Frostburg State University Presents Faculty Artist Series: Dr. Mark Gallagher, Dr. Brent Weber, and Dr. Jay DeWire in ConcertThe FSU Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance proudly presents an evening of chamber music as part of its Faculty Artist Series, featuring Dr. Mark Gallagher on clarinet, Dr. Brent Weber on bassoon, and Dr. Jay DeWire on piano. The performance will take place on Monday, December 1, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. in the Pealer Recital Hall of the Woodward D. Pealer Performing Arts Center. Admission is free and open to the public; it will also be llivestreamed, click the red 'Join Stream' button on this page to view the live performance.This captivating program showcases three works that blend classical elegance with early romantic fervor, highlighting the virtuosity and interpretive depth of the performers. Opening the program is “Trio for Clarinet, Bassoon, and Piano in E-flat Major” by Archduke Rudolf. A student and patron of Beethoven, Rudolf crafted this trio with a style reminiscent of early Beethoven, infused with echoes of Mozart’s grace. Composed for clarinetist Count Ferdinand von Troyer, the work’s three completed movements—Allegro moderato, Scherzo, and Larghetto with Variations—offer a balanced interplay among the instruments, showcasing the clarinet while giving the bassoon and piano substantial roles.Next up is “Märchenbilder, Op. 113, and Five Lieder und Gesänge, Op. 127” by Robert Schumann, arranged for clarinet and piano by Dr. Mark Gallagher. Schumann’s “Märchenbilder” (Fairy Tale Pictures) comprises four evocative character studies, with Dr. Gallagher’s arrangement combining the moody, nostalgic first movement and the tender, reflective fourth movement with the expressive “Five Lieder und Gesänge, Op. 127.” This unique arrangement highlights Schumann’s emotional depth, with the clarinet and piano weaving a rich tapestry of shifting moods, from melancholy to serene reverie, reflecting the poetic and fantastic essence of Schumann’s music.The program will conclude with “Grand Trio for Clarinet, Bassoon, and Piano, Op. 36” by Anton Eberl. A contemporary of Mozart, Eberl was a prolific composer whose works were often mistaken for Mozart’s due to their melodic beauty and classical refinement. This late work, composed in 1806, blends classical structure with early romantic stirrings. Its four movements—Allegro con spirito, Adagio non troppo, Scherzo, and Allegretto—feature graceful melodies and innovative writing, particularly for the bassoon, showcasing Eberl’s skill and the trio’s dynamic interplay.This concert promises an evening of musical discovery, bringing together rarely performed gems by composers whose connections to Beethoven and Mozart enrich their works with historical and artistic significance. Dr. Gallagher, Dr. Weber, and Dr. DeWire, esteemed faculty members of Frostburg State University, bring their expertise and passion to this thoughtfully curated program.For more information, contact the FSU Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance at (301) 687-4109, music@frostburg.edu, or visit http://www.frostburg.edu/concerts. Join us in person or online for an unforgettable evening of chamber music.Dr. Mark Gallagher (clarinet) website: http://www.markgallagher.net/Dr. Jay DeWire (piano) bio: https://www.frostburg.edu/academics/colleges-and-departments/music/faculty.php#DeWireDr. Brent Weber (bassoon) bio: https://www.frostburg.edu/academics/colleges-and-departments/music/faculty.php#Weber

This holiday season, Frostburg State University’s Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance presents “A Christmas Survival Guide,” conceived and written by James Hindman and Ray Roderick, with musical arrangements by John Glaudin. This intimate cabaret takes a funny (and sometimes snarky) look at the stressful holiday season. Each character, armed with a copy of “A Christmas Survival Guide,” charges into the urban holiday landscape searching for the true essence of Christmas. Featuring songs you know well, mashups of old classics, and new numbers created for the original production, each character learns to survive the season in ways that are both hilarious and heartwarming.Directed by Darrell Scott Rushton, musical direction by Kelly Shreckenghast, and costumes by Rachel Saylor, the cast features Theatre students Grace Stevenson, TJ Kelly, and Gracie Ray as the engaging trio ensemble, and features student designers from the Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance. “A Christmas Survival Guide” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals, www.concordtheatricals.com.Arm yourself with laughter and kick off your holiday survival with us—join the fun December 3, 4, 5, and 6 at 7:30 p.m., with a 2:00 p.m. matinee on Saturday, December 6, in the F. Perry Smith Studio Theater of the Pealer Performing Arts Center. Purchase tickets online at tickets.frostburg.edu; at the University Box Office, Lane University Center 203 (Mon–Fri, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.), 301-687-3137; or at the door. Pricing: adults $20 cash/$21.09 credit card; FSU students and employees, and all youth $10 cash/$10.69 credit card.

Frostburg State University’s Department of Music, Theatre and Dance will present its Chamber Orchestra Recital on Wednesday, Dec. 3, at 7:30 p.m. in the Pealer Recital Hall of FSU’s Woodward D. Pealer Performing Arts Center. This event is free and open to the public. The concert will be livestreamed; the link will be posted at www.frostburg.edu/concerts.The concert program will feature an arrangement by FSU music major, Nicholas Mellen ’26, of Cuban guitarist Leo Brouwer’s “Danza Caracteristica”. Adding a festive component to the concert will be the performance of the song “Last Christmas”, written by George Michael and performed by the 1980’s pop music band Wham!, and arranged by the Vitamin String Quartet (VSQ) for their newest album, “It Feels Like Christmas”.From there the orchestra dives headfirst into their celebration of symphonies with Haydn’s “Symphony No. 104 “London” in D-major”. This exciting work represents the end of a series of twelve symphonies (opus 93-104) that Haydn, while living in London, was commissioned to compose by Johann Peter Solomon.The concert concludes with the momentous “Symphony No. 1 in C major” by Ludwig van Beethoven. Premiered in the year 1800, this symphony firmly established Beethoven’s prowess as a composer of symphonic works, as well as demonstrates his genius, creativity, and humor as a composer. The placement of these two masterworks on the same concert program is aimed at highlighting the passing of the symphonic torch, from the traditions of the Classic Period to a symphonic master who played a significant role in defining the Romantic Era.For more information, contact FSU’s Department of Music, Theatre and Dance at 301-687-4109 or via email at music@frostburg.edu.

This holiday season, Frostburg State University’s Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance presents “A Christmas Survival Guide,” conceived and written by James Hindman and Ray Roderick, with musical arrangements by John Glaudin. This intimate cabaret takes a funny (and sometimes snarky) look at the stressful holiday season. Each character, armed with a copy of “A Christmas Survival Guide,” charges into the urban holiday landscape searching for the true essence of Christmas. Featuring songs you know well, mashups of old classics, and new numbers created for the original production, each character learns to survive the season in ways that are both hilarious and heartwarming.Directed by Darrell Scott Rushton, musical direction by Kelly Shreckenghast, and costumes by Rachel Saylor, the cast features Theatre students Grace Stevenson, TJ Kelly, and Gracie Ray as the engaging trio ensemble, and features student designers from the Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance. “A Christmas Survival Guide” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals, www.concordtheatricals.com.Arm yourself with laughter and kick off your holiday survival with us—join the fun December 3, 4, 5, and 6 at 7:30 p.m., with a 2:00 p.m. matinee on Saturday, December 6, in the F. Perry Smith Studio Theater of the Pealer Performing Arts Center. Purchase tickets online at tickets.frostburg.edu; at the University Box Office, Lane University Center 203 (Mon–Fri, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.), 301-687-3137; or at the door. Pricing: adults $20 cash/$21.09 credit card; FSU students and employees, and all youth $10 cash/$10.69 credit card.

Frostburg State University’s Department of Music, Theatre and Dance will present the Wind Ensemble Concert in “Dancing with the Wind,” on Thursday, Dec. 4, at 7:30 p.m. in the Pealer Recital Hall of FSU’s Woodward D. Pealer Performing Arts Center. This vibrant program showcases works by Alfred Reed, Viet Cuong, David Clay Mettens and Arturo Márquez.Alfred Reed has long been known for his wonderfully colorful composing and arranging of traditional sacred and secular music, as well as his ability to take folk music and reimagine the rhythmic and harmonic language of the original to create a more colorful tapestry of sound. This will be on full display as the wind ensemble performs his settings of “Greensleeves” and “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring”, and his “Armenian Dances” (Part 1).The music of David Clay Mettens is wonderfully sensitive and complex, and his “Kinetic Dances”, for two scrap metal birds, is no exception. This work is inspired by an art installation by Chinese artist Xu Bing that hung in the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. As the composer describes, “I was particularly struck by the contrast between the regularity and heaviness of the church’s pillars and the floating birds. Despite their immense combined weight of twelve tons, the two birds managed to ‘fly.’”Rounding out the concert program will be Viet Cuong’s “John and Jim”, which is inspired by the story of John Arthur and Jim Obergefell that paved the way for equal marriage rights for all, and “Danzón No. 2” by Grammy Award-winning composer Arturo Márquez. “Danzón No. 2” is both sensual and energetic, bringing the dance traditions of Veracruz and Mexico City to this wonderful composition.Purchase tickets online at tickets.frostburg.edu; at the University Box Office, Lane University Center 203 (Mon–Fri, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.), 301-687-3137; or at the door. Pricing: adults $11 cash/$11.73 credit card; seniors, military, FSU employees: $6 cash/$6.53 credit card; and free for students and children.For more information, contact FSU’s Department of Music, Theatre and Dance at 301-687-4109 or via email at music@frostburg.edu.

This holiday season, Frostburg State University’s Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance presents “A Christmas Survival Guide,” conceived and written by James Hindman and Ray Roderick, with musical arrangements by John Glaudin. This intimate cabaret takes a funny (and sometimes snarky) look at the stressful holiday season. Each character, armed with a copy of “A Christmas Survival Guide,” charges into the urban holiday landscape searching for the true essence of Christmas. Featuring songs you know well, mashups of old classics, and new numbers created for the original production, each character learns to survive the season in ways that are both hilarious and heartwarming.Directed by Darrell Scott Rushton, musical direction by Kelly Shreckenghast, and costumes by Rachel Saylor, the cast features Theatre students Grace Stevenson, TJ Kelly, and Gracie Ray as the engaging trio ensemble, and features student designers from the Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance. “A Christmas Survival Guide” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals, www.concordtheatricals.com.Arm yourself with laughter and kick off your holiday survival with us—join the fun December 3, 4, 5, and 6 at 7:30 p.m., with a 2:00 p.m. matinee on Saturday, December 6, in the F. Perry Smith Studio Theater of the Pealer Performing Arts Center. Purchase tickets online at tickets.frostburg.edu; at the University Box Office, Lane University Center 203 (Mon–Fri, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.), 301-687-3137; or at the door. Pricing: adults $20 cash/$21.09 credit card; FSU students and employees, and all youth $10 cash/$10.69 credit card.