River Concert June 30 2017 An Evening of Americana for Our Independence Holiday

The second River Concert of the season featured the lovely voice of Kelly Balmaceda, a 2001 graduate of Leonardtown High School and the Chesapeake Orchestra plus many other soloists.  She sang some American pop favorites like a Medley from the "Sound of Music" and Burt Bacharach music.  The concert also featured Sousa's "Stars and Stripes", "Hosedown" a Morton Gould favorite including members of the Southern Maryland Fire and Rescue squad, and of course the "1812 Overture" and fireworks.  The concert was held on the Townhouse Green at St. Mary's College of Maryland on Friday night at 7 pm.

Here are my favorite photos of the many I took at the concert as the official Chesapeake Orchestra photographer.  Please feel free to share the blog with friends.

Kelly Balmaceda

 Tuajuanda Jordan, President of St. Mary's College of Maryland

 Reflection of the brass section

 Maestro Jeffrey Silberschlag conducting

 Woodwinds:  Bassoons, clarinets?

 Brass section:  trombones and trumpets

 Woodwinds:  oboes, flutes

 Karen Johnson and friend on flutes

Amanda Durst, cellist and fellow musician

 Kelly Balmaceda with the Chesapeake Orchestra

 Kelly Balmaceda

 bubbles, bubbles, catch the bubbles

 Grizzly Mountain Grill vendor

 The huge crowd at sunset

 Serving pizza at the Nicolletti's truck, Yumm

The concert shell at sunset

 (L to R) Amanda, Kelly and a St. Mary's College alumna we met that night

 Trio with Jeffrey Silberschlag

 Deborah Greitzer, Executive Director and narrator for "Hosedown"

 Logan, a choir friend was one of the speakers in "Hosedown"

Local Fire and Rescue participated in "Hosedown"

 Jeffrey Silberschlag

Hats off to the crowd

 Fireworks

Fireworks

Boat reflections after the fireworks

River Concert: The Essential Element of Jazz June 24,2016

Fun Photos from last Friday's concert by the Chesapeake Orchestra at St. Mary's College of Maryland. Jim and I are the official photographers for the concerts, so we try to attend each concert.  We have some amazing talent here in St. Mary's County.

    Jeffrey Silberschlag conducting

    Matt Sargent, 2006 alumnus from St.Mary's College of MD and composer

    Regino Madrid, violin

    Heather Haughn with violin

    Jennifer Rende, viola

    Zachary Silberschlag conducting

To see more photos visit:  https://www.facebook.com/CalmReflectionsPhotography/posts/10153440029001572

Or the Chesapeake Orchestra facebpok site.

Fireworks this Friday, July 1st!  My photo exhibit opens at the Lexington Park Library Friday too for the next month. 

The River Concerts Start Friday Night

The River Concert Series starts tomorrow at 7:00 pm.  (I recommend getting there early)  The concerts at St. Mary's College of Maryland on the green feature Music Director Jeffrey Silberschlag and the Chesapeake Orchestra.  Tomorrow's concert features  José Cueto and works composed by Schubert, Brahms and Johann Strauss Jr.  Food vendors will be available.  Many of the photos in the program were photographed by Calm Reflections Photography.  Hope to see you there!

A photo of Jeffrey Silberschlag from June 19, 2015

 For more information, visit http://www.chesapeakeorchestra.org

Stay tuned.  I'll be sure to post concert photos and information in the coming weeks.

Autumn in St. Mary's County

More autumn photos, from St. Mary's County , MD this time.

And fun with morning light...

River Concert Premier's "Kid's" and Plays Works by Strauss

The River Concert at St.Mary's College of MD on Friday, July 17th featured Richard Strauss's "Don Juan" & "The Rosenkavalier Suite", both very dramatic pieces.  The concert also premiered William Thomas Mckinley's work "Kids", symphonic variations created for the Chesapeake Orchestra and the Maryland Youth Symphony.  Some of the variations included musical descriptions of  toys, cookies, sand, and video games.

   Chesapeake Orchestra 

     Tuajuanda Jordan, Pres. Of St. Mary's College of MD, greeted the audience

      Jeffrey Silberschlag, maestro and violinists

     Conducting

     Harpist, Rebecca Smith

     Violinists

     The Sound guy and the stage

     Jeffrey Silberschlag directing

A Memorable Storytelling Performance ended this Summers River Concert Series on July 25th

The popular concert series finished its 6th Friday concert on the green at St. Mary’s College of Maryland last Friday at 7pm with a stellar performance.  The first half of the concert featured a repeat performance of Rimsky-Korsakov's "Scheherazade", one of the most romantic pieces ever composed. The music tells the story of Scheherazade, a wife of a Persian King who saves her life by spinning interesting tales to her husband of 1001 Arabian Nights.  As music director, Jeffrey Silberschlag summarized "in the morning he (the king) had regrets.  He chopped their heads off (his wives).  And ah...It's an old system."

Jose Cueto, concertmaster violinist masterfully played the challenging voice of Scheherazade.  The four movement piece was wonderful and we enjoyed it as much as the previous performance several years ago, featuring violinist Regino Madrid.  Jeffrey described the "beautiful melodies in the cellos and horns, tongueing by the brass and fast notes in the clarinets and bassoons."  And lots of soaring strings.

 José Cueto and Regino Madrid

José Cueto and Jeffrey Silberschlag 

 The Chesapeake Orchestra Bows

 Two Cellists

The Second half of the concert starred Maureen McGovern, 1970's superstar singer of "The Morning After", from the hit movie "The Poseidon Adventure".   Her birthday was coming up, so she sang a silly amusing acapella happy birthday song to herself to the tune of “The William Tell Overture".  The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" was well sung with enthusiastic accompaniment by Victor Dvoskin on Bass. 

Ms. McGovern shared some amusing childhood stories about constantly singing. She talked about, “my parents in the living room desperately trying to watch Walter Cronkite while I was wondering ‘Where the Boys Are’, someone waits for me…”
I also enjoyed singing along with lots of 1960’s and 1970’s hits like Carole King’s  “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow”, “If I Had a Hammer”, “Turn!  Turn!  Turn!”, “When I’m Sixty-Four” and “Let It Be”.   Maureen McGovern may no longer be young, but she sure can give a great show and a fairly long show at that.  The concert was at least 45 minutes to an hour longer than usual and didn’t fail to include the Chesapeake Orchestra’s signature goodbye song “Sleigh Ride”.  The audience had enough repeat watchers to be giggling and clapping even before the music started as Jeffrey Silberschlag once again said “The Chesapeake Orchestra would like to be the First, to wish you a Merry Merry Christmas.”

Three photos of Maureen McGovern