphus Hailstork's Symphony...

WILLIAMSPORT - Excitement is building as the Williamsport Community Band prepares for its 10th anniversary concert Sunday at 2 p.m. in the auditorium at Williamsport High School. Part of the fervor stems from the announcement that Harry Kight, former band director at the school, will be returning as guest soloist and conductor. "I'm looking forward to it," Kight said by telephone. "We will have a rehearsal Friday night and then the concert on Sunday. " Kight came to Williamsport in 1951 to start instrumental music classes in Williamsport schools.

An House of Prayer for All People , Martinsburg, W.Va., soloist and gospel singer Leonard Cooper will be in concert at 4 p.m. this Sunday. Calvary Temple , Williamsport, Kevin Spencer will present a tribute to Rusty Goodman plus other songs this Sunday at the 10:30 a.m. service. Freewill offering.

William Cullen Barr, 93, of Charlotte Hall, Md., died on Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012, at Charlotte Hall Veterans Home. Born April 19, 1919, in Hagerstown, he was the son of the late William Cullen Jr. and Maude A. (Munson) Barr. William was a 1937 graduate of Hagerstown High School. He went on to attend Hagerstown Junior College, National Academy of Vocal Arts in New York as well as the University of Baltimore and Loyola as a business major. Mr. Barr was a veteran of the United States Navy.

By MEG H. PARTINGTON / Staff Writer Those who fill the theater this weekend for the Maryland Symphony Orchestra concert will have the privilege of hearing a piece not only written for the soloist's instrument, but specifically for the soloist. Carol Wincenc will perform Christopher Rouse's Flute Concerto Saturday, Nov. 13, and Sunday, Nov. 14, at The Maryland Theatre in Hagerstown. She and Rouse went to Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, together. She premiered the piece with Detroit Symphony in 1994, and has performed it about a dozen times.

William Cullen Barr, 93, of Charlotte Hall, Md., died on Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012, at Charlotte Hall Veterans Home. Born April 19, 1919, in Hagerstown, he was the son of the late William Cullen Jr. and Maude A. (Munson) Barr. William was a 1937 graduate of Hagerstown High School. He went on to attend Hagerstown Junior College, National Academy of Vocal Arts in New York as well as the University of Baltimore and Loyola as a business major. Mr. Barr was a veteran of the United States Navy.

Christmas trees, twinkling lights, mistletoe, candy canes and stockings hung with care - all are traditions of the December holiday season. The Maryland Symphony Orchestra has its own holiday tradition. “Home for the Holidays,” the MSO's 25th annual Christmas concert, will celebrate the season at The Maryland Theatre this weekend. There are traditions within that tradition. The concert is an opportunity to showcase the talent and dedication of our community's musicians, of all ages, in a musical celebration of the season, Music Director Elizabeth Schulze wrote in an email.

1. 'Nutcracker' on stage Chambersburg Ballet Theatre Company will present “A Candlelight Nutcracker,” a suite of dances from Tchaikovsky's “The Nutcracker,” with refreshments and photos with the ballet's star dancer. 2 and 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 11, at The Capitol Center's Wood Center, 159 S. Main St., Chambersburg, Pa. $10. For tickets, call 717-264-0308. 2. Masterworks concert The Maryland Symphony will perform “Le Quattro Stagioni” by Vivaldi and “Four Seasons of Buenos Aires” by Piazzolla with violin soloist Timothy Fain.

There will be no partridge, no pear tree and no calling birds on The Maryland Theatre stage this weekend. There will be no room. The space this weekend will be more than filled by Music Director Elizabeth Schulze leading the Maryland Symphony Orchestra and many musical friends during the annual “Home for the Holidays” concerts. Guest performers will include two choruses -   the Cumberland Choral Society and Hagerstown Choral Arts. Soprano Elisabeth Turchi, who made her MSO debut last April in the symphony's “A Night at the Opera” concert, will return.

An House of Prayer for All People , Martinsburg, W.Va., soloist and gospel singer Leonard Cooper will be in concert at 4 p.m. this Sunday. Calvary Temple , Williamsport, Kevin Spencer will present a tribute to Rusty Goodman plus other songs this Sunday at the 10:30 a.m. service. Freewill offering.

Washington County Public Schools will present the 2011 Solo and Ensemble Festival for wind, brass, percussion and string instruments Saturday at North Hagerstown High School. Students who have already registered will be adjudicated on their overall performance and musicianship. Instrumentalists performing level two music or higher that receive a superior rating will qualify for the State Solo and Ensemble. Parents are welcome to attend but cannot be in the room while the adjudication is taking place.

Performing with the All County Orchestra can be as challenging as a "Hungarian Dance," as enjoyable as a "Fiesta," and as memorable as "Schindler's List," but above all, it is a "Rite" of  education that Washington County music students have come to love. The county's best student musicians gathered at North Hagerstown High School Wednesday night for the concert culminating the 2011 All County Orchestra program. Delayed because of snow, the concert was initially scheduled for Jan. 29, said Rob Hovermale, supervisor of visual and performing arts for Washington County Public Schools.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - A community Veterans Day Service will be at 4 p.m. Wednesday at the Letterkenny Chapel. The service is sponsored by the United Churches of the Chambersburg Area and the Joint Veterans Council of Chambersburg. The guest speaker will be retired U.S. Army Col. Tony Cerri, the engineering and technology chief of the experimentation directorate of the United States Joint Forces Command. Cerri is the son of Alessio and Betty Cerri. His father was a World War II Letterkenny POW who helped build the chapel with fellow prisoners from Italy.