Naptown Philharmonic Orchestra Presents Legends & Landscapes

Naptown Philharmonic Orchestra Presents Legends & Landscapes
Sunday, February 22, 3pm  |  Maryland Hall

Naptown Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2025-2026 season continues February 22 with legendary music featuring a diverse landscape of talent.
 
This concert looks to the future of orchestral music with students from Broadneck High School’s orchestra playing side-by-side with seasoned Naptown Philharmonic musicians.
 
Under the baton of Music Director and Conductor Dr. Anna Binneweg the concert will begin with Finlandia (Op. 26) by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. Then the artistry and talent of pianist Dr. William Bloomquist will thrill the audience with his performance of Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor (Op. 15) by Johannes Brahms.
 
The second half of the program will begin with Hymn for Everyone by contemporary American composer Jessie Montgomery. The final piece, French composer Maurice Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloé Suite No. 2, will feature dancers from the Ballet Theatre of Maryland.
 
“Our goal this season is to present music that will take the audience from traditional pieces to today’s contemporary sounds,” said Binneweg.
 
This season’s theme, American Roots: From Tradition to Today, showcases the rich diversity of cultures present in the American music scene on the eve of the country’s 250th birthday.
 
The Naptown Philharmonic delivers this with concerts that feature energetic rhythms, colorful musical landscapes, beautiful familiar and new melodies – all for the enjoyment and enrichment of our community.
 
Tickets for all Naptown Philharmonic concerts are just $25, and students of all ages are admitted free. Tickets are available at naptownphil.org.
 
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About Anna Binneweg
The Orchestra is conducted by Dr. Anna Binneweg. As the Music Director/Conductor of the Naptown Philharmonic Orchestra, the Anne Arundel Community College Symphony Orchestra, and the Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic, she is a frequent guest conductor on the national and international scene. Dr. Binneweg repeatedly captures audiences with her enthusiasm and passion for music. Putting her musicians in the spotlight, she brings out the best in them. Dr. Binneweg’s programs and performances are alluring, engaging and attract audiences of all ages, particularly making classical repertoire appealing to all.
 
Over the course of her career, Dr. Binneweg has performed in some of the nation’s most significant concert venues including the Kennedy Center’s Concert Hall in Washington, the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Her international conducting experiences include tours to Austria and Spain as well as debut appearances with the Chernihiv Philharmonic and Lviv Virtuosi in Ukraine and with the Minsk Conservatory Orchestra in Belarus.
 
Dr. Binneweg is a committed music educator and has been a guest conductor at colleges and universities throughout the United States. She was recently elected to the board of directors of the International Conductors Guild (2021). Dr. Binneweg earned a doctorate degree of music in orchestral conducting from Northwestern University and has served on the conducting faculties at Loyola University and Sherwood Conservatory of Music in Chicago, and American University in Washington. Dr. Binneweg is the recipient of the 2015 Annie Award for the Performing Arts awarded by the Arts Council of Anne Arundel County.
 
About William Bloomquist
Dr. William Bloomquist received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from University of Texas in Piano Performance. He has played concerts throughout the United States, Europe, and South America. After a number of years performing and teaching, he was called to ministry and served full-time as a Worship Pastor for 27 years. He also served as an Executive Pastor for five of those years. He currently is the Pastor of Worship & Connections at Severna Park Baptist Church in Severna Park. 

Dr. Bloomquist has been Board President of the Anne Arundel County Music Teachers Association and now serves on the board as Treasurer. He is a past President of the Londontowne Symphony Orchestra (now Naptown Philharmonic Orchestra) Board with whom he pioneered its Young Artists Competition, which is now an annual event. He continues to serve as the Competition Director. Both organizations flourished and grew during his tenure as President. He is an avid tennis player and has coached high school tennis for the past 12 years.