FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – September 16, 2019
MEDIA CONTACT: KIRA CALM LEWIS - 301- 446- 3327; Kira.CalmLewis@pgparks.com - or -
IYANA MOORE - 301- 446- 3313; Iyana.Moore@pgparks.com
Experience Montpelier:
Cultural Arts Programming by the M-NCPPC, Department of Parks and Recreation
Riverdale, MD – Looking for art exhibitions to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month? The Department of Parks and Recreation has the perfect setting for you! Experience Montpelier Arts Center and immerse yourself in a world of arts and culture.
WHAT: Christian “Big New York” de Mesones
WHEN: Friday, September 27, 2019, 8PM - 10PM
WHERE: Montpelier Arts Center, 9652 Muirkirk Rd Laurel, MD 20708
COST: $25
A powerful and popular entertainer, Christian “Big New York” de Mesones has been playing bass guitar for decades. Graduating from the world-famous Bass Institute of Technology (now the Musician’s Institute) in Hollywood at the age of 18, he performed a variety of musical styles in Hollywood, Oahu, and NYC. Moving to Richmond in 1995, he entered the urban music scene, adding hip-hop, R&B, Caribbean, Latin, and smooth jazz to his flavorful sound. Opening for artists like Marion Meadows, Chuck Brown, and Roberta Flack, he played to record-breaking crowds. Subsequently, his smooth jazz band Groove Skool played prestigious gigs such as Capital Jazz Fest and Blues Alley, again drawing standing room only crowds. Audiences delight in his signature sound that fuses funk, R&B, jazz, rock, and Latin elements.
WHAT: Los Day Trippers
WHEN: Friday, October 4, 2019, 8PM – 10PM
WHERE: Montpelier Arts Center, 9652 Muirkirk Rd Laurel, MD 20708
COST: $25/person; 10% discount for Montpelier members and seniors
Join us for a concert with Los Day Trippers as we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month as band members Marisa Arbona-Ruiz (vocals, percussion), Felix Contreras (drums, percussion), Eddie Eatmon (bass), Joe Mills (guitar, vocals), Van Williamson (guitar), and Tim Rodriguez (congas, percussion) play a variety of Beatles music.
WHAT: Artist Talk: Ren Trevino
WHEN: Saturday, October 5, 2019, 2PM – 3PM
WHERE: Montpelier Arts Center, 9652 Muirkirk Rd Laurel, MD 20708
COST: FREE
Artist, Ren Trevino, will discuss his current art exhibition, Gran Fury. Mexican-American and gay artist, Ren Trevino, is a Baltimore based painter whose work explores history and identity. Trevino drove a 1987 Plymouth Gran Fury when he first moved to Baltimore in 2003. Gran Furies were often police cruisers in the 1980s. The name of the car came from Greek mythology: the Furies, goddesses of vengeance. An art/activist collective also known as Gran Fury used a combination of bold graphic design, guerrilla dissemination tactics, and art institutional support to communicate the urgency of the AIDS epidemic in light of disastrous government and political inaction. They are probably best known for the SILENCE = DEATH graphic that came to define the AIDS/HIV activist movement in the 1980s and early 1990s.
WHAT: Public Reception: Sushama Parikh
WHEN: Sunday, October 6, 2019, 2PM - 4PM
WHERE: Montpelier Arts Center, 9652 Muirkirk Rd Laurel, MD 20708
COST: FREE
Join us in celebrating the artwork of Sushama Parikh at her opening reception on October 6, 2019. Longtime Montpelier Resident Artist, Sushama Parikh, has studied and practiced her art worldwide. In this exhibition, Parikh showcases some of her favorite pieces including sculptures of horses, bulls and rams, and ceramic wall tiles of koi and beetles.
WHAT: Ole!: A Hispanic and African American Musical Celebration
WHEN: Thursday, October 10, 2019, Noon -1:15PM
WHERE: Montpelier Arts Center, 9652 Muirkirk Rd Laurel, MD 20708
COST: $12
AUDIENCE: Seniors, 60 or better
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with us as we party with musicians from the Washington National Opera. Come dressed in your festive favorites and enjoy drumming, classical music with narration, tapas, and non-alcoholic sangrias! This performance is guaranteed to get your toes tapping and your maracas shaking. Proudly produced by the Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts (CAAPA).
WHAT: The Lao Tizer Band featuring Eric Marienthal and Karen Briggs
WHEN: Friday, October 11, 2019, 8PM- 10PM
WHERE: Montpelier Arts Center, 9652 Muirkirk Rd Laurel, MD 20708
COST: $25/person
“Jazz Group of the Year” nominee, The Lao Tizer Band feat Eric Marienthal and Karen Briggs return to the beautifully intimate Montpelier Arts Center, in support of their new, Billboard Jazz Top 10 CD/DVD combo-pack release, Songs From The Swinghouse! Led by pianist, keyboardist, composer, and former “Best New Jazz Artist” nominee, Lao Tizer (Special EFX, Down To The Bone), the group also features Grammy-winning sax legend, Eric Marienthal (Chick Corea, The Rippingtons), violinist extraordinaire, Karen Briggs (Yanni, Stanley Clarke), Grammy-winning drummer Gene Coye (Larry Carlton, Terence Blanchard) and Senegalese bassist, Cheikh N'Doye (Baaba Maal, Mike Stern). Do not miss this memorable evening of music!
WHAT: Bill Charlap
WHEN: Friday, October 18, 2019, 8PM -10PM
WHERE: Montpelier Arts Center, 9652 Muirkirk Rd Laurel, MD 20708
COST: $25
A Montpelier favorite, Bill Charlap is back by popular request. Grammy award-winning pianist Bill Charlap has performed with many of the leading artists of our time including Phil Woods, Tony Bennett, Gerry Mulligan, Wynton Marsalis, Freddy Cole, and Houston Person. Charlap has produced concerts for Jazz at Lincoln Center, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Chicago Symphony Center, and the Hollywood Bowl. Bill Charlap is currently the Director of Jazz Studies at William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey. Tickets: $25/person; 10% discount for Montpelier members and seniors.
WHAT: Samia Ahmad
WHEN: Sunday, October 20, 2019, 3PM- 4 PM
WHERE: Montpelier Arts Center, 9652 Muirkirk Rd Laurel, MD 20708
COST: FREE; $5/person donation appreciated
Born in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and currently a resident of Maryland (USA), Dr. Samia Mahbub Ahmad is a Hindustani (North Indian) classical vocal musician who has been studying, teaching, and performing this ancient 5,000-year-old genre of music of the Vedic times, live and on television in North America, South Asia, and Southern Africa for the past two decades. In the process, Samia has earned many awards and recognitions including performing for Nobel laureates, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and President Jimmy Carter and Mrs. Rosalyn Carter.
WHAT: Shana Tucker
WHEN: Friday, October 25 2019, 8PM- 10PM
WHERE: Montpelier Arts Center, 9652 Muirkirk Rd Laurel, MD 20708
COST: $25
With a deep respect for lyrical storytelling, cellist/singer-songwriter Shana Tucker delivers a unique voice through her self-described genre of ChamberSoul. Tucker's melodies weave strong hints of jazz, classical, soulful folk, acoustic pop and a touch of R&B into a distinctive rhythmic tapestry. Touted by JazzTimes Magazine as a jazz talent "...whose imprint and vitality has already been quite visible...,” Tucker’s style and sound have been described as a blend of Dianne Reeves, Joni Mitchell, and Tracy Chapman, with an efficient complexity that is reminiscent of Bill Withers. Experience ChamberSoul for the first time with us at Montpelier Arts Center this October! Tickets: $25/person; 10% discount for Montpelier members and seniors.
WHAT: One Maryland, One Book Discussion: What the Eyes Don’t See: A Story of Cris
WHEN: Saturday, October 26, 2019, 2PM - 3PM
WHERE: Montpelier Arts Center, 9652 Muirkirk Rd Laurel, MD 20708
COST: FREE
Each year, Montpelier Arts Center partners with Maryland Humanities to host a One Maryland, One Book discussion. What the Eyes Don’t See is this year’s inspirational read. The book chronicles Dr. Mona’s relentless pursuit to uncover the contamination of Flint, Michigan’s drinking water, which would lead to her testifying in front of Congress. Gripping and emotional, Dr. Mona’s personal account reads like a scientific thriller as she vividly recounts the effects lead poisoning had on her young patients and the evidence she gathered to share with the world. Read the book and join us for a lively and engaging discussion!
Located on the grounds of the historic Montpelier Mansion, the Montpelier Arts Center houses three galleries, artist studios, a metal casting facility, gas and electric-fired kilns, a digital lab, and classrooms. The Center offers visual, literary and performing arts experiences for children to adults; beginners to advanced. Our studios are open to the public, as we encourage creators to develop their artistic passion. Our creative spaces are designed to inspire artists to work in a variety of mediums including printmaking, sculpture, painting, ceramics, and more.