Harford County's Maryland Center for the Arts, in partnership with Music Land and musicians from the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, have established a chamber concert and master class series in classical music that will hold its first program in Bel Air on Saturday.
The program's goal is to provide an opportunity for residents of Harford County and surrounding areas to learn about the versatility of string, brass and woodwind instruments, as well as how to become a professional musician, according to a news release from the Maryland Center for the Arts.
The program consists of five 60-minute chamber music concerts featuring BSO musicians, along with a 60-minute master class prior to each concert for intermediate to high level music students from Harford County's private, parochial and public schools.
The concerts and classes will be held at Music Land at 200 Gateway Drive in Bel Air. Saturday's program will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will feature BSO Concertmaster Jonathan Carney, a violinist, violist and conductor, who is in his 15th season with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, following 12 seasons in the same position with London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Born in New Jersey, Carney hails from a musical family with all six members having graduated from The Juilliard School. After enjoying critically acclaimed international tours as both concertmaster and soloist with numerous ensembles, Carney was invited by Vladimir Ashkenazy to become concertmaster of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 1991. He was also appointed concertmaster of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in 1994 and the Basque National Orchestra in 1996.
Carney has made a number of recordings, including concertos by Mozart, Vivaldi and Nielsen, sonatas by Brahms, Beethoven and Franck and a disc of virtuoso works of Sarasate and Kreisler with his mother, Gloria Carney, as pianist.
Carney is passionate about music education. He serves as artistic director for the Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras. He is also an artist in residence at the Baltimore School for the Arts and also serves on its board of directors.
"We are honored to partner with two well-known musical organizations to bring an exciting chamber concert and educational program to the youth and adults of Harford County and surrounding areas," Maryland Center for the Arts CEO Michael Jessup said in a statement.
For more information about Maryland Center for the Arts, a nonprofit formed to establish a center for the visual and performing arts in Harford County, visit their website www.harfordcfa.org, the nonprofit For more information about the Chamber Concert & Master Class Series, contact Amanda Pugh at 443-567-5216 or email at apugh@harfordcfa.org.
"Music Land has been helping people in Maryland discover, celebrate and play music for over 45 years," Music Land owner Larry Noto said. "We're excited to continue that tradition with this new partnership and series and are honored to welcome members of the BSO to the store."