In Honor of Tolson's Chapel
Saturday, November 19 8PM Sunday November 20 3PM
Tolson's Chapel is a small building in Sharpsburg, currently under restoration by the Save Historic Antietam Foundation. SHAF has completed stabilization of the structure and are now exploring grants for further preservation activities. Tolson's was used as a "free school" immediately after the Civil War, educating the town's African-American children. It is one of very few free schools still standing in the state of Maryland! Following construction of a slightly larger school in town, the building was used as an AME church until the mid-20th century. When SHAF acquired it, Tolson's Chapel had not been touched since its closing. It is a pristine, important structure, and we are excited and honored to be able to help draw attention to it. A portion of concert ticket sales was contributed to the Chapel's restoration efforts.
Since Tolson's Chapel was built in the mid-19th century, our November concert featured American music from that era, as well as more modern music which refers to that area in terms of text or subject matter. The concert included Sacred Harp tunes (Tolson's has a number of old hymnals which include these melodies), Civil War Songs, Stephen Foster settings. The centerpiece of the concert was the exciting, And Ain’t I a Woman, written in 2002 by Sandi Peaslee, to the text of a speech by Sojourner Truth, a former slave who became an activist for the rights of African-American self-determination and for the rights of women.
The Poet Sings!
We welcomed spring with great poetry and gorgeous choral music... April 29 8PM and April 30 3PM...Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Sharpsburg, MD
Settings of Shakespeare, Lewis Carroll and more... including a hilarious version of "Fair Warning," the poem which inspired the Red Hat Ladies movement!
A portion of concert ticket proceeds benefited local literacy efforts and the rebuilding of New Orleans Public Libraries.