Concert Series Hosts Amsterdam Guitar Trio

Chestertown, MD, March 15, 2001 — The Washington College Concert Series will host the Amsterdam Guitar Trio on Sunday, April 8, 2001 at 4:00 p.m. in the College's Tawes Theatre.

The Dutch trio has earned international fame and has been lauded as "one of the very finest guitar ensembles in the world" by Gramophone magazine.

The Trio's international success is a result of virtuoso musicianship and unique presentation. Over the years, the Trio has premiered dozens of new works ranging from the intimate oriental sounds of Dnu Huntrakal (Thailand) or Akira Nishimura (Japan), to the breathtaking compositions of Chiel Meyering (Holland) and David Dramm (USA).

At the same time, the Trio is known for its ability to cast a fresh light on music originally written for other instruments, rearranging them for three guitars. The Trio's transcription and recording of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons won them an Edison Award. Now in its 23rd year, the Trio continues to perform worldwide and appears regularly in major concert halls such as Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, London's Wigmore Hall, Berlin's Neue Philharmonie, Los Angeles' Ambassador Auditorium, and New York's Carnegie Hall.

The Washington College Concert Series is now in its 49th season. Single admission tickets are available only at the box office before performances and are $12.00 for adults and $5.00 for youth 18 years of age and under. Season tickets cost $40.00 per person and can be purchased at the box office on performance nights or by mail from the Washington College Concert Series, 300 Washington Avenue, Chestertown, MD 21620-1197. For further information, call 410-778-7839.

Whitman String Quartet opens 49th Concert Series Season

Chestertown, MD, September 8, 2000 — Washington College will kick off the 2000-2001 Concert Series season on Monday, September 25, with a performance by the Whitman String Quartet on Monday, September 25, at 8 p.m. in Gibson Performing Arts Center, Tawes Theatre. The group's appearance will mark the opening of the 49th Concert Series season.

Since its 1995 Lincoln Center debut, the Whitman String Quartet has played to critical acclaim throughout the United States and Japan and is the winner of the 1998 Walter W. Naumburg Chamber Music Award. The quartet has been featured on Japan's NHK television network and the CBS newsmagazine "60 Minutes," and is heard regularly on National Public Radio. The New York Times has praised the quartet's performance as " . . . remarkably transparent, with each line carefully focused and perfectly balanced against the others," and The Miami Herald lauded the group's playing "with such freedom yet hair-raising collective control . . . It has the seeds of true greatness."

Washington College will also welcome lyric soprano Laura Danehower Whyte on November 14 as the Concert Series season continues. Spring 2001 performers will include folk dance ensemble Mandala, The Amsterdam Guitar Trio, and pianist Rachel Franklin. Admission to all performances is $12 for adults and $5 for youth 18 and under. For more information or for season tickets, call 410-778-7839.