News Release

Annapolis Maritime Museum / 723 Second St / Annapolis, MD 21403
Contact: Jeff Holland / 410-295-0104 / director@amaritime.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tom Wisner receives first Chesapeake Music Institute Lifetime Achievement Award

DNR Secretary John Griffin (left) presents the CMI Lifetime Achievement Award to Tom Wisner. Jeff Holland is in center. Photo by John Bildahl high res photo

Tom Wisner, known as “the Bard of the Bay,” was awarded the first ever Lifetime Achievement Award by the Chesapeake Music Institute for his 40-year career as a singer, songwriter, and environmental educator who has used the arts to connect his audience with the Chesapeake Bay. The award was presented by John R. Griffin, Secretary of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, at the Annapolis Maritime Museum’s production of “The Grand ole Osprey” at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts on December 1, 2007.

“Tom has been an inspiration to generations of kids and adults, helping them make a vital link to this wonderful treasure in our own back yards,” explains Jeff Holland, Director of the Annapolis Maritime Museum. The Museum founded the Chesapeake Music Institute (CMI) in 2004 to gather, preserve and present music about the Bay to encourage stewardship of the Bay.

The Grand ole Osprey featured original and traditional music inspired by the Chesapeake Bay accompanied by the photography of David Harp. More than 120 performers donated their time and talent to the production, including Tom Wisner, Them Eastport Oyster Boys, the Annapolis Chorale, the Annapolis Youth Chorus, Mt. Zion U.M. Church Gospel Choir, the George Fox Middle School Ukulele Ensemble and Select Chorus. Actors from Remember, Inc., under the direction of Shari Valerio, portrayed watermen and workers at the McNasby Oyster Company. Proceeds from the production benefited the Annapolis Maritime Museum.

Since the 1960s, Tom Wisner has pioneered the use of original songs and stories to heighten awareness of the national treasure known as the Chesapeake Bay. His masterpiece, “Chesapeake Born,” inspired the 1986 National Geographic Special: “Chesapeake Borne.” His first three albums are part of the National Smithsonian Folkways collection.

Tom Wisner Photo by John Bildahl high res photo

He has co-founded, with Dr. Sara Ebenreck of St. Mary’s College, the project CHESTORY: The Center for the Story of Chesapeake Life and Culture, designed to encourage artists of many disciplines to involve in the cause of heightening awareness of Bay ecology and culture. In 2001, Tom was honored with the World Folk Music Association's John Denver Award for his contributions in writing and singing songs to celebrate the life of the Chesapeake.

He is recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Award from the University of Maryland for teaching the first Humanities course focused on the aesthetic interpretation of the life of the Chesapeake. He also holds a Commendation for Creative and Exemplary Work in Course Development from National University Continuing Education Association for his effective use of the Arts and Humanities in developing the publication of the book Life in and Around Chesapeake Bay. That book was designed and used with students to encourage their use of music, story telling, photography and the arts in general to become involved in ecological studies of the Chesapeake watershed.

John R. Griffin was appointed Secretary of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) by Governor Martin O’Malley in January 2007. Griffin held the same position under Governor Parris N. Glendening from 1995 to 1999, after having served as the department's deputy secretary for 11 years.

The Chesapeake Music Institute’s mission is to research and document traditional songs about the Bay as well as to encourage contemporary musical artists to create a whole new body of work inspired by the Bay. CMI has produced a CD album entitled Thomas Point Light: a compendium of music inspired by the Chesapeake Bay and the Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse. More than 1,000 copies have been sold. The album comprises songs that have appeared on individual artists’ CDs (each artist donated the use of the recordings) as well as original pieces, including the three-part Thomas Point Suite, composed by Randy Neilson. The artists featured on the album have performed at the Museum’s summer concert series.

For more information on the Chesapeake Music Institute and upcoming concerts at the Annapolis Maritime Museum, call 410 295-0104, email to info@amaritime.org, or log on to www.AnnapolisMaritimeMuseum.org.

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