Midday

Cellist Amit Peled is the founder and artistic director of the Mount Vernon Virtuosi, a string orchestra of young musicians who perform free concerts in churches, synagogues, prisons, hospitals and schools throughout the Baltimore-Washington area. The Mount Vernon Virtuosi will be presenting their annual Mozart in Jeans concerts tomorrow and Sunday in Baltimore and Rockville. The Mount Vernon Virtuosi is a WYPR underwriter. Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

Music from Handel’s Messiah is a holiday staple around the world, including here in Baltimore. Nobody has done it annually for as many years in our area as the Handel Choir of Baltimore. This year the chorus is celebrating their 90th season and will offer Handel’s beloved masterpiece this weekend with shows in Baltimore and Timonium. Brian Bartoldus, the Choir’s Music Director and Jason Rudy, chair of the Handel Choir’s board and singer in the chorus, join Midday to share more on their holiday shows. Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

In this year-end edition of Midday with Mayor, Brandon Scott talks with Tom about his goals and priorities for the city in his historic second term. In 2025, how will he move forward on violence reduction, vacant housing and water bills? Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

Dr. Myriam Rogers, the Superintendent of the Baltimore County Schools, received great news when the annual Maryland School Report Card was released earlier this month. Twenty Baltimore County schools received a 5-star rating, the most of any jurisdiction in the state. Additionally, Dr. Rogers is moving forward to address school safety and budget challenges as the district continues to grow. Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

As Christians celebrate the Christmas holiday this month, churches and parishes in Maryland and across the country are wrestling with a dilemma that has affected every Christian denomination: a marked decrease in the number of people who attend services and say they are affiliated with a church. Dr. Firmin DeBrabander is a philosophy professor at the Maryland Institute College of Art and he wrote an article appearing in the Fall Issue of The Hedgehog Review called “The Vast Dechurching and the Paradox of Christianity’s Decline. [https://hedgehogreview.com/issues/in-need-of-repair/articles/the-vast-dechurching-and-the-paradox-of-christianitys-decline]” He joins Midday to explain the changes in American Christianity. Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.