I had the wonderful opportunity to spend a four-day weekend in New York City attending the Chamber Music America conference attending informational sessions, meeting with artists and their agents, and hearing artist showcases. This year's conference was centrally themed on Arts Advocacy with the keynote address presented by Americans for the Arts vice president for policy and research, Randy Cohen. Over the course of an hour, Mr. Cohen made a compelling case for why the arts are such a vital industry contributing considerably to local economies, being the cornerstone of tourism, and improving the communities in which they exist. Over the next couple of blog posts I'll elaborate on this further with the hopes that you may take a few moments to get involved and tell your state and federal representatives why the arts are important to you. If you wish to get involved right away, you can visit the national organization Americans for the Arts at www.artsusa.org or our local advocacy agency Maryland Citizens for the Arts at www.mdarts.org.

Here's an interesting piece courtesy of National Public radio with a blind listening test of a Stradivari and a newly made violin. So, can you tell the difference?

Seasons greetings from Shriver Hall Concert Series, Baltimore's premier presenter of classical chamber music and solo recitals since 1966! We want to thank you for your support while letting you know about the exciting array of upcoming concerts in 2012 (many of which would make a great gift to that special music-lover in your life!) and ways to sustain the music you love.

Les Violons du Roy, chamber orchestra: January 29, 2012

Wolfgang Holzmair, baritone, sings Schubert's Winterreise: February 26, 2012

Richard Goode, piano, plays Mozart, and Chopin: March 18, 2012

Takacs String Quartet plays Debussy, Janacek, and Beethoven: April 15, 2012

Angela Hewitt, piano, plays Bach, Couperin, and Rameau: May 6, 2012

The Series is thriving because it presents the extraordinary talents of musicians like those listed above, through the support of people like you, and because of careful management by our Board and Staff. Purchasing tickets to Series performances is a sure-fire way to ensure that the music you love continues to be played in our community - so we hope you will buy tickets often!

With ticket prices covering only one-third of our day-to-day operating expenses,the Series depends on the generosity of individuals like you to offset the rising costs of presenting world-class artists. Your support is critical to ensuring that we will be able to continue presenting both the number and quality of performances you've come to expect while maintaining single-ticket and subscription prices that are considerably lower than those of most music organizations in the greater Baltimore region.

We ask you to strongly consider making a year-end charitable contribution to the Series. Giving has never been easier: just visit our secure and easy to use giving page by clicking here. No gift is too small (or too large!), and you can easily find giving levels by clicking here.

Every Shriver Hall Concert Series performance and educational program reflects the support of people like you who love classical music and believe the arts are central to a prospering and vibrant community and that Baltimore is a better place to work and live because the Series adds vitality through inspiring musical performances.

We hope you can help us keep the music playing and wish you a 2012 filled with happy listening!

With warmest regards,

Stephen Jacobsohn

Executive Director

Thanks to Barbara Lam from The Johns Hopkins University News-Letter for a great review of the Johannes String Quartet's performance last Saturday - read it here!

Did you attend this Saturday's performance by the Johannes String Quartet at the BMA? If so, tell us what you thought of this free concert! We always appreciate your feedback.

In the absence of formal reviews in the press from last weekend's recital by Christian Tetzlaff and Lars Vogt, we'd love to hear what you thought of the performance. Please post comments and reviews here!

Straight from highly acclaimed recitals at Lincoln Center and Philadelphia's Kimmel Center, today we welcome violinist Christian Tetzlaff and pianist Lars Vogt to our stage for their Shriver Hall Concert Series debut. The duo has been receiving rave reviews for their performances at the most prestigious venues on this tour. Don't miss the opportunity to hear these fine performers this afternoon - tickets are still available!

I had the distinct pleasure of hearing 16 year-old pianist George Li make his Kennedy Center Debut on Tuesday night. Winner of the Young Concert Artists International Competition, and a Gilmore Young Artist Award Recipient, he is a truly special young musician whose talent and career are nothing short of spectacular. Click here for a link to a Washington Post review of [...] Read more

We are delighted and excited to be presenting Christian Tetzlaff and Lars Vogt in their Series Debut recital later this weekend. Tetzlaff has long been one of my personal favorites - a living legend - for his technical perfection, interpretive depth, and refined purity of purpose. With him there is never a moment of histrionics - he is the rare musician for whom technique is purely a tool that he dispenses only for the purpose of making music with the [...] Read more