Maryland Hall

Don't look now, but Bill, Hillary and Chelsea will be spending time at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts during the next couple of weeks.The Clintons won't be lonely. "Administration heartthrob" George Stephanopoulos will be along, as will America's first feline, Socks.Teddy Roosevelt is slated to drop by with his precocious daughter Alice in tow, and Abe Lincoln also is expected to make a long-awaited reappearance.Now, before you dial 911 to have me carted away, please know that I'm referring to "Chelsea," an original musical production for children that will be presented at Maryland Hall in Annapolis in the coming weeks.

Call it the nesting instinct -- nests can get pretty fetid over the winter -- or simply a weather window to get things done. The fact remains that spring cleaning of houses, garages, attics and cars happens. We all go at it with a vengeance, eliminating our cobwebs and gleaning from our stuff.Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts trustee Jean Melton hopes to take advantage of this immutable urge, recognizing that one person's discard is on someone else's wish list.She's heading a yard sale on the lawn of Maryland Hall on June 10 and looking now for sale items and volunteers to work before and during the event.

JUST ANNOUNCED: The Ellis Marsalis and Marcus Roberts evening of solo and duo piano originally advertised for March 15 will take place Feb. 15 at the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, 801 Chase St., Annapolis. Call (410) 263-5019.THE CAPITAL CENTRE, Landover: Dire Straits, Feb. 24. Call (410) 481-SEAT.MEYERHOFF SYMPHONY HALL, 1212 Cathedral St.: The Big Band Salute to Benny Goodman on Feb. 12; Mel Torme appears with Maureen McGovern on Feb. 25. Roberta Flack, Feb. 29. Call (410) 783-8000.

THE ANNUAL challenge of finding something worthwhile for children to do during the summer is with us again, and there are some very creative solutions.The Anne Arundel County Public Library, for instance, is recruiting middle-school students to help with the Summer Reading Program for younger children. The young mentors will organize and distribute packets of materials for program participants, help register children, restock book displays, help with craft projects and assist the library staff with special events.

Grammy Award-winning country music star Kathy Mattea's performance Sunday at the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts in Annapolis has been canceled due to Mattea's laryngitis. The concert has been rescheduled for Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. Ticketholders may use their tickets then, or contact Maryland Hall about a refund: 410-263-5544 or email rdaubney@mdhallarts.org. November 4, 2005, 12:40 PM EST

Problem: The 68-year-old building that is home to Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts and many of Annapolis' finest artists has drafty windows, water damage and an aged electrical system. Solution: A big party. Arts Alive 2, the hall's annual fund-raiser Saturday, will bring together patrons, artists, food, music and a tent full of art and goods for auction. Last year's sold-out gala, which ran for three days, raised $60,000, organizers said. This year's one-day event will include dinner by Outback Steakhouse, desserts by the Main Ingredient, dance performances by Kelly Isaac, music by Stef Scaggiari, Sue Matthews and Global Function, and an artsy yard sale.

WHAT WOULD Anne Arundel County be without Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts? In the 17 years since the old Annapolis High School on Chase Street was converted into an arts center, it has become the county's cultural hub. It is home to the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, Ballet Theatre of Annapolis and choral and opera companies. A branch of the Peabody Preparatory conducts classes and performs there.Linnell Bowen is about to become the new executive director of Maryland Hall at a critical juncture.

For years, the ballet classes and music recitals at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts have seemed beyond the financial reach of children from some of Annapolis' poorer neighborhoods.Next month, Maryland Hall will begin its first program to bridge that gap, immersing 25 children from the city's public housing communities in Bach, Baryshnikov and Botticelli for eight to 10 weeks.Instructors will give them weekly after-school lessons in art, dance and music."Most of these children don't get a chance to go to Maryland Hall due to financial blocks," said Ward 6 Democratic Alderman Cynthia A. Carter, who approached the arts center in January with the idea for the program.

Anyone who's ever sweated through a May concert at Maryland Hall knows the old, poorly ventilated structure is no place to take in a concert during the summer.Acoustics -- don't even ask. The fraction of musical sound that makes it off the cavernous stage seems to head immediately for the nearest velour curtain to die. "Singing in Maryland Hall," conductor Ernest Green once told me, "is like singing into your sock."But the good news is that those who know and love the hall best -- its administrators and the talented performers who play, sing and dance there regularly -- are committed to its improvement.

NORTHERN ANNE ARUNDEL County residents and their elected officials have long complained -- with justification -- that they never get amenities, only headaches. They get landfills instead of swimming pools, detention centers instead of arts centers. The good stuff usually ends up in well-heeled Annapolis and Central County. But the trend may be changing.Anne Arundel County Executive John G. Gary is turning out to be the best friend Glen Burnie ever had, working to bring an ice rink downtown and speed up the perennially delayed "Superblock" project.