2013 marks the twentieth year Massoniart has represented artist Marc Castelli.During this year we will feature two separate exhibitions celebrating the anniversary. In choosing the title “Climbing the Stars” for his May exhibition, Castelli is referencing an archaic celestial navigation term and could not have chosen a more apropos title for our first event. Although all new work will be featured, Marc has gone back to many familiar shores in the creation of these watercolor paintings. He returned to England to capture the J-Class yachts; found inspiration from his travels throughout Europe and the Middle East; fulfilled a lifelong fantasy as a guest of Ferrari at the Formula 1 races in Austin, Texas; and deepened his relationships with the watermen working side by side on their workboats.

Throughout his career Castelli has navigated numerous unknown seas. As an artist he has taken risks to expand his vision, address his artistic concerns and hone his technical skills. It is his wish to present views few others will ever see, his need to include the viewer in the experience, and his desire to create tangible abstractions from the shapes and textures that can be found in boats, tools, weather, and most of all water that keeps him ever exploring. In staying true to these impulses, he has found a subject in the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers encompassing all the artistic challenges he would want to pursue. “It is the light I have been trying to capture as it falls and illuminates the watermen going about their harvests. The light – that is in the water and air of the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers.” M. Castelli

The exhibition opens on Friday, May 17, with a reception honoring the artist from 5:30 – 7:30 pm. Marc Castelli’s Artist Talk is scheduled for 12 noon on Saturday, May 18. Gallery hours during the run of the exhibition are Wednesday– Friday from 11 am -3 pm and Saturday 10 am – 4 pm. During the exhibition the gallery will be hosting rehearsals for the National Music Festival, June 2 – 15.

visit the website for detailed information. www.nationalmusic.us

Ken Cowan, world famous organist, will play a recital at Emmanuel Episcopal Church on Friday, May 17, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. Works will include pieces by Bach, Wagner, and Reger. Mr. Cowan has been a favorite at the Emmanuel Concert Series for 17 years and has an enthusiastic following here. Admission is $20 for adults and $5 for students and children. Emmanuel Church is located at 101 North Cross Street in Chestertown. For more information, call the church office at 410 778 3477 or the website at www.emmanuelchesterparish.org.

Ken Cowan is one of North America’s finest concert organists. Praised for his dazzling artistry, impeccable technique and imaginative programming by audiences and critics alike, he maintains a rigorous performing schedule which takes him to major concert venues in America, Canada, Europe, and Asia.

Recent feature performances have included appearances at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa California, Philadelphia’s Verizon Hall, Spivey Hall, and Walt Disney Concert Hall, as well as concerts in Germany and Korea. In addition, Mr. Cowan has been a featured artist in recent years at the national conventions of the American Guild of Organists held in Los Angeles and Minneapolis, has performed at many regional conventions of the AGO, and has been featured at several conventions of the Organ Historical Society and the Royal Canadian College of Organists.

Numerous critically acclaimed compact disc recordings are available by Mr. Cowan. His most recent releases are Ken Cowan plays The Great Organ (on the Pro Organo Label) which was recorded on the newly-restored organ at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York City, Works of Franz Liszt (on the JAV label), which was recorded on the Michael Quimby organ at First Baptist church in Jackson Mississippi, and Ken Cowan Plays Romantic Masterworks (on the Raven label), which was recorded on the 110-rank Schoenstein organ at First Plymouth Congregational Church in Lincoln, Nebraska. In addition to his solo recordings, Mr. Cowan also joined organist Justin Bischof in the world premiere recording of American composer Aaron Miller’s Double Concerto for organ, recorded with the Zurich Symphony

Orchestra on the Kleuker organ in the Tonhalle, Zurich, Switzerland (Ethereal Recordings). Many of Mr. Cowan’s recordings and live performances are regularly featured on the nationally distributed radio show PIPEDREAMS from American Public Media.

A native of Thorold, Ontario, Canada, Mr. Cowan received the Master’s degree and Artist Diploma from the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, studying organ with Thomas Murray. Prior to attending Yale, he graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia where he studied with John Weaver.

In 2012 Mr. Cowan joined the keyboard faculty of the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University as Associate Professor and head of the organ program. Previous positions have included Associate Professor of Organ at Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton, NJ, where he was awarded the 2008 Rider University Distinguished Teaching Award, and Associate Organist and Artist in Residence at Saint Bartholomew’s Church in New York City.

New York pianist and composer Bill Mays and bassist Tommy Cecil bring the magic they created on their much admired recording “Side by Side: Sondheim Duos” to the Mainstay in Rock Hall, MD on Saturday May 18 at 8:00 p.m. Admission is $15. For information and reservations call the Mainstay at 410-639-9133. Information is also available at the Mainstay’s website http://www.mainstayrockhall.org.

Bill Mays, the noted New York jazz pianist and Washington, DC’s Tommy Cecil, one of the most original and distinctive bassists on the scene continue a great tradition of piano/bass duos such as Duke Ellington and Jimmy Blanton and Oscar Peterson and Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen.

Sondheim’s tunes are rarely heard in an instrumental jazz setting and Mays and Cecil present them in a new light with creative and appealing arrangements, their jazz improvisations revealing fresh nuances in these masterful compositions. The freedom and intimacy created by the spare instrumentation is demonstrated on every tune on the recording from the exuberant “Comedy Tonight” to the wistful “Not While I’m Around.” They trade melodies and phrases and nudge the dynamics during solos creating their own take on these familiar Sondheim tunes.

Now 83, Stephen Sondheim may be our greatest living Broadway composer. Shows like “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum”, “Sunday in the Park with George” and “Into the Woods” all feature his sophisticated time signatures and uncommon melodies. It is somewhat surprising that they have rarely made it into the jazz repertoire.

When asked about the origins of the recording and his collaboration with Bill Mays, Tommy Cecil said, “[when] I invited Bill to headline a gig of mine at Blues Alley in Washington, D.C., he brought some of his charts, including an arrangement of Stephen Sondheim’s ‘Send In The Clowns’. I thought to myself, ‘Leave it to Bill to re-imagine… such a hackneyed tune.’

“It turned out great musically and it appealed to the audience. Playing that gig with Bill was a highlight for me. In its wake, I imagined it would be a fun challenge to record a CD of Sondheim songs. I pitched the idea to Bill and he agreed.

“The gig turned on a light for me. So much of what has become standard repertoire for jazz musicians (at least the ones who inspire me) started on the Broadway stage. Why not continue what I think is a wonderful tradition with Sondheim’s songs?

“When the album was completed, I sent Sondheim a copy. I had warned him in my note that some musical liberties were taken. He graciously sent me back a note saying, ‘Thanks so much for the CD. I can’t wait to hear it, and I assure you in advance that any liberties you take are more likely to delight than irritate me. Yours truly…”

Pianist/composer Bill Mays’ 50-year career as a professional musician started with four years as a bandsman in the U.S. Navy. He spent 15 years as a session player in Hollywood studios before relocating to New York City in 1984. He has firmly established himself as an in-demand sideman and leader of his own ensembles and has worked with such jazz legends as Benny Golson, Gerry Mulligan, Bud Shank, Frank Sinatra, The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Sarah Vaughan and Phil Woods. His many recordings (solo, duo, trio and sextet) are on the Chiaroscuro, Concord, Palmetto and Steeplechase record labels. A prolific composer and arranger, Mays has written extended works for bass, flute, woodwind septet as well as pieces for big band and orchestra. His latest recordings are “Phil & Bill” (with saxophonist Phil Woods), “Side By Side: Sondheim Duos” (with bassist Tommy Cecil) and “Life’s A Movie” (The Inventions Trio, with cellist Alisa Horn and trumpeter Marvin Stamm).

Jazz bassist Tommy Cecil has been active in the Washington, DC jazz scene since 1976 when he moved from his hometown Baltimore. He has established himself as one of the most in-demand players in the area and has had long associations with many of DC’s favorite jazz musicians, including John Eaton, Buck Hill, Charlie Byrd, Dick Morgan, Shirley Horn, Brooks Tegler, and the Redd Brothers. As a freelancer, he has worked with Mose Allison, Tommy Flanagan, Joe Henderson, and others. Cecil is featured on dozens of recordings as a sideman. As a leader, he has released two albums: “Side by Side: Sondheim Duos” with pianist Bill Mays; and “Samba for Felix” featuring Tommy Flanagan, Billy Hart, Gary Bartz, Paul Bollenback, and Cyro Baptista. He also released two albums with pianist Louis Scherr, including “The Song Is You” and “Warm Valley featuring Joe Henderson.”

The Mainstay (Home of Musical Magic) is the friendly informal storefront performing arts center on Rock Hall’s old time Main Street. It is a 501(c)(3), non profit dedicated to the arts, serving Rock Hall, MD and the surrounding region. It is committed to presenting local, regional and national level talent, at a reasonable price, in an almost perfect acoustic setting. Wine, beer, sodas and snacks are available at the bar.

The Mainstay is supported by ticket sales, fundraising including donations from friends and audience members and an operating grant from the Maryland State Arts Council.

For information and reservations call the Mainstay at 410-639-9133. More information is also available at the Mainstay’s website http://www.mainstayrockhall.org.