Sunday, January 22, at 7:00PM, the first RiverHouse event of 2006 will take place at Beans in the Belfry coffeehouse in Brunswick, Maryland.  RiverHouse Concerts and Beans in the Belfry present Lester Hirsh in concert to celebrate the release of his new CD "River of Strings." 

Hirsh is a gifted guitarist on both 6 and 12 string guitar.  His guitar style is diverse and ranges from beautiful classical pieces and folk to Brazilian jazz and flamenco.  He is also known for his intriguing percussive guitar style, which sometimes sparks questions from audience members wanting to know how he played the guitar and created rhythmic beats at the same time.  And, because of the captivating combination of Hirsh’s guitar work, his singing, his ability to get a crowd up and dancing, and his flair for humor, he is sometimes described as a “one man traveling party!”

Besides being a full-time musician and singer/songwriter, Hirsh is also a poet. His spoken word album, "Mosaic II: Poems of An Ancient Order," was nominated for a GRAMMY in 2005. 

Hirsh has released eight albums to date, with River of Strings being the latest.  And, unlike Hirsh’s past CDs, River of Strings is an instrumental. When asked about the making of River of Strings, Hirsh says the first design for the album began in a Portsmouth NH recording studio in 1990.  He was working on an instrumental track, but decided to set it aside to focus on another project called Piper's Dream. Then, thirteen years later, in 2003, while driving down River Road along the Potomac River on the outskirts of Shepherdstown, West Virginia, the inspiration returned to him with clarity. He was on his way to perform at a RiverHouse Concert and knew it was time to begin anew and return to the instrumental project.  He even decided on the name, River of Strings.

Hirsh has performed in a variety of ensembles over the past 20 years including the trio, Side Three, and the folk/pop band, Jerusalem.  He is a touring member of the New Hampshire Council on the Arts, a published poet and editor, and is also listed on the AIE roster for the Schuylkill County Council on the Arts in Pennsylvania.  In addition to his full-time touring concert schedule, he also performs specialized programs in musical therapy venues. 

Lester Hirsh, the RiverHouse gypsies, and everyone at Beans in the Belfry Coffeehouse invite the public to come and join them in this CD release celebration.  Admission is free, but donations will be gladly accepted.  Doors open at 6:00pm.  Dinner will be available for purchase.  Beans in the Belfry, at 122 West Potomac Street in Brunswick, Maryland, is located in a 100-year-old, historic, restored church building nestled in old-town Brunswick, MD.  Guests are served the finest quality coffees and teas, excellent espresso, delicious coffee specialty drinks, and fresh baked goods, as well as soups, quiche, sandwiches, and salads.  The coffeehouse is furnished with comfortable, overstuffed chairs and couches, as well as tables and chairs, and features a choir loft cyber cafe.  To learn more about Beans in the Belfry, visit www.BeansintheBelfry.com.

For more information about this event, contact Cheryl Mansley at 304-702-0554 or river_house@...  (notice the underscore between "river" and "house" in the email address).  To learn more about Lester Hirsh, visit www.bignoisenow.com/hirsh. To learn more about the RiverHouse Concerts, which are always presented in a family friendly and smoke-free, listening room atmosphere, visit www.RiverHouseConcerts.com.