Instrumental Music

Dustin Wong was in labor. It felt like he was in labor, anyway. It was his 27th birthday and he was straddling a monster, shroom-inspired psychedelic trip that made him think he was about to give birth. This was a year ago. He was in his Mount Vernon apartment, went to his bed, lay back and pushed. "I felt this love, and I kept repeating that," he said. "That's where the name 'Infinite Love' came from. " Wong's name might not sound familiar. But if you've been going to shows in Baltimore in the past 10 years, chances are you saw him play at some point.

It was a quiet night for a revolution. People at the bar in Joe Squared Station North sat huddled over drinks and conversations. Folks occasionally strolled in to pick up pizza orders or headed to dining tables in the back. Few even glanced at the small group of musicians nestled by the storefront window playing Bach. But those players, members of a national movement called Classical Revolution, soldiered on for several hours, dedicated to the cause of bringing a venerable old art form into unexpected places.

Take a deep breath. Four beats. Breathe out. Four beats. Use your diaphragm. It was a lot for five aspiring flutists to remember as they placed their mouthpieces to their lips, breathed in again and released their air with a "puh," hoping to coax a sound from their instruments. "I hear three sounds and two possible sounds," said Anthony Spano, instrumental music teacher at Callaway Elementary School in Northwest Baltimore. It was a big step for the fourth-graders in Spano's flute class, many of whom played a musical instrument for the first time yesterday.

Brian Drake, an instrumental music teacher and band director at Westminster High School, has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the Carroll County Music Educator Award, sponsored by the Music Advocates of Carroll County. The award was scheduled to be presented during the Westminster High School Marching Band Show on Saturday, Oct. 13. Drake has been an instrumental music director at Westminster High School for more than 10 years. During this tenure, the school has been recognized for exceptional ensembles, both outside on the marching field and inside on the concert stage.

Brian Drake, an instrumental music teacher and band director at Westminster High School, has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the Carroll County Music Educator Award, sponsored by the Music Advocates of Carroll County. The award was scheduled to be presented during the Westminster High School Marching Band Show on Saturday, Oct. 13. Drake has been an instrumental music director at Westminster High School for more than 10 years. During this tenure, the school has been recognized for exceptional ensembles, both outside on the marching field and inside on the concert stage.

Proud as a parent, Jill Warzer beamed from the front row yesterday as a band of Baltimore students performed in the first concert many had played in, thanks in large part to a donation of instruments. The fact that the schools have toned down their music curriculum faded into the background as the 65 pupils played selections from Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" and "When the Saints Go Marching In" before about 75 pupils and parents in the auditorium of the Dr. Roland Patterson Academy in North Baltimore.

Dance has much to tell us about European music of the composers of the late 17th and early 18th centuries, particularly those of France and of composers such as J.S. Bach, whose instrumental music was much influenced by French models. The bourree or saraband movements -- each marking is a particular kind of dance -- in a suite by Bach were not meant to be danced. But understanding how these dances moved can tell us something, for example, about the tempos of the instrumental music of the period and place it ina richer context than we would otherwise have.

Something remarkable happens here in the next eight days: Three women will sit down at pianos and give major concerts, and the realization they bring is how rare a thing that is.Ruth Laredo's recital tonight in the Shriver Hall Concert Series, Marian Hahn's concerto appearance Saturday evening with the Peabody Concert Orchestra and Ursula Oppens' recital next Monday in the Baltimore Chamber Music Society series call to mind how the piano world is dominated by...

Things are changing in the jazz world. Ideas drawn from funk, hip-hop and drum 'n' bass are changing the way rhythm sections play. Technological innovations are giving instrumentalists a much broader palette with which to play. Young audiences weaned on the Grateful Dead and Phish are discovering the intense improvisation of jazz.And John Scofield couldn't be happier."It's really a good time," he says, over the phone from his home in suburban New York. "There's a new audience for -- I'm not even going to say 'jazz,' but for music that stretches out. Instrumental music, and stuff with improvisation."

Lights and Music The lowdown -- Ozric Tentacles, who perform tomorrow night at Towson's Recher Theatre, play a psychedelic brand of instrumental music that builds their sound with electronic effects, thumping bass lines and danceable grooves. Ozric Tentacles are known for intense performances with visually captivating light shows. Bill Burke, an eight-string guitarist, and Dub Trio, which combines dub music with elements of punk, rock and ambient music, open the show. If you go -- The Recher Theatre is at 512 York Road in Towson.

Dustin Wong was in labor. It felt like he was in labor, anyway. It was his 27th birthday and he was straddling a monster, shroom-inspired psychedelic trip that made him think he was about to give birth. This was a year ago. He was in his Mount Vernon apartment, went to his bed, lay back and pushed. "I felt this love, and I kept repeating that," he said. "That's where the name 'Infinite Love' came from. " Wong's name might not sound familiar. But if you've been going to shows in Baltimore in the past 10 years, chances are you saw him play at some point.

Sean Jordan steadied the hulking euphonium on Wednesday afternoon as he followed the rest of his classmates snaking through the hallways of Jeffers Hill Elementary while playing "We Will Rock You." Throngs of classmates wildly cheered as they held up homemade signs that read: "Music!" and "Music Rocks." Sean, 10, was in his element as he formed his mouth to make the buzzing noise necessary to play the golden-colored instrument that resembles a tuba. The fourth-grader was among a group of about 70 third-, fourth- and fifth-graders who performed in the Columbia school's first Music Parade.

Lights and Music The lowdown -- Ozric Tentacles, who perform tomorrow night at Towson's Recher Theatre, play a psychedelic brand of instrumental music that builds their sound with electronic effects, thumping bass lines and danceable grooves. Ozric Tentacles are known for intense performances with visually captivating light shows. Bill Burke, an eight-string guitarist, and Dub Trio, which combines dub music with elements of punk, rock and ambient music, open the show. If you go -- The Recher Theatre is at 512 York Road in Towson.

With a selection of classical music over the usual springtime pops fare, the Arundel Vocal Arts Society's David Daniel directed a musically challenging, interestingly diverse program May 12.. For the second spring, the choristers returned to the acoustically excellent Annapolis Area Christian School's Kerr Center for the Arts in Severn. Again this spring it welcomed the school's Madrigal Singers, who opened the program with delightful a cappella renditions of French Renaissance madrigals: "Il est Bel et Bon" ("He is Handsome and Good")

Take a deep breath. Four beats. Breathe out. Four beats. Use your diaphragm. It was a lot for five aspiring flutists to remember as they placed their mouthpieces to their lips, breathed in again and released their air with a "puh," hoping to coax a sound from their instruments. "I hear three sounds and two possible sounds," said Anthony Spano, instrumental music teacher at Callaway Elementary School in Northwest Baltimore. It was a big step for the fourth-graders in Spano's flute class, many of whom played a musical instrument for the first time yesterday.

Chances are that the term "Irish culture" conjures up the immortal words of poets and playwrights before it suggests anything else. That is hardly surprising, given the Irish flair for language and the extraordinary roster of wordsmiths who have graced the Emerald Isle with their literary presence. But if evocative words have enjoyed pride of place in the Irish soul, music has not been far behind. That is the rationale behind "From Ireland, on Wings of Song," the season-ending concert Saturday evening by Columbia Pro Cantare, Howard County's premiere ensemble for vocal music.

North Carroll High School Ensemble will present its spring choral concert at 7:30 p.m. May 23 at the school in Hampstead. The group's last performance of the year will be at 7:30 p.m. June 5, also at the school, 1400 Panther Drive. Both concerts are open to the public. The ensemble performed May 4 in the Williamsburg Virginia Heritage Festival, where it received a silver rating. The award was presented May 5 at a ceremony at Busch Gardens Theme Park. The travel choir and ensemble will participate June 2 in the Music in the Parks Festival in Hershey, Pa. Information: 410-239-8885.

North Carroll High School Ensemble will present its spring choral concert at 7:30 p.m. May 23 at the school in Hampstead. The group's last performance of the year will be at 7:30 p.m. June 5, also at the school, 1400 Panther Drive. Both concerts are open to the public. The ensemble performed May 4 in the Williamsburg Virginia Heritage Festival, where it received a silver rating. The award was presented May 5 at a ceremony at Busch Gardens Theme Park. The travel choir and ensemble will participate June 2 in the Music in the Parks Festival in Hershey, Pa. Information: 410-239-8885.

THE "RATTLESNAKE RIDGE" march is so new, it will debut as a highlight in the Sousa Style Concert at 7:30 p.m. Monday in the auditorium of Westminster High School. Eighth-grade instrumentalists at Shiloh Middle School composed the snappy march from a group of melodies they wrote and scored for band in a music composition "mini-course" taught by Philip Stephenson, instrumental music instructor at the school. Glenn Patterson conducts a professional band that assembles once each year to give the Sousa Style Concert.