Arts Archives - Page 31 of 39

Four MCPS Students Selected to Play in All-National Honors Bands and Orchestras

Published November 15, 2022 at 8:21AM

Four MCPS students from two different schools have been selected to play in All-National Honor Bands and Orchestras.

Thomas S. Wootton High School sophomore Sara Bock, who plays clarinet, and Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School sophomore Shisui Torii, who plays French horn, were selected to be in the National Association for Music Education’s (NAfME’s) All-National Honor Band. Wootton sophomores Jackson Bernal, who plays bassoon, and Anderson Bernal, who plays double bass, were selected to the All-National Honor Orchestra.

Holiday Art Market in Gaithersburg From November 25-January 8

By MCS Staff

Published November 15, 2022 at 6:43AM

This year’s exhibit features more than 1,200 unique, handmade items by members of the Gaithersburg Artist Collective, many perfect for the season’s gift giving. Items include paintings, prints, cards, ceramics, photography, jewelry, art glass, turned wood, mixed media & much more.

Artists on Market is pop-up gallery & studio space where visitors may shop for unique art and handcrafts from 27 juried collective members – all local artists – recognized for their talent in painting, collage, fiber, ceramics, jewelry, photography, glass, sculpture & more. The mission of the Gaithersburg Artist Collective, which runs Artists on Market, is to bring the visual arts to the community through not only the pop-up gallery, but also by providing events & educational opportunities for all ages, year-round. The Collective is a program of the Kentlands Community Foundation, a local nonprofit dedicated to volunteerism, the cultural arts and New Urbanism. For more information, please visit kentlands.org.

Black Panther Costume Worn by the Late Chadwick Boseman is Coming to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture

By MCS Staff

Published November 11, 2022 at 5:08PM

Per the National Museum of African American History & Culture: Black Panther’s hero costume is coming to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture! The museum acquired several objects from the record-breaking film Black Panther, including the hero costume worn by actor Chadwick Boseman; a shooting script signed by Ryan Coogler (co-writer; director), Kevin Feige (producer, president of Marvel Studios), Nate Moore (executive producer) and Joe Robert Cole (co-writer; producer); two pages of spec script; and 24 high-resolution production photographs.

Black Panther is the first superhero of African descent to appear in mainstream American comics, and the film itself is the first major cinematic production based on the character. Black Panther illustrates the progression of blacks in film, an industry that in the past has overlooked blacks, or regulated them to flat, one-dimensional and marginalized figures. The film, like the museum, provides a fuller story of black culture and identity.

Watkins Mill High School Theater and ESOL Teacher, Sharon Faber, Wins $4,900 Grant From Wolf Trap

By MCS Staff

Published November 3, 2022 at 5:57AM

Sharon Faber, theater and ESOL teacher at Watkins Mill High School, has won a $4,900 grant from the Wolf Trap Foundation. Faber’s project, called Theater to Heal, is focused on Emergent Multilingual Learner (EML) students. Theater to Heal will nurture a sense of community and connectedness, make students feel more anchored in the present, and let their stories and voices be heard in a culminating presentation or reflection piece.

Students will take part in a drama residency or master classes that speak to their cultural perspectives and personal beliefs, such as Signature Theater’s program in Contemporary Immigration Issues. They will also attend a live professional show at a local theater, where they will see the many aspects that go into a full-fledged production and explore how to incorporate their own voices and aesthetic sense into a performance.

Ben Feigin, MoCo Native and Emmy-Winning Producer of Schitt’s Creek, Has Died at 47

By MCS Staff

Published October 28, 2022 at 6:18AM | Updated October 28, 2022 at 7:58AM

Award-winning producer and Silver Spring native Ben Feigin, who served as an executive producer on Schitt’s Creek, died at his home in Los Angeles on October 24 following a battle with pancreatic cancer, according to E! News. He was 47 years old.

Per IMDB, Ben Feigin was the Executive Producer behind the Critically Acclaimed Series, Schitt’s Creek, which made history at the 2020 Emmys with its clean sweep, garnering Ben an Emmy Award for “Outstanding Comedy Series.” Ben was nominated in 2019 as well. In 2021 Feigin Won the prestigious Producers Guild Award for “Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Comedy,” and was nominated in 2020 as well for the Golden Globe Winner. Prior, Ben worked in representation for over two decades.

‘Certain Party or Parties Unknown’ Art Exhibit in Silver Spring to Open on Wednesday, Nov. 2, and Be Available Through Jan. 13

By MCS Staff

Published October 28, 2022 at 5:17AM

The Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County (AHCMC) is presenting the social justice projection art initiative raising awareness of three African American men who fell victim to racial terror lynchings in Montgomery County in the 1880s. Those victims were John Diggs-Dorsey, George Peck and Sidney Randolph. The Silver Spring Civic Building is located at 1 Veterans Plaza in Downtown Silver Spring.

An opening reception for the Certain Party or Parties Unknown gallery exhibition will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 2. Visitors will experience the new indoor exhibition and an original outdoor installation projected onto the face of the Silver Spring Civic Building throughout the evening by award-winning editor, video journalist and multimedia artist Robin Bell. Tickets can be reserved at https://cppugalleryexhibition.eventbrite.com.

MCPS Marching Band Showcase Rocks the Field

By MCS Staff

Published October 27, 2022 at 7:14AM | Updated October 27, 2022 at 7:39AM

For the first time since 2019, James Hubert Blake High School hosted the MCPS Marching Band Showcase. During the Oct. 22 event, nine high school and 10 middle school bands performed everything from disco and Latin music to Billy Joel music and ‘80s hits. Performing high schools were: Clarksburg, Seneca Valley, Watkins Mill, Paint Branch, Col. Zadok Magruder, Damascus, Albert Einstein, Montgomery Blair and Blake (video below).

All the middle school bands performed together, playing the national anthem to kick off the event. Students from Parkland, Silver Spring International, Francis Scott Key, Takoma Park, Robert Frost, Thomas W. Pyle, William H. Farquhar, White Oak, Sligo and John Poole middle schools participated. The grand finale included all bands performing Thriller by Michael Jackson.

The Blair Witch Project: Created by Wheaton High School Graduate and Filmed Primarily in MoCo

By MCS Staff

Published October 26, 2022 at 7:31AM

With Halloween almost here, it’s the perfect time to watch some scary movies. Did you know that the first installment of the Blair Witch franchise, The Blair Witch Project (1999) was primarily filmed right here in Montgomery County?

In the indie supernatural horror, three film students camp in the fictional Black Hills Forest of Burkittsville, Maryland in October of 1994 to film a documentary on the local legend of the Blair Witch. Mysteriously, the trio vanishes, leaving behind hours of footage to be discovered a year later by University of Maryland anthropology students. What the viewer witnesses is this purportedly real home video style footage.

MoCo Native and Lead Guitarist of Hootie and The Blowfish, Mark Bryan, Will Perform With His Band “The Screaming Trojans” (Nod to Seneca Valley and Gaithersburg) in Frederick This Saturday

By MCS Staff

Published October 19, 2022 at 12:23PM

Half of Hootie and The Blowfish, Mark Bryan and Dean Felber, are graduates of Seneca Valley High School in Germantown. Mark Bryan, lead guitarist of Hootie and The Blowfish, will […]

8th Annual Bernard/Ebb Songwriting Awards is Accepting Applications; Finalists Will Perform Their Songs at Bethesda Concert For a $10,000 Grand Prize

By MCS Staff

Published October 18, 2022 at 5:35PM | Updated October 18, 2022 at 6:32PM

The eighth annual Bernard/Ebb Songwriting Awards is searching for the best songwriters in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. The competition, founded by Cathy Bernard, is named in honor of Fred Ebb, one of the great American songwriters and creator of Broadway hits such as Cabaret and Chicago and iconic songs including New York, New York. Applicants must submit three original songs. Each song must have lyrics. Therefore, instrumental compositions are not accepted. All genres are accepted. Maximum song length is 4:30 min.

The contest will be a multi-staged, adjudicated competition. Jurors will include professional artists, venue operators, booking agents and music academia. The jury will select the finalists who will perform their original songs during a concert in Bethesda, Maryland on Friday, April 1, 2022 at the Bethesda Blues and Jazz Club. Each finalist will perform two of the songs they submitted for the competition. The Grand Prize Jury will attend the concert to select the winners. The winning songwriter and young songwriter will be announced at the close of the show. Judging criteria below:

MCPS 2022-2023 Fall Productions

By MCS Staff

Published October 10, 2022 at 7:28AM

Per MCPS: The curtain is rising on fall theater productions throughout the school system, at middle and high schools. Plan now to see these great performances, which run into early 2023. From “Once Upon a Mattress” and “The Hallelujah Girls to “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “Marie Antoinette,” there’s something for everyone. See the schedule below:

Winston Churchill, “Matilda” Nov. 4, 5, 11 and 12, 7 p.m. Nov. 6, 2 p.m.