Swing into River Hill for 'Chicago' and all that jazz

Jazz is in the air.

River Hill Theatre Arts will perform “Chicago: High School Edition” for its spring musical. The Broadway classic follows the tale of Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, two women who were both arrested for murder and find themselves competing for the spotlight as celebrity criminals. “Chicago” features such familiar tunes as “All That Jazz,” “Razzle Dazzle” and “We Both Reached for the Gun.”

River Hill Theatre Arts teacher Lindsay Feldman will produce and direct the show with the help of Katie Geiger, music director and pit conductor, Jennifer Hennessie and Deven Ferrer, choreographers, Stephen Strosnider, set designer and master carpenter, Rhonda de la Mar, costume designer, Al Ramer, lights designer and Luke Greffen, sound designer.

Student cast members include Ryan True, Kaitlyn Burnett, Deven Ferrer, Mia Ehrlich, Megan Radcliffe, Brennan Young, Zach Shields, Henry Grinnell, Joey Heitzman, Joseph Griffin, Caroline Lovelace, Margo McCready, Tess Redman, Zane Dalton, Ethan Wettstein, Ian Quill, Nolan Flannigan, Alex Fernandes, Nick Pelletiere, Steven Tang, Alexander Liu, Luke Meininger, Holden Levy, Jena Bernstein, Ava Jorif, Rebecca Le, Rose Fernandes, Olivia Cornelius, Molly Gawthrop, Amaya Aranda, Ashley Chen, Vivian Lee, Tess Redman, Diana Warner, Promiti Ali, Rebecca Blau, Arethabelle Smith, Julianne Blackman, Maya Vibhakar, Hailey Politzer, Ainsley Little and Caitie Urban.

Performances will be held in the River Hill High School auditorium on Feb. 28 and March 1, at 7 p.m., March 2, at 8 p.m., and March 3, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 at the door or $14 in advance at seatyourself.biz/rhhs.

More jazz can be heard as part of the St. Louis Church Concert Series, which will kick off Mardi Gras festivities on March 1, at 7:30 p.m.

The free, jazz-inspired program will celebrate the city of New Orleans, which is credited with giving birth to the music genre. The concert will include “A Little Jazz Mass,” written by composer Bob Chilcott for the 2004 Crescent City Choral Festival in New Orleans and “Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio,” a fusion of jazz and classical traditions by French jazz pianist and composer Claude Bolling. Music will be performed by The Aleks Izotov Trio, the St. Louis Choir and guest artists. A reception will follow. For more information and previews of the concert pieces, go to stlconcertseries.org.

A new dieting and nutrition counseling center has opened in Clarksville. Motive Weight Loss Center will hold an open house on Friday, March 1, from 3 to 6 p.m., at 6339 Ten Oaks Road, Suite 100. Attendees can take a tour of the facilities and meet with coaches to learn about the three-step program which includes body analysis, diet strategy and nutritional counseling. Refreshments will be served. Learn more at motiveweightlosscenter.com.

Medomak’s Tyke Time on Thursday, March 14, will feature local children’s book author Mindy Winebrenner. Children and their parents are invited to enjoy stories and a craft project. Winebrenner is the author of “The Monkey Balloon” and its sequel “The Tale of the Monkey Balloon,” two books that offer entertaining stories for children and feature language and literary tips for parents. The stories take children on a young girl’s quest to find a lost balloon with the help of a lot of imagination along the way. Winebrenner dreamed of writing and illustrating children’s books when she was a child. Now she works as an early childhood special educator. She resides in Ellicott City with her husband and two young sons.

The free event will start at 10:30 a.m. in the Community Room of the Clarksville Commons, 12230 Clarksville Pike. Books will be available for purchase and may be signed by the author. Register by sending an email to family@medomakcamp.com by March 11.

River Hill High School will present its first Hillfest on Thursday, March 14, at 6 p.m. The showcase will celebrate the school’s exciting and diverse student community. The event will include art, music, performances, presentations from student clubs, and food from around the world.