Dawn Culbertson
City Mourns Loss of Talented Performer, Composer and Writer
OUTloud Editor Dawn Culbertson Dead at 53
Musician, composer, performance artist, and writer and critic ö the work of Dawn Culbertson touched us all. From her punk lutenist persona as The Evil Pappy Twin to her performance art as a member of Fluid Movement, a water ballet troupe that performed at the Patterson Park pool, Culbertson was an enigma who wasnât afraid to try new things often to the amazement of audiences and friends alike. Ms Culbertson died Thanksgiving night of an apparent heart attack, while attending a Thanksgiving party of English Country dancing after a quiet evening dinner with friends. She was 53-years-old.
A native Baltimorean, Culbertson attended Towson University before earning a Masters Degree in music composition at the Peabody Institute. She had been a fixture of Baltimoreâs art scene for more than three decades. Often described by friends and other artists as ãreservedä off stage, she was anything but when performing. ãAudiences gave her life. Whether she was playing the lute for the brunch crowd at the Admiral Fells Inn or tricking out at TheOttobar or Frazierâs, Dawn could sense what an audience wanted,ä commented one close friend. Culbertson maintained many close relationships with local musicians and performers. She was a regular of the Baltimore art scene who could be found attending a performance at the Creative Alliance in Highlandtown one night and a performance of the Washington Opera the next. Her appreciation of all forms of art made her a well-known, if often misunderstood, member of the arts community.
She was an accomplished lutenist who took the instrument places no one else had ever gone. She once described herself as the ãworldâs only punk lutenist.ä From scared hymns to Van Halenâs ãHot for Teacher,ä nothing seemed too extreme. Once part of a duo with Mark Hossfeld called The Evil Pappy Twins, Culbertson reveled in the attention their unusual performances attracted. Culbertson continued to perform as The Evil Pappy Twin after Hossfeld moved out of the area.
Culbertson also played the bass guitar and the recorder. She was a member of the American Recorder Society and a founder of both the Baltimore Composerâs Forum and Vox Asylum, an anti-war music group. Both groups provided composers and performers the opportunity to perform original material that otherwise may never have been heard.
After graduating college, Culbertson hosted an all-night classical music show on WJHU. It suited her personality and allowed her to explore and expand her love of classical music. An often overlooked contribution Culbertson made to the local arts community was the coverage she provided as a writer for several local papers, including serving as Baltimore OUTloudâs Arts and Entertainment Editor for 18 months. She wrote for several national arts publications and joined the staff of the Baltimore Alternative as a music and dance critic. After the Alternative closed in November 2000, she wrote for Gay Life, the GLCCBâs newsletter.
At that time we were publishing a bi-weekly newspaper and Dawn was the very first person I called after the Alternative ceased publishing,ä commented former Gay Life managing editor Mike Chase.
ãWhen we decided to start Baltimore OUTloud, Dawn was eager to be a part of this new venture. She added a dimension to our coverage that no one else could.ä Culbertson wrote under the byline D.C. Culbertson and was recognized for her art reviews in 2000 winning a ãVice-Versa Awardä from a national lesbian and gay press association. ãOne of the things that amazed me most about Dawn was her extensive knowledge of local and national performers. She was just so in touch with her artistic self, and so unselfish in recognizing talent in others, that it made our arts coverage an integral part of the paper."
ãHer contacts and breadth of knowledge of the arts were invaluable to Baltimore OUTloud and its readers. She will be missed by all art lovers and her colleagues at the paper,ä{commented Pride Media President Jim Williams.}
Publisher Chase added,
ãShe was truly a Baltimore treasure. I donât think a lot of people realize just how much she will be missed,ä
Chase said.
ãDawn loved the arts in all their forms, and she did more to promote them in the public eye than anyone else I know. Many people who never met her will feel they have lost a dear friend, and they will be right. Like the fine composer she was, she turned even the discords of her life into heartfelt music, and we are all richer for having heard it,ä
commented theater critic and co-worker Bill Kamberger. Ms. Culbertson is survived by her mother, two sisters and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her father in 2002 and a younger brother in 1994.
Farewell To A Special Lady
By Jane Lamar-Spicka
When the night has been too lonely and the road has been too long And you think that love is only for the lucky and the strong Just remember in the winter far beneath the bitter snow. Lies the seed that with the sunâs love in the spring becomes the rose. {The Rose, 3rd Verse}
Life can be complicated when youâre in this business and Dawn definitely paid her dues. She was like the song, The Rose and somehow, some way, no matter what, sheâd always bloom again. I knew Dawn for a number of years, but we had our longest conversation when she was the jazz writer for this very publication, at the time called Maryland Musician. She interviewed me back in 1991 in reference to my group, Jazz Street Station, and at that time her article helped us to become more accessible to the club and concert scene in the Baltimore-Washington area. When my husband, George Spicka and I got involved in the Baltimore Composers Forum, well, what can I say; sheâs the one who started it back in 1993. Our friendship with her grew musically and personally as we discovered we had basically the same goals in mind - to write and perform our own music. She would perform, in concert with that organization, examples of her own work, which was inspired by Renaissance era music. As for that, she was also a member of the Baltimore Folk Music Society, and had her own program featuring Renaissance music on what was then WJHU.
She came to our studio, among others in town, to record her ãPunk Luteä CD as well as a project of Renaissance. This not only showed her innovative skills on her instrument but her off-the-wall sense of humor as well. The session included her own version of Black Sabbathâs ãParanoidä and it kicked arse too! She received her Masterâs Degree in Music from Peabody but performed Black Sabbath·on the lute! Awesome. Ê The last time I saw her, she and I took a trip to the Mall and lunch in spite of her having deadlines and other work related commitments. She took the time out of her life to do this for me. The on-line forum, ArtMobile posted many tributes to Dawn that showed how outreaching was her influence and how many lives she touched. Now sheâs gone but never, ever forgotten. - JLS
Dawn Culbertson ö A Personal Reflection
By George F. Spicka
ãI can't believe this terrible thing has happened.Ê I know that my posting something, will in my mind, acknowledge that she is really gone, which is something I don't want to do.ä{G.F. Spicka - email to Keri Burneston}
Dawn Culbertson founded the Baltimore Composers Forum in 1993. As I write these words, it has been one month since Dawn Culbertson was taken from us all, the evening of Thanksgiving 2004. In the intervening time, Iâve had the opportunity to attend two memorial services in her honor, personally speak with a number of her friends, read six tributes recalling her life, read quite a number of comments on Baltimoreâs ArtMobile forum - recalling what she personally meant to others, and most important of all, getting to know her sister, Terry Culbertson and her mother, Ruth Culbertson. What follows is a summary of the observations and the communications Iâve had, concerning the life of Dawn Culbertson.
Perhaps most significant of all, and an indicator of the type of person she was, was that Dawn passed away amongst loving friends. As Mike Franch described, earlier that day she had had dinner with at the home of Diane and Carl Friedman. Then she went to the Baltimore Folk Music Society Thanksgiving night dance at St. Mark's-on-the-Hill parish hall, where she danced several numbers. When she collapsed, Judy Meyers, Eileen Newburn, Bob Eckhardt and Dan Brandt immediately attended to her.
As word spread, there began to appear on Baltimoreâs ArtMobile forum, a series of affirmations from people that personally knew Dawn and knew of her many activities. Affirmations such as: ãa talented and giving personä - ãa brilliant and gifted personä - ãalways indefatigably kind and supportiveä ö ãwelcoming, inclusive, informingä ö ãa sweet, sweet soulä ö ãa generous soul, one who put more into the world than she took out of itä ö ãutmost professionalism and good cheerä ö ãresponsive and sincereä ö ãwry sense of humorä ö ãto the community, she left an indelible markä ö ãshe will be tremendously missed.ä And as a few were already aware, people began to realize that Dawn was a person with a myriad number of interests, a person involved in so many activities, that we might never fully be able to appreciate all that she represented.
As a writer, Dawn was involved with Link, Radar, Baltimore OutLoud, The Alternative, The Urbanite, Music Monthly (Maryland Musician), and the Baltimore Afro American. She even wrote a piece for the American Music Center in New York. He formal education included a bachelorâs degree from Towson University and a masterâs degree from Peabody, both in music composition.
As a musician, she played lute and was a Board member of the Lute Society of America. She played recorder with baroque music groups Squire Western's Fancy and Musica Antiqua, and was a member of the American Recorder Society. She also played electric bass in the PDTTBA Big Band. As a vocalist she performed with the Municipal Opera of Baltimore, and was a member of the choirs of Grace and St. Peter's and the old Christ Episcopal churches. The music she performed ranged from her own creations, to Renaissance, the contemporary works of John Cage, and as the Evil Pappy Twin, she performed ãpunk luteä covers.
She performed at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, Old Otterbein Methodist Church, Old St. Paul's Church, St. John's Huntingdon, St. Augustine's Church and the Church of the Epiphany in Washington, DC, Harmony Hall in Prince Georges' County, Baltimore's 14 Karat Cabernet, Louie's CafŽ, the Admiral Fell Inn, the Red Room, Ze Mean Bean CafŽ, the Ottobar, and The Lodge. The Washington Guitar Society and the Johns Hopkins Medical Institution sponsored her in events.
She was also on the Kennedy Center's Approved Artists Roster. She presented programs of her own music at Philadelphia's Highwire Gallery Festival. She called English Country dancing. She hosted a program about early music on WJHU (now WYPR). She was a performer with Fluid Movement.
And the list could go on and on ·
I attended two tributes in Dawnâs honor: the first an informal memorial service/tribute concert hosted by Fluid Movement's Holly Tominack. The second was a memorial at the NorthÊBaltimore Mennonite Church, which was followed by the music of the Baltimore Folk Music Society. There was also a tribute by the Baltimore chapter of NOW, and there was one by MPTâs ArtWorks.
In print, there were tributes by the Baltimore Afro-American, Music Monthly Magazine, the Lute Society of America, City Paper, and two in the Baltimore Sun. The Baltimore Composers Forum issued a memorial CD, ãPaper Boats and Other Works,ä featuring eight of her compositions, plus two pieces of other composers that she performed on.
Keri Burneston, founder of the organization, began the Fluid Movement memorial by relating her experiences with Dawn. She broke through the somber atmosphere and evoked smiles and laughter, when she recalled Dawnâs enthusiasm about being involved with the performances. Though not always satisfied with her assigned roles, Dawn always got into them to the fullest, made them something special, and turned them into a wonderful learning experience. Next was Creative Allianceâs Megan Hamilton, who tearfully recalled her experiences with Dawn. I especially related to her telling of Dawnâs habit of sometimes being the last person to leave a room, discussing various subjects until the very last possible minute. I have always regarded this habit of Dawnâs as a reflection of her intelligence, and of her inward joy of sharing and exchanging knowledge with people who matched her own interests and abilities.
I took the mic next and first talked about the first few years I knew Dawn. With plenty of pauses for my own tears, I then read a letter I had sent to Keri Burneston regarding Dawnâs passing. Keri suggested I read it at the memorial. It said how I was crushed and filled with disbelief when I saw the notice about Dawn's passing, and that she was always a good friend. How I found her to be very intelligent and with a good sense of humor, and like I kept telling people, an added plus in our relationship was that she always understood and laughed at my stupid puns ·ÊHow my last memories of her life are very good ones: her happiness, excitement and enthusiasm, after an eight-year hiatus, at once again being an involved and appreciated member of the Baltimore Composers Forum, the organization she created. Other speakers, who spoke of how Dawn touched their lives, followed me. The whole gathering was a profound mix of sadness and beauty, of crying and laughter. But I felt the most significant and tender moments came before the actual memorial, when people were gathering in the main living space downstairs.
I had meet with Dawnâs mother, Ruth Culbertson, a couple of times in the proceeding days as I was putting together Dawnâs Baltimore Composers Forum memorial CD. At my suggestion, my wife, Jane Lamar-SpickaÊand I picked up Ruth and took her with us to the memorial service. We got there a little early and as persons entered the house, I quietly introduced them to Ruth Culbertson.Ê As I expected, as more and more people entered, the action took on a life of its own - she was drowned in a flood of hugs as one after another, people personally conveyed their feelings to her.
The memorial at the NorthÊBaltimore Mennonite Church was as equally profound. The main difference was that instead of being mostly a group of visual artists and performers, as in the first memorial, this was a group of mostly musicians and English Folk dancers. Baltimore Folk Music Societyâs Mike Franch, who was followed by Dawnâs sister Terry Culbertson, who is a pastor by profession, started off the service. As in the first memorial, people were invited to speak about what Dawn meant to them. The tributes were to such an extent that one after another, people kept coming up to the podium. Mike Franch had to finally come up and curtail it for fear of not having enough time to get to the other activities.
Over all, one of the more curious things was the different ways people perceived Dawn. Contrary to those her saw her as a talented, brilliant, gifted and giving person, there were those felt that she didnât fit in. Some described her as chronically insecure, quirky, standoffish, and melancholy. I left the Fluid Movement tribute with the perception that a lot of people there saw her only as someone who was ãweirdä and perpetually sad. I found this interesting because a lot of folks who were there were counter culture types, the kind of interesting folk who take pride in being different, in being deliberately out of step, who even feel somewhat aloof from the ãnormalsä in regular society. It was as if she was being rejected by the very people who should have appreciated her unique nature the very most. This view of Dawn was such, that someone writing about her, based on what they had heard, commented that; ãHer sense of isolation was troubling to those who have planned tributes and a memorial CD in Culbertson's name.ä
As producer of that memorial CD, I feel it would be appropriate to elaborate on this subject based on my observations about Dawn and her moods. I first became aware of Dawn in the early 1990âs, when she was writing the monthly jazz column for what was then Maryland Musician Magazine. I got to know her better in 1994 when I joined the Baltimore Composers Forum. Those first few years, the organization was like Camelot. The group met regularly and a good number of people always showed up. The group was also very supportive of its membership. Then dissent evolved and there ensued a mean-spirited political coup. Dawn was driven out of the group she created. It was as if a child sheâd given birth to and dearly loved had spurned its own mother. Who wouldnât feel sad, insecure, and melancholy under those circumstances?
The group still functioned. We always had good concerts and there were even some exceptional pieces, but I always felt the group was missing its heart and soul. Dawn would still come around to the concerts, to check up on the organization sheâd envisioned, but it was always as an outsider looking in. Fortunately, with new officers and a new board of directors, this past spring, Dawn was invited back in, and she readily accepted.
In the first few days after Dawnâs passing, besides the shock, I was having trouble sorting out in my mind the various thoughts I was having, and why I was experiencing such a profound sense of loss. And then I realized the loss I felt stemmed from our common dream; the dream of having a vibrant, well functioning organization that supported the efforts of Baltimoreâs community of composers. How could this happen now that Dawn was gone? Then I realized that though she was no longer with us, Dawnâs presence was still being felt. As I wrote on her memorial CD, with Dawnâs passing, her flame, rather then being extinguished, only grows stronger.
Dawn was a giving person and in the darkness of death, she still gives. The BCF, which she founded in 1993 to bring greater attention to Baltimore's diverse community of composers, has received more attention then any time in its history. The board has vowed to keep her vision alive. But more so then the community of composers, I realized how Dawnâs efforts in creating the Baltimore Composers Forum had affected me on a personal level. Though I had already created several hundred works by the time I joined the BCF, except for assorted jazz gigs I played - mostly in noisy, non listening environments like bars and parties, I hadnât really had that much opportunity to perform before an appreciative audience.
The Baltimore Composers Forum has given me the chance to play my creations before a group of peers, explain and share the concepts I am developing, and have them critiqued in a supportive manner. I donât know about my fellow composers, but Iâve always been filled with doubt and apprehension whenever I perform or present a new work. With my involvement in the BCF these past ten years, at least Iâve been able to learn how to deal with those feelings. Just four days before Dawnâs passing, I had a new music showcase in Greenwich Village that was sponsored by the American Music Centerâs Frank Oteri, which was very well received. Reflecting back on Dawn and her vision in creating the Baltimore Composers Forum, I realized that in spite of my innate abilities, without the BCF, my New York debut might never had happened · and for that, I will be eternally grateful.
Chris Mason said very much the same thing with these words:
"At the same time she was a very creative, talented person, she was also a very active member of a lot of audiences. She was a great appreciator of other people's works, which is rare today.ä
The Baltimore Composers Forum is offering Dawnâs memorial CD for $12.50. The proceeds will go to the D.C. Culbertson Memorial Fund.Ê This fund has been set up to further Dawn's vision of bringing greater recognition to Baltimore's diverse community of composers.