At 6’3” and 240 pounds, wildlife photographer James Evans is often perceived as a threat, but it’s not the birds who are afraid. It’s the humans. And it’s not about his size, but rather his skin color.

“People don’t expect for brown and Black people to be in these spaces,” says Evans. He’s been called the N-word, watched suspiciously, and asked if his camera was a gun. “What you are really saying is, ‘You don’t belong here.’”

It’s something Evans has been dealing with his entire life—as the Black kid who liked and excelled at art. He grew up off Park Heights Avenue, just south of Northern Parkway, and the Baltimore School for the Arts changed his life.

“The school was like someone pulled back a curtain on the whole world, and I was hungry for it,” says Evans, who discovered photography there, falling in love with the freedom of the camera. “I didn’t have to clean up paints, I didn’t need a studio.” But he never felt like he had to choose photography over other art mediums. “I realized it was essentially all storytelling—you’re either sculpting a story, drawing a story, or photographing a story. But it’s all some form of narration.”

It’s that need for storytelling that prompted Evans, founder and CEO of Companions and Animals for Reform and Equity, a national nonprofit based in Baltimore, to self-publish Among the Birds, I Am Human, a book that mixes his bird photographs—hawks, ospreys, eagles, and barred owls, among many others—with his poetry, including a piece called “Why Are You Here?”

In most places—museums, stores, even his own neighborhood—Evans says, “he’s watched like a hawk.” It bothers him most when he’s out enjoying nature.

“It’s even more apparent when you’re simply outside and someone treats you as though you shouldn’t be there.”

Especially since the birds don’t care about skin color.

“Respectful and quiet I stare at you still,” writes Evans in his book. “Grateful your wisdom trust no man on this hill / Not moved by the Blackness that covers my build / It’s only my ‘humanity’ that sends fear down your quills / Among the Birds, I am Human / In this, I delight, here as a stranger in wonder of flight.”

He hopes that the book will help others recognize their biases—those who see him and hesitate or walk in a different direction.

“I want everybody to know that I belong,” says Evans. “I belong inside of a space that’s associated with beauty and nature because all of us do. I belong in those places just as much as anyone else.”

Quinn Bryant’s idea to start a newspaper was born out of a moment of boredom.

Last year, the then-junior at Mt. Vernon’s prestigious Baltimore School for the Arts had been trying to decide on an extracurricular activity. Then one day, while watching Gilmore Girls, she noticed that a lead character, Rory, was a student reporter at her school newspaper, and it clicked.

“I always really enjoyed writing, specifically research writing,” says the senior visual arts major, pictured back center. “I enjoyed connecting sources and finding the deeper story.”

So in 2021, Bryant got together with classmates Alex Taylor and Ella Haber, also then-juniors, to launch The BSA Muse, a student-run online newspaper that covers everything from school happenings to citywide issues and even features op-eds.

“[We thought] this was a really good opportunity to amplify the student voice and allow students to express their interests or concerns, or share ideas that they have,” says Bryant, who is co-editor-in-chief with Taylor, pictured back right. “And we wanted students to have the opportunity to learn more about the school from our paper.”

With the help of BSA faculty advisors—English instructor Joy Bacon and Baltimore contributing photographer J.M. Giordano—The Muse is run by a 16-student staff, featuring contributing writers, photographers, layout designers, and social media managers. Their paper, which the students independently curate outside of school hours, produces an issue every month and a half.

“From day one, [the editors] wanted to have a professional space,” says Bacon. “I’m really impressed by their ability to avoid the temptation to use it in a way that might associate teenagers with wanting to poke fun or bring others down. They weren’t interested in gossip columns or ‘gotcha’ journalism.”

So far, stories have ranged from previews of the school’s beloved production of The Nutcracker to Taylor’s reporting on antisemitic graffiti found in the bathrooms. In addition to providing their classmates with important news and interesting stories, The Muse also offers an opportunity for the staffers themselves.

“I think it’s important that we give students a way to share their opinions, their art, their writing—and their creativity,” says Haber, a senior visual arts major who serves as the photo editor, pictured back left.

Before The Muse, “We didn’t really have the voice.”

Taylor plans to pursue journalism after graduation and currently freelances for The South Baltimore Peninsula Post.

“I like talking to people and learning new things—I like telling stories about different communities and shedding light on things that may not have a light on them,” says the senior film major, who hopes to leave a strong foundation for future classes. “I’d like to write a BSA Muse handbook, so the next editors can know what we did, then build on it to be bigger and better.”

Using Ilford photo paper and film, Baltimore School for the Arts seniors Aleeia Townes, Andrew Selway, Kandice Johnson, Dionna Richardson, Myah Stokes, Sydney Adams, Zoe Jackson, and Freddy Wolfe printed the following works in the school’s darkroom just before the COVID-19 lockdown and cancellation of school for the year.

They’ve spent the last two months of their senior year at home, wrapping up the remainder of their classwork and capturing their final photography projects digitally.

“It’s been a lot slower,” says Wolfe. “The lack of people makes for some very isolated work. I’ve been appreciating nature and being outside much more.”

With the uncertainty surrounding when school structure will eventually resume as normal, Wolfe and his classmates might be the last film students to work hands-on in a darkroom setting for many months ahead.

We hope that this isn’t the case, for their sake and the sake of photography’s future.

The students’ senior showcase was set to take place at the Luann Carra Gallery in Fells Point. In the wake of its cancellation, we’ve compiled a digital gallery of the last images they printed in the darkroom in February and March.

Aleeia Townes

Andrew Selway

Kandice Johnson

Dionna Richardson

Myah Stokes

Sydney Adams

Zoe Jackson

Freddy Wolfe

This Friday, dozens of students will skip class and take to the city streets to perform more than 40 pop-up concerts across Baltimore.

Dubbed #40for40, these free mini-concerts will commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Baltimore School for the Arts, with mostly juniors and seniors performing works by classical composers at more than 40 locations such as the Baltimore Museum of Art, City Hall, Mondawmin Mall, Pimlico Race Course, and Druid Hill and Patterson Parks, as well as in numerous neighborhoods such as Pigtown, Hampden, and Fells Point.

From 8:45 a.m. to 2:15 p.m., five ensembles—brass, woodwind, string, jazz, and the a capella chamber choir—will each visit at least eight locations, with performances lasting five to seven minutes in length, with a kickoff and finale performance starting and ending the day in the lobby of the newly renovated Enoch Pratt Central Library.

“The Baltimore community has supported the Baltimore School for the Arts through financial gifts and artistic partnerships for 40 years, enabling our students to receive a world-class education and go on to lead meaningful lives,” said BSA director Chris Ford in a press release. “These performances are just one way we’d like to give back to the community during our anniversary.”

In addition to the concerts, BSA theater students will also host their annual Ages on Stages festival, now in its 30th year, at the Basilica Place assisted living facility in Mt. Vernon toinclude music and dance performances for local senior citizens and the general public.

In 1979, BSA was established by the Baltimore City Public School System as a specialized learning institution for students who aspired to careers in the visual and performing arts. The public-private school would go onto become one of the top five public arts high schools in the country, which its children’s program, TWIGS, has also been praised for providing free after-school and weekend classes for second graders through eighth graders. And the alumni list includes a star-studded cast, from actress Jada Pinkett-Smith and actor Josh Charles to rapper Tupac Shakur and fashion designer Christian Siriano, to name a few.

“BSA is one of the most special places in the world,” Siriano told us in September 2017. “You’re thrown into this world with unbelievably creative people and you’re given freedom and responsibility in your curated study.”

“Isn’t life a series of images that change as they repeat themselves?”

It’s a question that was asked by Andy Warhol decades ago, likely rhetorically. But all the same, as the summer fades, we find ourselves thinking through the many changes this city’s artists and performers have seen in the past year, and the ones they have in store for the months to come.

This June, The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra suffered their first work stoppage in 31 years and musicians took to the streets to protest the institution’s management in the wake of a financial crisis. But still the band plays on, determined to carry on their legacy as a world-class ensemble.

In more encouraging news, in July, a year after selling pieces by Warhol, Franz Kline, Robert Rauschenberg, and others to acquire works by women and people of color, the Baltimore Museum of Art premiered an exhibition featuring black artists from the past two centuries, reconguring its Contemporary Wing to highlight the new acquisitions. And in 2020, the museum plans to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment with a full year of exhibits and events dedicated to women artists.

Meanwhile, downtown at Everyman Theatre, room is currently being made for a new upstairs stage, which will play host to a new festival featuring contemporary works by women next year. And around the corner at the former Eutaw Savings Bank, work is underway to expand the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center. Farther north, Single Carrot Theatre left behind its home in Remington to spread its shows around the city, allowing long-wandering, color-conscious troupe ArtsCentric to put down roots in the old space.

Even some of the city’s oldest cultural cornerstones are feeling the winds of change. Many historic homes and museums are finally taking steps to address their histories with slavery and indentured servitude and bring those stories to the forefront—leading to new programming, exhibitions, and discoveries.

There’s almost too much to keep track of, but as we plan visits to our favorite hallowed halls and holes in the wall, we look forward to what we may find there. These new developments—whether made to physical foundations or the fundamental ways we think about a place—each make their subtle change to the repeating image. And, eventually, they evolve into a whole new scene.

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Through Dec. 1: Hitching Their Dreams to Untamed Stars: Joyce J. Scott & Elizabeth Talford Scott
For 60 years, MacArthur award-winning artist Joyce J. Scott lived in Baltimore with her mother, Elizabeth Talford Scott, who passed away in 2011. This exhibit will bring together a collection of nine pieces of art that the two made, either collaboratively or separately. There will be quilts, beaded and glass sculptures, and weavings, among other types of art, that showcase the elder Scott’s experience in the aftermath of slavery and the influence she had on her daughter. Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Dr.

Sept. 3-Oct. 6: Proof
Everyman’s biggest season yet opens with this Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning classic about a father and daughter grappling with genius, identity, and mental illness in the past and present. Audiences who saw resident company member Megan Anderson shine as Catherine in the 2003 rendition will delight in seeing her take on the role of Catherine’s older sister, Claire, in this new performance. Everyman Theatre, 315 W. Fayette St.

Sept. 3-Oct. 6: Daniel Stuelpnagel Solo Show
This Baltimore native has showcased his acrylic paintings nationwide for more than 20 years. In 2017, Stuelpnagel had the distinguished honor of being a featured artist for TEDxJHU at Johns Hopkins University. Now, his collection, which encompasses an interest in science, architecture, and technology with dynamic imagery, is on display at this Fells Point contemporary gallery. The Alchemy of Art, 1637 Eastern Ave.

Sept. 6-29: Twelve Angry Jurors
The decision on a life—that’s what this is all about. Experience Reginald Rose’s electrified drama, the title of which has been given a timely update, about a dozen men and women gathered to determine whether an accused teenager is guilty of murdering his father. Tempers flare as the vote comes to 11-1 and evidence is re-examined. This courtroom drama will keep audiences on the edge of their seats and thinking about exactly what it means to live in a democracy. Vagabond Players, 806 S. Broadway.

Sept. 11-Oct. 19: Bianco e Nero
Black and white does not always have to mean plain and simple. Terry Thompson explores the boundaries of maximalism and minimalism in his new exhibition of monochromatic works. With some works bustling and busy and others mellow and tranquilizing, Thompson forces viewers to focus on the encryption layered throughout this chaotic series. Become entranced by his optical illusions and feel the energy of his monochromatic world. Y:ART Gallery, 3402 Gough St.

Sept. 11-Oct. 19: Miss You Like Hell
Mother-daughter relationships can be a roller coaster for anyone, but this especially complicated example is threatened by intense immigration policies. Join whip-smart, deeply imaginative teenager Olivia and her free-spirited Latina mother on a cross-country road trip as they come to understand what sets them apart and what connects them forever. This musical without borders is a must-see and a reminder to audiences that theater has the power to make politics personal. Baltimore Center Stage,
700 N. Calvert St.

Sept. 13-Oct. 13: Mr. Wolf
In their first show after leaving behind their Remington theater in favor of ever-changing performance spaces, Single Carrot Theatre will take over the St. John’s Episcopal Church rectory to explore broken ties and reconciliation in Mr. Wolf, a tale of a child abducted and returned to her family more than a decade later. St. John’s Episcopal Church, 3009 Greenmount Ave.

Sept. 13-15: Roots & RaÍces Festival
This Charm City-based festival celebrates and showcases the work of local immigrant artists. The festivities begin Friday evening at Creative Alliance with a dinner and gala, followed by a SOMOS Migrantes film feature and awards ceremony. Saturday’s lineup includes live music and performance art at Little Lithuanian Park. Between entertainment, enjoy tasty bites at the El Mercado market.

Sept. 18-21, Oct. 2-5: Best of Enemies
Based on the bestselling novel by Osha Gray Davidson, which recently became a major motion picture, Best of Enemies depicts prejudice in the South through the relationship between C.P. Ellis, a leader in the Ku Klux Klan, and Ann Atwater, an African-American civil rights activist. This co-production by the McDaniel College and Coppin State University theater programs brings to life Mark St. Germain’s adaptation of a true story that captures the controversy of school desegregation. Coppin State University and McDaniel College.

Sept. 19-Nov. 10: Second Tri-Annual Maryland State Artist Registry Juried Exhibition
Maryland Art Place has partnered with the Maryland State Art Council to present this statewide exhibition of pieces voted in by jurors. After receiving submissions of all media types (including literary arts), with a heavy emphasis on visual and performing arts, a select few were found worthy for entry. Experience the curated pieces as they highlight the wide range of skilled artists and artwork featured on the Maryland State Arts Council Artist Registry. Maryland Art Place, 218 W. Saratoga St.

Courtesy of Mono Practice

Sept. 20: Gallery Opening: Retrospective
The Baltimore School for the Arts has been educating and promoting talent in the city for four decades now. In honor of its anniversary, the Mount Vernon institution will highlight the creations of its alumni in this reflective new exhibition. Segal Gallery in Baltimore School for the Arts, 712 Cathedral St.

Sept. 20-21: Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back—In Concert
A mix of science fiction, melodrama, and galactic action, iconic film The Empire Strikes Back will be screened alongside a live orchestra for two nights this month. Conducted by Nicholas Hersh, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra will perform John Williams’ noteworthy score as Jedi Master Yoda teaches Luke Skywalker about the Force. Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St.

Sept. 28: Made in Baltimore Short Film Festival
Whether you’re a fan of animation, horror, or documentary, all these genres and more will be featured at this celebration of Baltimore-inspired film. Works are submitted by local filmmakers and then judged on technical ability, originality, and Baltimore flavor. You won’t want to miss this shot at getting a glimpse of the best up-and-coming film talent Charm City has to offer. Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave.

Sept. 29, 2019-Jan. 19, 2020: Generations: A History of Black Abstract Art
This touring exhibition will arrive under a new name and with an expanded collection of more than 80 paintings, sculptures, and mixed media pieces. This exploration of abstract art as a political choice and a personal statement for black artists will include both pioneers of post-war abstraction, such
as Norman Lewis and Alma W. Thomas, and more recent artists such as Kevin Beasley and Lorna Simpson. The Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Dr.

Sept. 29, 2019-Jan. 12, 2020: Melvin Edwards: The Architecture of Being
The pioneer of contemporary sculpture showcased here is also the great-great-great-grandson of a West African blacksmith. Explore how he conveys the influence of his African roots and the experience of his time living, traveling, and teaching
in Africa for many years through this collection
of 16 works from across the four decades of his incredible career. The Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Dr.

Oct. 4-31: Cordially Invited
For the second year in a row, Make Studio is offering a look at the works of artists with disabilities from studios around the world. This invitational exhibition will feature artists from as far away as Australia alongside local talents and celebrate the work of progressive art studios through pop-ups, artist talks, and workshops around the city. Schwing Art Center, 3326 Keswick Rd. & other locations.

Oct. 5-6: Doors Open Baltimore
Charm City has no shortage of buildings with unique designs and histories, and this annual citywide architectural exploration is the perfect opportunity to visit as many as possible. Take free self-guided walking tours through more than 50 buildings and neighborhoods, including new sites such as 414 Light Street and decades-old spots such as The Baltimore Basilica and The Arch Social Club, or sign up for bike or bus tours to discover some of Baltimore’s most interesting spaces and places on wheels. Locations vary.

Oct. 5-Sept. 6, 2020: The Secret Life of Earth: Alive! Awake! (And Possibly Really Angry!)
AVAM’s yearly exhibition is back, and it has a bone to pick with the citizens of Earth. This collection of works seeks to show visitors the state of our planet now and where it could be going if we’re not careful. Take in pieces such as Dr. Bob Hieronimus’ original 1972 Earth Day poster, Judy Tallwing’s Spirit Bear painting (which inspired 22 global poets to join AVAM in protesting the placement of an oil pipeline through Canada), and Bobby Adams’ kitchen diorama, Global Warming. American Visionary Art Museum, 800 Key Hwy.

Courtesy of AVAM

Courtesy of the Maryland Historical Society

Oct. 5-Oct. 2020: Spectrum of Fashion: Celebrating Maryland’s Style
Explore the wearable art that has defined generations of Maryland dwellers, from everyday workers to Duchess of Windsor Wallis Simpson, at this yearlong exhibition. Attend the opening gala on Oct. 5 for an early peek at the nearly 100 pieces while mingling with homegrown fashion star Christian Siriano. Maryland Historical Society, 201 W. Monument St.

Oct. 6-Jan.5, 2020: Designing the New: Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the Glasgow Style
Celebrating the 150th anniversary of iconic Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s birth, this is the first exhibition in a generation to highlight his work. There will be about 165 pieces on view from across various mediums, including furniture, textiles, posters, and architectural drawings. The link between Glasgow and Baltimore as the cities grew both industrially and artistically will also be explored.The Walters Art Museum, 600 N. Charles St.

Oct. 10-20: Charm City Fringe Festival
Experimental art installations, slam poetry, street acrobatics, puppet debates, dance parties—with the sky as the limit, all this and more is possible at the eighth annual Charm City Fringe Festival. This celebration of quirky theater and performing arts aims to engage diverse communities and elevate the local theater scene. The 11 days of performances across multiple venues contribute to the cultivation of Baltimore as a hub for art without boundaries. Bromo Arts & Entertainment District, locations vary.

Oct. 11-14, 17-20: Proxy
Rapid Lemon Productions concludes its 2019 Season of Belief with the world premiere of Proxy, by local authors Alex Reeves and Nell Quinn-Gibney. Directed by T.P. Huth from Inkubator New Works Development Laboratory, this play asks the challenging question, “When we die, who cares for those we leave behind?” Baltimore Theatre Project, 45 W. Preston St.

Oct. 18-20: The Snow Queen
During the premiere performance of the Ballet Theatre of Maryland’s new season, the story of The Snow Queen will come alive on the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts stage. Watch in awe as local ballerinas use their graceful movements to bring to life the famous Hans Christian Andersen fairytale, which also inspired the Disney blockbuster Frozen. On your way out of the Annapolis theatre, be sure to grab information about the troupe’s annual performance of The Nutcracker in December as well. Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, 801 Chase St., Annapolis.

Oct. 23-Nov. 30: Marc Boone
Boone’s art has always had two unchanging factors:
he creates works in series and employs a studio sound backdrop. In his latest exhibition, Shaman’s Way, he focuses on medicine men and women who connect with nature and all creation to influence the world of good and evil. Come experience different worlds through unique art and jazz musicians and vocalists as Boone attempts to capture some magical conjuring.Y:ART Gallery, 3402 Gough St.

Nov. 16-17: Refuge: Needing, Seeking, Finding
This collection of works from Full Circle Dance Company explores varied themes through separate works explicitly created to be shown together. The result is a challenging yet beautiful array of pieces tackling such subjects as the global refugee crisis, America’s dark past with lynching, mental illness, loss, and what exactly home means through new music and stunning choreography. Baltimore Theatre Project, 45 W. Preston St.

EAT

March 30: Latinx Market

Baltimore School for the Arts, 712 Cathedral St. 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. Free.

During this first-ever collaboration between the Baltimore School for the Arts and the Roots and Raíces Festival, celebrate all things Latinx with some of the best authentic cuisine the city has to offer. In between sampling eats from top-notch local vendors like La Calle, Cocina Luchadoras, and Te Conte Bolivian Empanadas, browse through handmade goods that take a modern spin on traditional styles. Stick around after the market closes to hear live Latinx-influenced music accompanied by a dance performance by BSA students.

DRINK

March 30: Fancy Clancy Pilsner Draft Launch Party

Sliders Bar and Grille, 504-506 Washington Boulevard. 1 p.m. Free.

If you’ve ever sat in the first-base section of Camden Yards, you know Fancy Clancy. This beloved vendor has dedicated 45 years to slinging drinks during Orioles games, and now Escutcheon Brewing and Sliders Bar & Grille are celebrating Fancy Clancy with his own Pilsner. Stop by the stadium-side bar on Saturday to watch the O’s take on the Yankees in New York, play a few rounds of corn hole, and raise a glass to the king of Orioles beer sales.

SEE

March 30: The Big Baltimore Kite Fest

Patterson Park, 12 p.m.-4 p.m. Free.

With cloudy skies in the forecast for Saturday, there’s never been a better time to brighten up Patterson Park with colorful kites. During this inaugural high-flying festival, participate in a plethora of fun activities like make-your-own kite workshops, face painting, and the “Will It Fly” competition. Whether you view the festivities from a picnic blanket or from the top of the Pagoda, spend the afternoon watching nontraditional kites inspired by cultures from across the city dance in the wind.

HEAR

March 29: Chaunter

Metro Gallery, 1700 N. Charles St. 8 p.m. $12-30.

Chaunter’s debut album, Dream Dynamics, has only been out for two weeks and it already has the city’s music scene busting at the seams to hear the dream-pop duo perform it live. This Friday, pack the Metro Gallery to hear Station North stalwarts Brooks Kossover, on vocals and flute, and Jenghis Manning-Pettit, on guitar, take their one-of-a-kind sound to a whole new level. Get there early to hear fellow rising acts Nerftoss, Infinity Knives + Randi, Frogohmine, and Matmos start off what sure to be a can’t-miss night of creative sounds.

DO

March 29-31: Asia North Festival

Motor House, 120 West North Ave. Fri. 5-11 p.m., Sat. 12-9:30 p.m., Sun. 3-8 p.m. $10.

This weekend, the Charles North neighborhood will put the spotlight on its past and present history as “Koreatown” with a three-day food, arts, and cultural extravaganza. On Friday, check out the Asian Arts & Culture Center-curated art exhibition Intricate Layers at Motor House along with sets by musicians Ami Dang and EN’B. Then, spend Saturday watching performances by acts like Korean percussion group Washington Samulnori and Baltimore-based beat boxer Shodekeh, and rally for Night Market Underground, with tons of authentic eats by the likes of Daikaya, Lei Musubi, and Old Boy in Graffiti Alley.

What began as a film about arts education in the country being under-appreciated and under-funded turned into a documentary about a Baltimore native with a remarkable story. As a child living on the streets in West Baltimore, Richard Antoine White defied the odds and became the first African American to earn a doctorate in music for tuba performance.

Local filmmakers David Larson and Darren Durlach, of the Baltimore-based production company Early Light Media, found White during research for their original film and felt that White’s story was just too good to not share. R.A.W. Tuba is a documentary detailing White’s life will be screening it at the Baltimore School for the Arts (BSA) on February 8.

“During the first minute of conversation, we knew Richard was special,” Durlach recalled. “The very simple, non-nuanced story about Richard is his educational journey. That’s what initially drew us in. When you hear that a kid was basically eating out of trash cans in Sandtown and has gone on to become a professor at a university and is well-respected in a symphony orchestra, there’s something there.”

White’s story begins like most young, black men in Baltimore—he grew up in poverty with a parent that suffered with addiction and was had to survive a life unsuitable for a small child. He was found at the tender age of four, shivering in the vestibule of an apartment building and was taken his grandparents. After that day, he took hold of his destiny and did all he could to make sure that he succeeded in life. But his dreams weren’t exactly what he planned.

“I was planning to go to Carver Vo-tech and to be a carpenter and a football player,” he said. “I broke my hip, so that was the end of Carver and being a carpenter. I thought, well I have this tuba, so I picked up the sousaphone and went to the school for the arts—I had no research and no knowledge.”

Chris Ford, a teacher at the time and is now the director of BSA, recalls a big kid on crutches with a plastic tuba coming into the school demanding to audition on the wrong day.

“He was not the normal sort of person to walk in the door,” Ford recalled. “My reaction was, ‘What is this story here?’ I’m glad I took the time to find out because look what happened. I’m really grateful that he had that insight. It showed that he really wanted it.”

The thing that really attracted Ford to White was his determination—it was like none he’d ever seen. After learning more about White’s background, he knew that the transition to BSA would not be an easy one, but was very impressed by the student’s will to succeed.

“When he got here, he was actually behind the curve on a number of levels,” Ford said. “The thing that was remarkable about Richard was that he was able to say, ‘Here I am, here’s where I want to go, tell me how to get there, and I’ll do the work.’ He threw himself into the work in a really remarkable way.”

That drive propelled White to earn a scholarship to the Peabody Institute and later pursue his doctorate and join the New Mexico Philharmonic Orchestra as a principal tuba player. The documentary goes into the ups and downs of White’s journey, even allowing viewers to catch a glimpse of him revisiting his childhood memories in West Baltimore..

“I was remembering where people lived, I saw a fountain that I used to bathe in, and what stores used to be there,” he said. “We randomly see this lady and she says, ‘How do you know that’s a shoe store? That hasn’t been a shoe store in 30 years, who are you?’ I told her who I was and she verified everything that I remembered as a child growing up on the streets.”

Durlach says that this film is not just about White’s specific journey as a tuba player, but it emphasizes the importance of mentorship and cultivation.

“There were moments that he wanted to quit,” he said. “And at each of those moments, he had a mentor that would not give up on him, and it pushed him. I think the real story here is not necessarily that through sheer will and determination this kid forcibly changes his life circumstances, I think it’s really a perfect case study of ‘it takes a village.’”

Expressions

Mar. 3-4, 6. Baltimore School for the Arts, 712 Cathedral St. Sat. 6:30 p.m., Sun. 2 & 5:30 p.m., Tues. 6:30 p.m. $15-375. 443-642-5165. At the end of every winter, there comes a bright moment in the form of the Baltimore School for the Arts’ annual fundraiser, Expressions. Support the local art school during one of four awe-inspiring student shows—plus a cocktail party and evening gala—which we consider among the don’t-miss performance art events of the year.

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Stephen Towns: Rumination and A Reckoning

Mar. 7-Sept. 2. The Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Dr. Wed.-Sun. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. 443-573-1700. In late 2016, Stephen Towns became an official artist to watch in Baltimore with the debut of his Take Me Away to the Stars exhibit at Galerie Myrtis. Towns’ installations were used to draw parallels between Nat Turner’s historic slave rebellion in 1831 and the modern violence and inequities that still plague African Americans today. Many of these profound textile works are now on display at the BMA, continuing both the conversation and the artist’s compelling reputation in Baltimore.

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Intercambio

Mar. 9. The Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Dr. 8 p.m. $25-30. As part of Stoop Storytelling’s “Stoop Special Engagement” series, and coinciding with the closing of the BMA’s Mexican modernist print exhibit, these two cultural institutions are teaming up for a night of positive foreign relations. Seven Baltimoreans will share personal stories about exchange and inspiration found across the U.S.-Mexico border.

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National Cherry Blossom Festival
Mar. 20-Apr. 15. Tidal Basin, 1500 Maine Ave. SW, Washington, D.C. Times & prices vary. 877-442-5666. In the DMV, spring is marked by a bounty of flowers— including daffodils, dogwoods, and, of course, an abundance of cherry blossoms. At the end of the month, those blooms reach their peak in Washington, D.C., with the entire tidal basin turning pale pink and pillowy white. For nearly four weeks, admire their beauty and celebrate the new season with a variety of festivities, including a pink-tie party, parade, kite festival, and world-renowned performances.

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Snail Mail

Mar. 21. Ottobar, 2549 N Howard St. 8:30 p.m. $10. 410-662-0069. It wasn’t long after the 2016 release of Snail Mail’s debut album, Habit, that Lindsey Jordan and her two bandmates started to get national attention. The band’s lo-fi indie rock music was suddenly getting written up in Pitchfork and, before long, sprawled across a multi-faceted feature in The New York Times. The trio sold out local shows at WTMD and the Ottobar, recorded an NPR Tiny Desk concert, signed a deal with national label Matador Records, and then went off on tour with indie darlings Beach Fossils. (We also awarded them a Best of Baltimore for “Rising Star” this past August.) Fresh out of high school and already well beyond their years, it’s safe to say that they are officially the next big thing to come out of Baltimore. See for yourself as the trio returns home to perform at the Ottobar on March 21.

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BSO Pulse: Valerie June

Mar. 22. Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St. 8:30 p.m. $35-55. 410-783-8000. After three short years, the BSO Pulse concert series has become a beloved arts institution here in Baltimore thanks to its unlikely fusion of classical music and indie rock that features artists from near and far. This time, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and WTMD team up with June, the vibrant singer-songwriter from Tennessee whose Memphis roots shine in her soulful blend of gospel, folk, and blues. Before the show, be sure to catch a performance in the lobby by local Americana musicians Nick and Luke.

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Mobile Unit: Twelfth Night

Mar. 22–25. Various Locations. $25. 410-332-0033. They say that all the world’s a stage, and Mount Vernon’s Center Stage takes that adage literally. In 2017, the local theater company launched the Mobile Unit, a free-wheeling production project, in the belief that everyone deserves access to the arts. For those who don’t have the option to enjoy a night of theater, the Mobile Unit brings it to them, and to date, actors have delivered dramatic, whimsical, and comedic performances in such unconventional spaces as shelters, jails, retirement homes, and recreation centers in underserved communities. From March 22-25, a cast of five will perform Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night at various sites around the city. Center Stage calls these shows “minimal,” but we think they’re pretty grand.

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Annapolis Oyster Roast & Sock Burning

Mar. 24. Annapolis Maritime Museum, 723 Second St., Annapolis. 12-4 p.m. $25-75. 410-295-0104. Every March, it’s worth the drive down I-97 for this spring tradition in the state capital. For the 40th year, celebrate the spring equinox with roasted oysters, live music, and an oddball sock burning (literally) in Annapolis to welcome the beginning of boating season (for brave, blanket-wearing souls) on the Chesapeake Bay.

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Crowning Glory: Art of the Americas

Mar.-Oct. 7. The Walters Art Museum, 600 N. Charles St. Wed.-Sun. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Thurs. 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Free. 410-547-9000. The exhibits at the internationally renowned Walters have long traversed the globe, from the tapestries of Medieval Europe to the textiles of the Middle East. In this new exhibit, the museum stays close to home with a collection culled together from North, Central, and South America. Some 20 objects spanning thousands of years will explore the two continents’ various cultures and their relationships to power, spirituality, and identity through head-worn decorations.

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Jimmy Buffett

Mar. 30. Royal Farms Arena, 201 W. Baltimore St. 8 p.m. $52.50-152.50. 410-347-2020. For one evening at the end of the month, Baltimore will transform into the blue waters of the Florida Keys with the island-themed country-pop music of the legendary Jimmy Buffett and his Coral Reefer Band. Whatever the weather—lion or lamb—imagine sun, sand, and margaritas in hand during this feel-good Friday night show.

While on the week-long voyage, the students toured the University of Ghana, visited a woodcarving village, attended African drumming and dancing workshops, and toured the Elmina slave castle.

During this past year’s curriculum, they were also introduced to the works of Ghanaian playwright Uncle Ebo Whyte. On the last day of the trip, students were able to attend one of Whyte’s plays, “Women on Fire” and had the chance to meet him.

The students were able to apply what they were taught this year as well as immerse themselves in a new culture—and it’s all coming to a head March 20-25 during a week-long Africa Now festival.

Although the festival is exclusively for BSA students and parents, some events are open to the public. One event in particular, on March 24 at 6 p.m., features students in Tunisian- and Congolese-inspired musical and dance pieces, respectively, followed by a documentary the students filmed while in Ghana.

The next day will feature workshops of storytelling, coloring, and an African art petting zoo followed by a short performance from the TWIGS after-school acting program. The idea behind the festival, workshops, and trip as a whole is for these BSA students to bring back their global experiences to their classmates in Baltimore.

In the public imagination, Tupac Shakur will always be a West Coast figure. California is, after all, where he gained fame as the embodiment of the platinum-tongued hip-hop star—the feuding, gun-toting, authority snubbing anti-hero. It’s where he radiated Hollywood-sanctioned sex appeal, stoking tabloid tales that made him a mainstream celebrity.

The fact is Shakur lived most of his life on the East Coast—including four extraordinary years in Baltimore. But that time doesn’t get much play. The 2003 Oscar-nominated documentary Tupac: Resurrection, for instance, ran nearly two hours but devoted less than two minutes to Shakur’s life here. That’s a shame, because it’s key to understanding a man who’s become a cultural icon.

Shakur was shot and killed in Las Vegas 24 years ago. The media frenzy that ensued focused mainly on violent song lyrics, previous shooting incidents, and a simmering East Coast versus West Coast rap feud. The emerging narrative dovetailed conveniently with the “thug life” that Shakur embraced while living in Oakland and Los Angeles and became legend over the next two decades.

These days, Shakur gets compared to the likes of John Lennon and Bob Marley, and regularly turns up on lists of all-time greatest artists and rappers. Shakur has also been the subject of theater productions, museum exhibits, and college courses. The Library of Congress added his song, “Dear Mama,” to the National Recording Registry in 2010. A New York Times Magazine piece on Kenya noted that vehicles in Nairobi are often adorned with images of Jesus Christ and Tupac Shakur.

“He’s more relevant than ever, not just here in America, but all over the globe,” activist and writer Kevin Powell told ABC News on the anniversary of Shakur’s 40th birthday in 2011. “He really is the most significant icon that hip-hop has ever produced.”

And Baltimore played a major role in Shakur’s development, not as a rough-riding hip-hop superhero, but as an artist.

At age 13, Shakur moved to Baltimore from New York City in 1984 with his mother, Afeni, and younger sister, Sekyiwa. The family lived in the first-floor apartment of a brick row house at 3955 Greenmount Avenue in the small, North Baltimore neighborhood of Pen Lucy. Tupac went to Roland Park Middle School for the eighth grade.

That year’s photo for Mrs. Gee’s class shows him in the second row, near the center. With close-cropped hair and dressed in a light-colored, short-sleeve shirt, he looks lanky, even scrawny, among his classmates. Still, it’s easy to spot him thanks to his thick black eyebrows and dark eyes. And then there’s the mouth. While the other kids sport tight-lipped smiles or teeth-baring “say cheese” grins, Shakur strikes an altogether different pose. Actually, he doesn’t appear posed at all. His mouth is open wide, and he seems engaged, not docile or mindlessly compliant. It looks like he might be talking to the photographer.

Dana Smith sits in the front row, to Shakur’s left. Smith, nicknamed “Mouse Man,” forged a musical bond with Shakur and remembers the first time he spoke to him on the bus home from school. That day, in September 1984, the No. 8 bus was nearly full and Shakur took the only open seat, the seat beside Smith, who was itching to get home and listen to WEBB’s Rap Attack show at four o’clock.

“He kicked a rhyme to me, and I was like, ‘Whoa, this is crazy.’”

Smith, a talented beatboxer, asked the newcomer if he was into hip-hop and knew how to rap. “He kicked a rhyme to me, and I was like, ‘Whoa, this is crazy. It was really good.” He later learned the rhyme wasn’t original—it was actually lifted from a Kurtis Blow song Shakur knew from New York, which hadn’t made it to Baltimore yet.

Their friendship blossomed, rooted in a shared love of hip-hop acts like Eric B & Rakim and Run DMC and an appreciation of different types of music. As Smith recounts the story, he walks around The Sound Garden, the now venerable Fells Point record store, and points out some of the nonrap music Shakur enjoyed. Kate Bush? “Yes, indeed,” says Smith. “‘Wuthering Heights’ was the song.”

Sting? Yup. Steve Winwood? Yup. “Hey, we were also listening to Brian & O’Brien on B104, playing the hits all day long,” he says, referring to the then-popular top 40 radio program.

Smith picks up a CD copy of Dire Straits’ Brothers in Arms. It, too, was a favorite, but not for hits like “Money for Nothing.” Smith starts singing lyrics from the title track that resonated: “Through these fields of destruction/Baptisms of fire.” The tune, sung by Brit Mark Knopfler, traces a protagonist who faces death and treasures his comrades’ loyalty—ground Shakur covered in songs he later wrote.

When asked about this type of music’s appeal back in the day, Smith claims much of it was practical, a lesson in song craft: “For us, it was all about identifying transitions in songs and how smooth they were.”

They would meet up every afternoon to write rhymes, after Smith finished his homework. Sometimes, they’d hang out at a rec center on Old York Road, but Shakur wasn’t into playing basketball or pingpong, because “he sucked at sports, all sports,” says Smith. Most often, the two of them simply composed raps, either sitting inside a plastic bubble on the playground behind Shakur’s house—“the acoustics were so good in there,” recalls Smith—or hunkered down in Smith’s basement on nearby 41st Street.

Smith’s house was lively, populated by an array of family members including grandparents, his mother, an aunt, and two uncles. Music was always playing. Smith was the youngest of his group of friends, a self-professed “good kid, the freshest kid on the block” who had all the latest fashionable clothes and sneakers, thanks to his uncles, who dealt drugs in the neighborhood.

Shakur, on the other hand, came from poverty. His father wasn’t around; his mother had been arrested and charged with conspiracy to bomb New York City landmarks while a member of the Black Panther Party in 1969. A month after being acquitted of the charges, she gave birth to Shakur, on June 16, 1971. Afeni, who passed away in May and was the inspiration behind the song “Dear Mama,” struggled with substance abuse issues (“And even as a crack fiend, mama/You always was a black queen, mama”) and with supporting the family (“You just working with the scraps you was given/And mama made miracles every Thanksgiving”).

Shakur wore hand-me-downs, including pants that were so big they had to be stapled. He slept in a small bedroom, while his mother and little sister slept in the dining room Afeni had converted into a bedroom. Smith says the Shakur house was “always dark, dim. They had lights and it was clean, but it was dark with not a lot of stuff in there.”

Smith’s family and friends razzed him for befriending the raggedy newcomer. “This guy is cornball—everything about him is corny,” he recalls them saying. “Why are you hanging out with him?”

The answer, says Smith, was simple: “We loved to rap.”

In the mid-1980s, rap wasn’t yet the commercial juggernaut it has become—it was gaining popularity, but hadn’t arrived in the mainstream. The Enoch Pratt Free Library, ahead of the curve, sponsored a youth rap contest in November 1985. Shakur spotted a flier with “Calling All Rappers!” across the top, urging anyone under the age of 18 to “write the best rap about the Pratt Library and be eligible for a cash prize.” All entrants had to submit a written copy in advance (“No Profanity Allowed”), and the finalists performed at the library at Pennsylvania and North avenues.

Shakur and Smith created “Library Rap,” which Shakur wrote out in longhand, in black pen, on a piece of lined notebook paper, and he and Smith’s group The East-Side Crew entered the contest. Deborah Taylor, then the Pratt’s young adult services coordinator, organized the contest and remembers Shakur and Smith as “very polite boys. They were nice kids.” She drove them to the contest because they didn’t have transportation.

Shakur and Smith’s winning performance opened with Shakur declaring, “Yo’ Enoch Pratt, bust this!” and urging Baltimoreans to get library cards. They told kids to stay in school, learn to read, and “get all the credits that you need.” (Shakur’s handwritten verses now reside in the Pratt’s Special Collections archive, alongside works by H.L. Mencken and Edgar Allan Poe.)

Taylor, who still works at the Pratt, recalls all the judges commenting on the same thing: The scrawny kid lit up the room with his rapping. “When Tupac performed,” she says, “you could not take your eyes off him.”

Shakur and Smith performed whenever and wherever they could: for the drug dealers working on Old York Road, opening for rap group Mantronix at the Cherry Hill rec center, and even at neighborhood funerals. They also wrote rhymes with titles like “Babies Havin’ Babies” and “Genocide Rap” that reflected the political and social awareness Shakur inherited from his mother.

“Tupac was always conscious of that shit,” says Smith. “He schooled us on those sort of social justice issues, and hip-hop was the perfect outlet. It allowed us to say what was on our mind, and people listened.”

After his freshman year at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, Shakur, wanting to hone his performance skills, auditioned for the Baltimore School for the Arts (BSA) as a theater major. Smith helped Shakur, who’d appeared in a community production of A Raisin in the Sun while in New York, run lines from a scene for his audition piece. “We worked on it for weeks,” says Smith. “You could tell he was destined.”

Donald Hicken saw something similar. Hicken, who recently retired as the head of BSA’s theater department, remembers Shakur auditioning. “It was so good,” he says, “and the first thing I noticed was that he was extremely charismatic. From the very beginning, we all sensed he was the real deal.”

For an assignment, Hicken asked students to create a movement piece based on “a song that speaks to you in a very personal way.” Shakur chose Don McLean’s “Vincent (Starry, Starry Night),” a song about Vincent van Gogh by the songwriter best known for “American Pie.” It included lines like “you suffered for your sanity” and connected that suffering to being misjudged: “They would not listen, they did not know how/Perhaps they’ll listen now.”

“Tupac said the song was about a misunderstood artist,” says Hicken, “about someone who was an artist but couldn’t be taken seriously because of the world he was in. That’s how the song spoke to him.”

Shakur embraced being a theater artist during his two years at BSA, studying the likes of Henrik Ibsen, Sam Shepard, and Shakespeare. “He was incredibly bright and had a lot of intellectual curiosity, though he wasn’t an especially good student academically,” Hicken says. Shakur often spent his lunch break reading in the school library.

He forged tight friendships with fellow theater student Jada Pinkett and visual artist John Cole. “Pac was always intense, extremely passionate,” Pinkett says in the book Tupac Remembered. “He loved Shakespeare. . . . Acting was a part of his spirit. He really loved it.”

Shakur stayed at Cole’s Reservoir Hill apartment for a while, and bussed tables at the Fish Market near the Inner Harbor with Smith and BSA friend Darrin Keith Bastfield. “[Tupac] was always on stage,” says Cole in the tribute book. “He was always entertaining, always hammin’ it up.”

Bastfield recalls hanging with Shakur at a friend’s apartment and asking what type of actor he wanted to be. “A Shakespearean actor,” Shakur replied, “because you have to be the very best in order to do Shakespeare.”

Bastfield joked that he could picture him decked out in a ruffled collar and tights. Shakur then struck a Shakespearean pose, and Bastfield, an aspiring visual artist and rapper himself, grabbed a pen and paper and started sketching a portrait. “Someday, this will be a painting called Shakurspeare,” Bastfield quipped. They both laughed.

“Our songs spoke about loyalty and friendship.”

Despite his gifts as an actor—which eventually led to roles in films like Poetic Justice and Juice—Shakur never wavered from his fierce commitment to hip-hop. During the walk home from their restaurant job, Shakur and his friends would sometimes mount Hopkins Plaza’s outdoor stage and rehearse a late-night set of rap tunes.

Shakur and Smith teamed with Bastfield and Gerard Young to form a new group, Born Busy. They made tapes that are considered Shakur’s first recordings—eight songs that remain unreleased. “We rapped, wrote our stuff, and worked every day,” says Bastfield, whose book about Shakur, Back in the Day: My Life and Times With Tupac Shakur, was published in 2003. “Our songs spoke about loyalty and friendship. We were big on that.”

Just prior to his senior year, Shakur, with tears in his eyes, told Hicken he’d be moving with his family to Marin City, Calif., where his mother hoped to get a fresh start. Hicken offered to find him a host family so he could graduate from BSA, but Shakur said he couldn’t abandon his family. The Shakurs left Baltimore in the summer of 1988.

As he shot to stardom, the subsequent years were a whirlwind of recording sessions and concert tours punctuated by late-night partying, violent brawls, multiple shootings, and a stint in prison for sexually abusing a fan. (Shakur maintained that he “committed no crime.”) Such behavior bewildered his Baltimore friends. Though they’d kept in touch (Smith even went to the West Coast to help Shakur write records), they barely recognized the figure on the national stage. They recognized the immense talent and dazzling magnetism, but little else.

On Sept. 7, 1996, Shakur was attacked by a drive-by shooter on the Las Vegas Strip, and he passed away Sept. 13. During the six days he was on life support, he reportedly stirred and regained consciousness just once—when a girlfriend brought a CD player to the hospital and played him Don McLean’s “Vincent (Starry, Starry Night).”

The house at 3955 Greenmount Avenue has no historic marker or plaque indicating its connection to an American cultural icon. On a hot summer day, the shades are drawn, and the place looks as if it’s unoccupied. Next door, a couple sitting on the front porch say they know of the house’s significance—pretty much everyone in the neighborhood does.

As they talk, a lean, solidly built man emerges from 3955 and closes the door. He wears an Orioles tank top and cargo shorts with a bucket hat pulled over his eyes. He also knows about Shakur and, when asked if he’d like to say anything about the house’s history, says, “No, no, no,” and walks off.

Just then, a woman joins the couple. She introduces herself as Diamond and says she’s 20 years old. “When I first moved here, I wondered, ‘Why are people taking pictures of our house?’” she says. “Then, I realized they were tourists, taking pictures of Tupac’s house next door.” She spots them six or seven times a month, even when it snows.

When asked if she listens to Shakur’s music, she says, “Of course I do.” And the surprised look on her face suggests a question of her own: “Doesn’t everyone?”

Diamond claims “Dear Mama” as a favorite song, and hums a line—“Everything will be alright if ya hold on”—but goes no further.

She smiles, and says, “Yeah, Tupac was here.”

What has the reception been like for you?
It’s been amazing! I mean, I knew the power of Beyoncé, but I had no idea that working on this project would get me the attention that it has. BSA was over the moon that three of its alumni were a part of it [Winslow and Christian Siriano]. It’s pretty crazy. About a year ago I got into the Art Directors Guild, which enables you to take bigger jobs and work on bigger union stuff. Taking that step has really done a lot for my career. This job, in particular, has really gotten me a lot of exposure.

How did you learn that “Hold Up” was nominated for a VMA?
I saw it myself online the day it was announced. I was expecting and hoping it was going to be nominated so I just checked the MTV website. I was super excited. A VMA nomination is nothing to take lightly; it is such a great accomplishment. “Hold Up” actually ended up winning best female video, which is no small feat. In our industry, anything that wins an award is part of your body of work and résumé.

Did you know that Beyoncé actually broke the record for all time VMA wins at this year’s award show?
I saw that! It’s funny I was thinking about it and Beyoncé has 21 “Moon Men” and Michael Phelps has 22 gold medals. She is kind of the Michael Phelps of the VMAs.

What did it mean to you to be a part of a such a huge nominated project?
It felt really great, especially at this young point in my career. Film-making, art direction, and production design are all long careers that take awhile to reach the top so being so young and being recognized for my work makes me good and energizes me for the future and what I still have to give this industry. I feel really fortunate to be a part of such an amazing project.

Okay, last Beyoncé question. Do you know who Becky is?
I do not. I don’t and I haven’t met her, but I guarantee she lives in Los Angeles. There are a lot of them in Los Angeles.

And now you are working with American Horror Story?
Right now I am the assistant art director on American Horror Story season six. I’ve been a part of the entire season from day one. The theme this year is really secretive, which has been really fun to work on and I’m looking forward to the first episode premiering. It’s really fun to see everyone’s guesses.

What is your day-to-day like working on the show?
A lot of my day-to-day is interacting with the production designer and the art director to get the sets prepped for the next episode. As the assistant art director, I’m not so much involved in the day-to-day filming of the show. The art department always has to stay a step ahead, so I’m more involved in prepping for the next episode about a week or two in advance.

As far as art direction goes, I can’t think of a more fun show to be a part of. Were you always a fan of the show?
Before I even got the job, I was a huge fan of the show. I have seen all of the seasons since day one and I remember thinking, ‘Wow, this would be a great show to work on.’ So honestly it was really a dream job come true. And really you are fortunate to be on any Ryan Murphy show. All of his work is amazing and I feel lucky to be with such a great group of people.

What has been your favorite season of American Horror Story?
Well the first season is amazing because it set the tone and all aspects of it were just really well done. But being an art director, I think my favorite seasons in terms of design were Asylum and Hotel. Those sets were absolutely incredible. So I would say in terms of story, the first season is my favorite and in terms of visuals and art the second and fifth seasons. But, once everyone sees the sixth season, that will be the new favorite.

American Horror Story season 6 premieres on September 14th on FX.

Convergence

Warren Wolf (Mack Avenue Records)

When it comes to jazz, Baltimore has a deep-rooted history, with Chick Webb, Cab Calloway, and Billie Holiday all calling it home. Today, the tradition is still going strong with the help of talented artists like the young Warren Wolf. The rising vibraphonist grew up here, honing his craft at Peabody Preparatory and the Baltimore School for the Arts before moving on to the big leagues at Berklee College of Music in Boston. Having since returned home, he now releases his accomplished third album, full of sizzling soul, dazzling ballads, and full-on funky grooves. Across 11 songs, Wolf not only keeps Baltimore jazz alive, he moves into the future with gusto and skill.

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Mirror Image/Mirage

Big Hoax (self-released)

If you’re looking for a summer band, this four-year-old four-piece has a brand new record that will serve as the perfect warm weather music. Luke Alexander’s earthy vocals lead his bandmates’ instruments—upright bass, cello, trumpet, pedal steel guitar, piano, to name a few—through a range of songs: outright folk, upbeat stomps, sunny bossa nova, a lovers’ waltz. At times, they bring to mind the rich anthemic harmonies of a young Mumford & Sons; at others, they evoke the worldly darkness of an early-album Dave Matthews. But all the while, Big Hoax remains uniquely themselves, experimenting with form and genre, creating a robust medley of Americana sound.

After more than 100 years, The Nutcracker still has legs during the holidays and once again takes center stage in Baltimore this month. With its Tchaikovsky score, classic choreography, and whimsical Christmas Eve set, the beloved 19th-century Russian ballet transports audiences of all ages into a fantastical dreamland of snow and sweets.

12/11-12 & 18-19: Baltimore School for the Arts, Schaefer Ballroom, 712 Cathedral St. Times vary. $15-20. 443-642-5167. BSA high school and TWIGS students come together to perform this festive local favorite throughout the month.

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12/12-20: Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, 801 Chase St., Annapolis. Times vary. $27-52. 410-280-5640. Join the Ballet Theatre of Maryland for a flawless performance in Annapolis.

12/11-13: Weinberg Center for the Arts, 20 W. Patrick St., Frederick. Times vary. $16-30. 301-600-2828. Members of the Maryland Regional Ballet take the stage as Clara, Fritz and the Mouse King in the Weinberg’s 35th annual production.

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12/18-19: Hippodrome Theatre, 12 N. Eutaw St. Times vary. $46-198.50. 410-837-7400. Revisit the ballet’s roots with dancing, puppets, handmade sets, and elaborate costumes.

12/12-13: Goucher College, Kraushaar Auditorium, 1021 Dulaney Valley Rd., Towson. Sat. 6:30 p.m., Sun. 4 p.m. $15-40. 410-667-7974. The Baltimore Ballet celebrates its 15th anniversary with this Tchaikosvky classic on a quiet local college campus.

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1/2-3: The Sudbrook Arts Center, 4300 Bedford Rd., Pikesville. Sat. 7:30 p.m., Sun. 3 p.m. $15. 410-446-1549. Children and young adults put on a perfect performance of young Clara’s fantasy.