40th Anniversary

I'm hoping we remember more than just the sex, drug and rock and roll party. That party caused a lot of pain, some very stressing social disorder. That wasn't our goal."

The Annapolis Symphony Orchestra begins its 40th anniversary season with concerts tomorrow and Saturday at the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, 801 Chase St., Annapolis. Conducted by music director Leslie B. Dunner, the orchestra will perform Joan Tower's "Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman" and Tchaikovsky's passionate Symphony No. 4 in F minor. In between, soloist Colin Jacobsen will perform Beethoven's Violin Concerto, one of the composer's most lyrical works. Both concerts begin at 8 p.m. Tickets are available at the door or by calling 410-263-0907.

The 12th annual Cecil County Unity in the Community Festival will be held from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. today at Cecil College's North East campus. The event includes booths, food and performances showcasing various cultures, as well as prizes and giveaways. Guests are asked to donate $4 for food, part of which will benefit the Eva M. Muse Memorial Endowed Scholarship. The Unity in the Community Festival also is the first public event being held in recognition of the college's 40th anniversary.

Musical theater -- Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre will present Broadway Under the Stars: A 40th Anniversary Celebration at 8 p.m. today, tomorrow and Sept. 15, 16, 22 and 23 at 143 Compromise St. The outdoor production will feature songs and performers from the past 40 years. A gala including food and drinks will follow tonight's opening night show. Proceeds will help fund the restoration and renovation of the theater. The cost is $50 for tonight's event and $25 for all other shows. 410-268-9212, Ext. 6

Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years By David Talbot Free Press / 479 pages / $15 Published in paperback to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the Robert F. Kennedy assassination, the book focuses on the relationship between Bobby and John F. Kennedy. The book is based on interviews with more than 150 people as well as government documents, and tells, among other things, of JFK's efforts to prevent war with the Soviet Union and Bobby Kennedy's secret quest to solve his brother's murder.

The piano is "the most important of all musical instruments," George Bernard Shaw declared. "Its invention was to music what the invention of printing was to poetry." You won't get too many arguments with that, certainly not next weekend, when the Shriver Hall Concert Series marks its 40th anniversary with a tightly packed "Piano Celebration." PIANO CELEBRATION / / Friday through April 9 / / Shriver Hall, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles St. / / 410-516-7164

Saturday is National Train Day with celebrations at multiple locations, including Washington, Philadelphia, New York and Chicago. Amtrak, which celebrates its 40 th anniversary this year, will unveil a host of attractions and a major discount: free fare for kids. For every adult passenger in coach, one child can ride free when you make reservations by Friday – and at least three days in advance – for travel through June 9. Use promo code H859. Events at Washington’s Union Station include model trains, live performances, historic cars and a 40 th Anniversary exhibit train displaying historic advertising, uniforms, photos and other memorabilia.

Baltimore Opera Company officials said yesterday that they must raise $600,000 in cash and pledges by December or face bankruptcy before the end of this 40th anniversary season.Founded by renowned diva Rosa Ponselle, the company is operating with an $800,000 deficit, half of which was incurred last season.The opera has received $400,000 in cash and pledges in the last several months, but much of that money is contingent on raising an additional $600,000 to meet a $1 million goal by the end of the year.

Former U.S. Sen. Charles McC. Mathias was treated and released at an Annapolis-area hospital yesterday after collapsing at an outdoor ceremony commemorating the 40th anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Mathias, 81, took the lectern outside the State House just after 10:30 a.m. and said, "Let me start with a moment of advice based on personal experience ..." and then was silent for several moments before fainting. He was caught by several people, including actor Charles S. Dutton, and then transported to Anne Arundel Medical Center.

A screening and discussion of the film The Murder of Emmett Till is set for 6:30 p.m. tomorrow at the Enoch Pratt Central Library, 400 Cathedral St. The free presentation - sponsored by the library and the Baltimore Community Relations Commission - marks the 40th anniversary of Till's death. The 14-year-old boy had traveled from Chicago to Mississippi to visit relatives in August 1955, and was beaten and killed, allegedly by two white men, after he purportedly whistled at a white woman.