BSO receives grant to hold free or low-cost concerts across Md.
A $500,000 state grant will allow the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra to perform free or low-cost concerts in eight Maryland counties this summer.
The grant, announced Thursday by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, will about double the number of concerts performed last year during the inaugural season of the orchestra’s “Music for Maryland” tour, which aims to offer performances in all 24 Maryland counties over three summers.
This year, the BSO will visit Allegany, Cecil, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Queen Anne’s and St. Mary’s counties. Last summer, site visits consisted of two events: a traditional performance by the full symphony and a shorter community concert for families with young children.
“This investment will not just spread sounds across the state. It also will spread hope,” Moore said during a news conference at Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall that also was attended by Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Baltimore County Chief Executive John “Johnny O” Olszewski and Howard County Executive Calvin Ball.
Moore and his wife, Dawn Flythe Moore, will serve as honorary chairs of the BSO’s three gala concerts Sept. 22-24 welcoming Jonathon Heyward to the podium as the symphony’s new music director.
“Music is how we tell our stories,” Moore said, adding that as a Johns Hopkins University undergraduate, he wrote his senior thesis about how music brings about social change.
“To understand the movements in a society,” he said, “you have to understand the music that served as its soundtrack. Try explaining Baltimore better than Nina Simone did in 1978 with her remake of ‘Baltimore.’ She told the story of this city in a way that the whole world could better understand.”
The BSO’s 2023 summer lineup kicks off with the much-loved annual outdoor “Star-Spangled Spectacular” concerts on July 3 at Oregon Ridge State Park, on July 4 at the Inner Harbor’s Rash Field, and — minus the fireworks — on July 5 at Boordy Vineyards in Hydes. The BSO will be joined by the hip-hop artist Wordsmith, who will present his own interpretation of the phrase, “made in America.”
Other highlights of the summer season include:
The BSO’s series of free public “Symphony in the City” concerts in Baltimore is expanding to a fourth performance on Aug. 3 at The Urban Oasis, 2131 W. Dukeland St. “Baltimore, this is your orchestra,” Scott said. “The arts are a crucial component and driver of the city’s continued health, wellness and success, and our love for music is an element that we all share.”
Two family-friendly concerts will feature the orchestra performing the score to popular movies. “Harry Potter and the HalfBlood Prince” will be shown July 15-16 at the Meyerhoff. “Rocky” will be screened Sept. 13 at the Merriweather Arts and Culture Center in Columbia. “The BSO may be housed right here,” Ball said from the podium in the Meyerhoff lobby, “but it impacts our entire state.”
A daylong event will explore how artificial intelligence will impact artistic expression in the future. “AI in A Minor,” presented by the BSO and Mindgrub Technologies, will be held Aug. 9 in the Meyerhoff lobby and will include interactive exhibits, a musical performance, and a panel discussion featuring technologists and artists.
The BSO will present a concert July 14 featuring the music of Whitney Houston, and a concert Aug. 11 celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.
The September galas coincide with Artscape and will feature Heyward leading the BSO in a free community concert at the Meyerhoff on Sept. 24.
Heyward said that he believes Baltimore and Maryland are on the verge of an artistic rebirth.
“An artistic movement doesn’t just happen inside a building,” he said, “It starts out with community support. This is just the beginning of how we intend to serve our city and our state.”