Experience the Energy and Excitement of Live Performances at CSM This Spring

The College of Southern Maryland (CSM) is in the midst of a vibrant spring arts season that is bringing the best in theater, music and visual arts to the tri-county area. Whether you’re an old friend of the arts at CSM or attending your very first performance, you will be sure to find something in our first fully in-person season in three years, which brings back perennial favorite offerings while introducing new talent.

“There is an energy that you can only experience at in-person arts events, and we are hearing a lot of buzz about this season now that everyone is together again,” said CSM’s Visual and Performing Arts Chair and Associate Dean of Liberal Arts, Dr. Stephen Johnson. “We are seeing some new faces at our events and there is a lot of excitement among our performers.”

The next event on the calendar will be the return of children’s theatre with a production of “Fantastic Mr. Fox (Wood)” at the Brad and Linda Gottfried Theater in the Fine Arts Center on the La Plata Campus. This adaptation of Roald Dahl’s much-loved story follows the vain attempts of three farmers, Boggis, Bunce, and Bean, one fat, one short, and one lean, to get rid of the fox who regularly steals food from their farms. The show will run through April 8.

Indian Head will also be a hub for CSM arts performances this spring. The Velocity Center at Indian Head will host the Art of Innovation STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) Festival April 22, which will feature student visual art exhibits, a lecture and musical performance by members of CSM's Latin Ensemble, and a STEAM panel discussion.

“We’re looking forward to the STEAM Festival because it will give us a chance to demonstrate how the arts connect and interact with other disciplines,” said Johnson. “Creativity and innovation are vital in all of these fields, which complement each other in some really interesting and unexpected ways.” Indian Head’s black box theatre will also host a faculty showcase May 7.

CSM’s other campuses will also host arts performances this spring: at the Leonardtown campus, the Benny C. Morgan Concert series will present Aleia Gonzalez Gulino on guitar with Alejandro Avila Alvarez on piano on April 15. Two weeks later, the Ward Virts Concert Series will bring Austin Fairley and his trombone to the Prince Frederick Campus April 30. Later this spring, a percussionist will be part of the Ward Virts series for the first time as David Constantine performs at the Prince Frederick Campus May 21.

A number of favorite annual events will also be returning this year at the La Plata Campus.

• The CSM Jazz Festival will be held April 14-15
• Contributors to the Connections Literary Magazine will read and discuss their works April 28
• The Latin Ensemble Concert will take place April 29
• The Chorale and Chamber Choir will hold their concert May 4
• The Southern Maryland Concert Band will perform May 6
• The Barbershop Extravaganza will return May 13

Student accomplishments will also be celebrated. The annual Student Honors Recital will be held at the La Plata Campus April 28. The recital features solo and chamber performances, a variety of contemporary popular music, and standard classical repertoire for specific instruments and voice. A Student Juried Art Exhibition will be on display at the Tony Hungerford Memorial Art Gallery April 15 through May 8.

The CSM Spring Art Season sponsors include the Nancy S. McMullin Estate, the Arts Council of Calvert County, Anne W. Brown, Mary Anna Phillips, and Carroll L. Alvey Jr. More information about the arts season can be found at https://www.csmd.edu/student-services/arts/schedule/index.html.