"Yes, I'm crazy," Henry Wong is the first to admit.
Since the first full season five years ago of An die Musik Live, an offshoot of his compact disc retail store in Mount Vernon, Wong has presented nearly 900 concerts. This weekend alone, six events are scheduled, most of them in the comfortable 80-seat concert room above the shop.
One of these presentations is at the University of Baltimore, the latest spot to see the An die Musik flag planted. Wong has put together two appearances by the fine Poulenc Trio there, the first on Friday with exceptional soprano Hyunah Yu, the second in March with Anthony McGill, principal clarinetist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Wong is also co-presenting notable jazz pianists at UB this fall.
"Sometimes, we find our neighbors have a better facility," Wong says. "It's important for the music to be in the right place. The university has a beautiful facility at the student center and a state-of-the-art piano. I want to help more people become aware of the space."
An die Musik already offers periodic events at the Engineers Club (the Garrett-Jacobs Mansion) and Baltimore Basilica. But the bulk of the activity continues to be at the intimate store's mini-concert hall on North Charles Street, where the live music-making now accounts for most of the business.
"Fifty percent of income [at An die Musik] used to be from CD sales," Wong says. "Now it's 15 percent. The rest is selling tickets to concerts. Older people don't buy CDs, and younger people download. I can't even exchange CDs for shrimp fried rice at my favorite Chinese restaurant."
As the performance side of his business has increased, Wong has taken the first step toward forming a nonprofit organization and is waiting for the Internal Revenue Service to grant that status, which would provide an avenue for fundraising.
"I want to work with foundations and get underwriters," Wong says. "Some of our concerts cost just a few hundred dollars."
Jazz has been a big part of An die Musik Live since 2004, and if An die Musik successfully goes nonprofit, one particular focus would be educational programs aimed at bringing jazz programs into city schools.
"It would be such a missed opportunity if we can't get this great part of American culture in front of young kids here," Wong says.
Between the classical and jazz offerings, An die Musik is responsible for 20-some attractions each month, an enlivening force for the city's music scene. But it's a grueling schedule.
