Feb 17

Feb 17 Davies Concert Series Reaches 50th Anniversary

Opening Night With Pianist Brian Felder Set For Feb. 26

Davies Concert Series’ 50th Anniversary season begins on Saturday, February 26, 5pm, with the musical sounds of renowned pianist Brian Felder, who will be bringing his “Mosaic Intersections of Sound” to the Davies Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Camp Springs, MD. Named one of one of the celebrated “Forty under 40” in Prince George's County, MD, Felder has performed with the National Symphony Orchestra, and in collaboration with artists ranging from Shania Twain to Marvin Hamlisch. In keeping with the concert series’ emphasis on accessibility, all tickets are ‘Pay What You Can.’Tickets can be reserved on EventBrite.com.

Don’t miss the chance to experience the room being filled with the acoustically rich Davies sanctuary with a musical story of hope and possibility. Felder's work explores the relationship between sermonic prose and musical liturgy, and their impact upon personal and spiritual healing. The Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts (CAAPA) is a special sponsor of this performance.

Concert Series Music Director Natalie Groom commented, “Brandon’s ‘Mosaic Intersections of Sound,’ speaks to the healing potential of music, how music can completely define and shape your personal destiny, and how some of the most painful moments in life yield the most beautiful art. It's a message of realism, individual spirituality, and hope, and I think it's what many of us need right now.”

A musician, producer, composer and educator, Felder transforms the traditional notion of a visual mosaic of many tiles to create a unique aural experience. “Mosaic Intersections of Sound” layers the spoken word of sermons over well-known Christian music (hymns, anthems, spirituals, and gospel) to create a new musical form. These “Sermonic Songversations” present a merging of spoken word and music to facilitate meditative and centering moments that might bring together the disparate pieces of the listener’s life.

Felder earned his undergraduate degree from Howard University and his master's from University of Maryland, College Park, both in Music Education. His passion for teaching serves him well as Fine Arts Co-Director at the SHABACH! Christian Academy (Landover MD), and previously as Performing Arts Department Chair at Largo High School, where the program earned distinctions such as 2015 GRAMMY® Signature School Award Semifinalist, 2016 GRAMMY® Grant Recipient, and 2017 NAMM® Music Merit School Awardee. Felder was also executive producer for the Largo High School Choir album project "Rejoice!" (November 2017) and made history as the first high school to reach #7 on Billboard Gospel Music Charts.

In addition to his work in education, Felder has brought his musical gifts to many churches in the DMV. He has collaborated with artists Richard Smallwood, Walter and Edwin Hawkins, Stephen Hurd, Kurt Carr, and Donald Lawrence, and performed for presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton.