Letter to the Editor: Catonsville Concert Series Starts Again

The Catonsville Concerts at 3 program, now in its 13^th season, will be holding a special memorial concert for its founder, Mary Lawrence Forkel, who died this past October. The concert will be held at , 1400 Frederick Road at 3pm on Sunday, April 1, and will feature works by Brahms, Mendelsohn and others. Guest artists are a long-term friend and associate of Mary’s, Margaret Budd on organ and also Solomon Eichner a gifted young pianist who was a student of Virginia Reineke, another of Mary’s close friends. Ms. Reineke was originally scheduled to perform at the memorial concert but was unfortunately forced to decline due to ill health.

Mary Lawrence Forkel was a remarkable woman. Although educated as a nurse, it was her love of music that defined much of her life.  An avid supporter of live music in the Catonsville Community, Mary and her husband Tom Lawrence co-founded the Catonsville Concert Association many decades ago, followed by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Concert Series in Catonsville. In 1998, in honor of her late husband, Mary organized the restoration of the Mason Hamlin grand piano here in the Catonsville Presbyterian Church sanctuary, and the dedication of that piano marked the founding of the present-day Catonsville Concerts at 3 series.  Thanks to Mary’s vision and dedication, the series has presented 77 live musical performances to our community, free of charge.

Margaret Lothrop Budd studied at Oberlin Conservatory and Northwestern University School of Music, where she earned her Master's Degree in Organ Performance and Church Music with highest honors, including Phi Kappa Lambda and a Fulbright for organ study in Europe. An Associate in the American Guild of Organists, Margaret co-founded the North Shore (Illinois) AGO Chapter, and served as Dean of the Baltimore Chapter. Margaret moved to Baltimore, where she was organist with the Second Presbyterian Church. She also concertized, taught and founded the Community Concerts at Second and Chamber Music by Candlelight series, now in their 26th season.

Her European tours include performances at the International Organ Church Music Conference in Geneva and a service at J.S. Bach's church in Leipzig.  She accompanied the Second Presbyterian Choir to England and acted as organist-in-residence at Gloucester Cathedral. Her Scotland tour included performances in Iona, Edinburgh, and Glasgow. After retiring from Second Presbyterian Church she succeeded the revered Ed Roberts here at Catonsville  Presbyterian Church. She currently works with Dr. Phillip Collister at the Roland Park Presbyterian Church. Margaret writes, "This unusual Holy Week programming reflects my deep love for Mary Lawrence and our shared passion for Bach, Brahms, the great hymnody and music of the Church.”

Solomon Eichner, who will be filling in for his mentor, Virginia Reineke, is a recent graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, Solomon moved back to Baltimore and is working on a Master’s Degree at the Peabody Conservatory. Before obtaining his Manhattan degree, Solomon studied Theory and Composition at the Peabody in the Pre-College Division. A prizewinner in both national and international competitions, he has performed throughout the U.S and Europe. His work has led to awards including finalist in the Artur Balsam Duo Competition and 1^st Prize at the Baltimore Music Club Piano Competition. Other rankings include, 2^nd Prize in the Empire State Piano Competition, finalist in the New York Grand Prix International Piano Competition, second prize  of the American Protégé International Piano Competition and third prize in the International Young Artists Competition. The Catonsville Concerts at 3 committee is pleased to be able to have this talented young pianist join them at the start of his very promising career. 

-David Hutton