Join the Yale Alumni Association of Maryland (YAAM) in seeing two Yale alums perform with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra!

On Friday, April 8, 2016, YAAM members and guests are invited to meet conductor Marin Alsop (YC ’72-’75) and mezzo-soprano Leah Hawkins (’15MM) before they perform the classic Gershwin opera Porgy and Bess with the BSO and Morgan State University Choir in a concert presentation directed by Center Stage Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah. [BSO program]

Maestra Alsop won a MacArthur “genius grant” Fellowship in 2005. A protégé of Leonard Bernstein, she became the first woman to lead a major American orchestra when she joined the BSO as its Music Director in 2007. [BSO bio]

Leah Hawkins recently appeared as the title character in Alexandra at the Washington National Opera, where she is a member of the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Music from Morgan State University and her Master of Music from the Yale School of Music. [WNO bio]

• 6:30pm: Yale Alumni Association of Maryland (YAAM) Pre-Concert Reception
  • Special Guests:
    • Marin Alsop ’72-’75, conductor (BSO Music Director)
    • Leah Hawkins ’15MM, mezzo-soprano (2015-2016 Washington National Opera Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist)
  • Backstage Tour of Meyerhoff Symphony Hall

• 8pm: BSO Performance
  • Porgy and Bess (opera by George Gershwin and DuBose Heyward & Ira Gershwin)

Please call the BSO at 410-783-8170 to purchase your tickets ([$32]/person includes complimentary YAAM reception).

Two dozen Yalies and friends gathered at Paul Moscatt’s studio in the Cork Building earlier today.  The attendees included fellow artists as well as those with minimal artistic background (such as myself).  Paul generously allowed us to wander his beautiful studio space, which boasts views overlooking Penn Station and the city skyline, where we feasted our eyes on four decades worth of work.  Paul and his wife then led us to a new space on the first floor of the building to see some of his larger paintings, which are currently being arranged for a gallery showing on December 2^nd (contact us for details!).  As a bonus, we then got to see the work of a stained glass artist who also works in the building (and owns a Paul Moscatt original painting).

Interested in taking a class with Paul?  Contact him at moscatt@aol.com.

Figure sessions (5 hours) for $25, all other classes (landscape, self portrait, Albers color) $20.

A huge thank you to Paul and his wife for sharing their space and their work with us.

Over 40 Yalies gathered this morning to learn more about Baltimore City history.  Led by our very own Jefferson Gray, our group learned about Baltimore businessmen such as George Peabody and Isaac Emerson, the incredible architecture in our downtown, and even the strong feelings of federal judges about the colorful Jules Sugarman sculpture in front of their courthouse.  A huge thank you to Jeff Gray for leading us, and a thank you to everyone else for their patience with our sound troubles!  We are excited at how much interest there is in these tours. Stay tuned for future events!

We celebrated the end of summer vacations and the hot weather that just won’t quit with another all-Ivy happy hour.  This time, we took our well-educated crew over to Wet City, a new bar/restaurant in the city.  Lucky for us, some of the pints came with free pint glasses, so that people could be reminded of cherished YAAM memories forever.  A big thank you to Wet City for hosting us, and to the other alumni organizations for making it all possible.  If you couldn’t join us, I hope we see you next time and make sure to check out Wet City!

Joaneath Spicer led an intimate group of Yalies through her latest exhibit at the Walters, A Renaissance Original: Carlo Crivelli.  While Crivelli may not be the most famous Renaissance painter, his use of texture, shadow, and perspective brought incredible beauty to his religious scenes.  Joaneath led our group – whose members had varied backgrounds in art history – through the techniques used by Crivelli to draw the viewer’s attention to particular elements, to suspend reality, and to take into account the angle from which the painting would have been viewed, whether on a wall in a home or high above a church congregation.  After the tour, our group retired to Sugarvale to discuss art, life, and more.  A huge thank you to Joaneath for sharing her latest masterpiece with us!

A dozen Yalies gathered at KIPP Academy this morning to help clean up and beautify their campus.  Members worked on projects including weeding the garden, planting trees, and organizing uniforms.  A huge thank you to Paul White for organizing our annual service event!

Interviewers gathered to welcome the admitted students tonight and convince them that Yale is an unforgettable experience.  Thank you to everyone who came out to share their love of Yale and their advice with the students and their families!

Marin Alsop (YC ’72-75) and the BSO put on a wonderful staging of Porgy and Bess, also featuring recent grad Leah Hawkins (MM ’15).  A huge thanks to the BSO for letting us have a reception beforehand and for letting us meet the stars!

Earlier today, 20 Yalies gathered at the Library of Congress to see the Martha Graham Dance Company perform Appalachian Spring, Dark Meadow [Suite], Woodland, and Cave of the Heart.  It was amazing to see Appalachian Spring in its original format in the space for which it was originally choreographed, especially juxtaposed with Woodland, a new piece for the company that had its world premiere last night.  A huge thank you to Aaron Sherber, conductor for the Martha Graham orchestra, for making this event possible and giving an incredible pre-concert talk.  We greatly enjoyed looking over the old photographs and scores that you provided!