CHESTERTOWN, MD—The Washington College Chorus and Symphonic Band will perform a joint concert on Sunday, December 2, in the Daniel Z. Gibson Center for the Arts. The performance, which begins at 6:30 p.m., is part of the Festival of the Arts initiative, a series of performances that will collect donations for the Kent County Food Pantry.

The Chorus’s successful debut concert on November 19 earned a standing ovation from a packed Hotchkiss Recital Hall. At the December 2 concert, they will perform traditional music by Vivaldi, Britten and Rutter, as well as several contemporary favorites. The chorus is under the direction of Douglas Brandt Byerly, an adjunct professor of music at Washington College. Byerly also serves as the Chair of Performing Arts at Anne Arundel Community College and as the Director of Music for the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

The Symphonic Band will present a mixture of folk songs, marches, and holiday music, including “Flight of the Piasa” by Robert Sheldon, “Folk Song Suite” by R. Vaughan Williams, “Lament and Tribal Dances” by Sweeney, “Candelight Carol” by Rutter, “Still, Still, Still” by Huckeby and “The Crosley March” by Fillmore. The band is under the direction of adjunct professor of music Keith Wharton, who also serves as the Director of Music at Kent County High School and is a founding member and musical director of the Eastern Shore Wind Ensemble.

As is the case with all the Festival of the Arts events hosted by the Music and Drama departments, the band and chorus concert is free and open to the public. “All we request is that you bring either a non-perishable food item or a cash donation to the food pantry,” says assistant professor of music Jon McCollum. “The faculty and students involved in the arts here at Washington College wanted to start a tradition of providing programs to help provide for those in need.”

The Festival of the Arts continues with a performance by the Washington College String Ensemble on Tuesday, Dec. 4, at 8 p.m. in the Hotchkiss Recital Hall, Gibson Center for the Arts.

The Ensemble will perform a variety of selections, including arrangements of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, “Greensleeves” by Ralph Vaughan-Williams, “Palladio” (“Diamond Music”) by Karl Jenkins, and “Three English Dances” by Joshua Missal. In addition, student violinist Elizabeth Ransom will perform the first movement of the Concerto in A minor by J.S. Bach, and faculty members Grace Kim (piano) and Kimberly McCollum (violin) will perform Mozart’s Sonata in G Major, KV 301.

For more information on the Arts Festival, contact Jonathan McCollum at jmccollum2@washcoll.edu.

Also on the concert schedule but not part of the Festival food drive is the Washington College Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Combo concert, which will take place Thursday, Nov. 29, at 8 p.m., in the Gibson Center for the Arts. Under the direction of Dr. Kenneth Schweitzer, the groups will play a mix of Swing, Latin, and jazz selections.

For more information, visit http://www.washcoll.edu/departments/music/.