Concert Series Turns 50
It seemed only fitting to celebrate the golden anniversary of the Washington College Concert Series with a piano performance in honor of Helen S. Gibson. The First Lady of the College from 1950 to 1970, Gibson used to organize musical gatherings of friends and faculty at the home of the president, where he would play piano.
Series organizers arranged for the appearance of accomplished young pianist Inna Faliks to perform. Born in the Ukraine, Faliks currently works with Leon Fleisher at the Peabody Conservatory and has soloed with orchestras such as the Chicago Symphony and Concert Artists of Baltimore. Called “a delight to hear” and “warmly poetic” by critics, Faliks has been invited to record her debut CD of mostly Beethoven works for the Connoisseur Society label in 2002.
The performance was a special treat for Helen Gibson, who with her late husband, Daniel Z. Gibson, brought a bit of culture to Chestertown 50 years ago. They both shared a love of music, and soon after their arrival Hynson-Ringgold House was filled with the beautiful sounds of chamber music. That Monday-night quartet became the nucleus for the Concert Series which sponsored its first performance in 1951.
The Gibsons were instrumental in developing the arts at Washington College. The President revamped the curriculum—adding music, drama and art—and she became one of the founders of the Concert Series that would later have its home in the performing arts center named for her husband.
Concert Series participants and members of the Washington College Friends of the Arts honored Helen Gibson at a reception following the concert.
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