14th Annual Celebration of the Arts in Howard County Held 3/26

The Howard County Arts Council is pleased to announce the guest performers for their 14th Annual Celebration of the Arts in Howard County and 30th Anniversary Gala. Featured this year are: Teelin Irish Dance Company; pianist, Patricia Hammer; and selected performances from Toby's Dinner Theatre's newest Baltimore show, Beehive! You can catch them, along with the ten finalists for the Arts Council's Rising Star Competition, at the Celebration gala on March 26, 2011 at 8 p.m. Emcee for the event is Richard Story, recently-retired Chief Executive Officer of the Howard County Economic Development Authority.

Teelin is committed to providing quality dance instruction, promoting Irish culture through traditional step dance, exploring innovative choreography, and increasing performance opportunities for Irish dancers. This is accomplished through the three branches of Teelin: the school of Irish dance, the performance company, and the production of Portraits of Ireland. Under the direction of Maureen Gately, the student-based dance company enjoys wowing audiences throughout Maryland and the Metro DC area with its creative choreography and lively performances.
Piano accompanist, Patricia Hammer, is a vocal music teacher at Atholton Elementary School and has been a professional musician for over thirty-five years. She holds bachelor's and master's degrees in music education from University of Maryland and Towson University. She has performed at the White House, Kennedy Center, World Bank, and the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland. Patty has been in two editions of Who's Who Among America's Teachers, and has been with The Celebration of the Arts in Howard County since its inception fourteen years ago.

And last, but certainly not least, what happens when you take six talented women, countless wigs, a considerable amount of costumes, 25 cans of hairspray and more than 40 of the greatest '60s hits? Beehive, The 60's Musical! It's a high-voltage, fast-paced, lighthearted nostalgic look back at the '60s. Fresh from their run at Toby's Dinner Theatre in Baltimore, Debra Buonaccorsi, Maria Egler, Crystal Freeman, Deborah Lubega, Shayla Simmons, and Lauren Spencer Stolzfus, under the music direction of Cedric Lyles, will be onstage to perform selections from this critically-acclaimed show.

The Celebration is a multi-faceted signature event, showcasing and promoting the arts and raising funds for Howard County artists and arts organizations. In addition to the main stage performance, the evening also features a reception from 6-8 p.m with a Silent Auction of artwork and culinary delights from local restaurants and caterers. Performers during the reception include: Damon Forman and Friends (jazz), Brant Challacombe (piano), and classical ensembles featuring Bruce Myers, Fay Rosinsky, Jere Stern, Carl Tretter, Melissa Lindon, Hsien-Ann Meng, and Wei-Der Huang. The Celebration will take place in Columbia at Howard Community College's Peter and Elizabeth Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Center. Information and tickets are available through the Arts Council website, www.hocoarts.org or by phone: 410-313-2787.

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