MEDIA ADVISORY

Mayor: Jennifer P. Dougherty

Who: Weinberg Center for the Arts Press Contact: Erin Cech
2003-2004 LIVE! Season 301-228-2860 phone
301-228-2837 fax
What: The Fessenden Ensemble ecech@cityoffrederick.org

When: Sunday, September 28, 2003 at 3:00 p.m.

Where: Weinberg Center for the Arts
20 West Patrick Street
Frederick, MD 21701

Tickets: $15, $20, $25
Reserved Seating
Box Office: 301-228-2828

Weinberg Center Presents Season’s First Chamber Music Concert
THE FESSENDEN ENSEMBLE

Hailed by The Washington Post as "one of the finest chamber music groups in the Washington area," The Fessenden Ensemble performs for the first time on the Weinberg Center stage on Sunday, September 28. The 3:00 p.m. concert will feature five members of the critically acclaimed ensemble performing three works by German composers of the Baroque and Romantics periods: Sonata in G Minor, BMV 1030b, for oboe and basso continuo by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750); Sonata in F Major, op. 99, for cello and piano by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897), and Trio in D Major, op. 61, for oboe, horn, and piano by Heinrich von Herzogenberg (1843-1900).

Under the artistic direction of founder Emil George, The Fessenden Ensemble consists of 13 members, representing strings, woodwinds, brass, and piano. This combination enables the performance of a broad repertoire, including some works seldom heard because of their unusual instrumentation. The background of the members of the ensemble is equally varied, drawing from many area performing arts organizations, including the National Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony, The Kennedy Center Opera Orchestra, the "President's Own" Marine Band, the White House Chamber Orchestra, and even New York's Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

Featured musicians for the September 28 concert are Amy Klosterman on piano, Gita Ladd on cello, Shawn Welk on oboe, Dean Woody on bassoon, and Emil George on horn. George, who founded The Fessenden Ensemble in 2000, received his bachelor of music in performance from Bowling Green State University in Ohio, where he studied horn with David Rogers and later studied privately with Philip Farkas and Joseph Singer. A faculty member of the American University and the Washington Conservatory of Music, George is affiliated with the Baltimore Opera Orchestra, Wolf Trap Opera Orchestra, Washington Concert Opera, and Cathedral Choral Society Orchestra. He has also performed with the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony, and the Washington Chamber Symphony. George is the former principal horn of the State of Mexico Symphony Orchestra, the Mexico City Philharmonic, and the Theater Orchestra of Mexico’s National Institute of Fine Arts. He performs on horns made by Lawson Brass Instruments of Boonsboro, Maryland.

Tickets for The Fessenden Ensemble’s concert at the Weinberg range from $15 to $25, reserved seating. Group rates are available. Individual tickets and series subscriptions for the entire 2003-2004 Season are now on sale. Patrons can “create their own series” by choosing at least five or more performances, which will result in a savings of up to 20% off individual ticket prices. For more information, please visit www.weinbergcenter.org or contact the Box Office at 301-228-2828 (228-2838 TTY). The Box Office is open Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-2 p.m., and one hour before performances.

The 2003-2004 Season marks the sixth anniversary of LIVE! at the Weinberg programming, which has established the historic theatre as one of the region’s premier presenting facilities. BB&T is the proud corporate presenter of the 2003-2004 Season, with Maryland Public Television and KEY 103.1 serving as media presenters.

The Weinberg Center for the Arts, a municipal facility of the City of Frederick, is located at 20 West Patrick Street in downtown Frederick, Maryland. The theatre opened in 1926 as the Tivoli, the grandest of three downtown movie palaces, and was donated to the City of Frederick in 1978. Today, the 1,160-seat Weinberg Center offers an array of professional LIVE! series, including smARTS!, dance, music, theatre, family performances and films, and classic movies. In addition, the Weinberg Center makes performance space and professional services available to a variety of community arts groups, civic and business organizations, and other arts promoters. For more information, call 301-228-2828 or visit weinbergcenter.org.