About This Event
The Library Gala is the Library’s main fundraiser each year. Typically held in the fall, the Library Gala is an evening full of fun and laughter for a good cause – your public library!
The funds support the Library’s mission of being the place to go to learn, connect and grow, and help the library offer programming for all ages.
This year's featured virtual author is Brendan Slocumb, who will talk about the writing process and his books at this year's event, which begins at 5:00 p.m. Thursday, October 9, at the Williamsport Country Club.
*Complimentary Valet Parking included with ticket price. Tickets are $125 per person. Doors open at 5:00 PM for in-person silent and ticket auction. Dinner at 6:15 PM. Virtual conversation and Q&A with Brendan Slocumb at 7:15 PM.
Brendan Nicholaus Slocumb was raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a degree in music education, concentrations on Violin and Viola. For the past two decades, he has been a public and private school music educator from kindergarten through twelfth grade, teaching general music, orchestra and guitar ensembles. His students were often chosen for district and regional orchestras. In 2005, Brendan was named Teacher of the Year for Robert E. Lee High School; he has been named to Who’s Who of American teachers, and is a Nobel Teacher of distinction. Brendan also serves as an educational consultant for the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
Music has always played a major part of Brendan’s life. He believes that it’s a life-saving force, and a gift we should always offer our children. When he was nine, he started playing violin through a public school music program. Friends he grew up with are today sitting in jail; when they were out running the streets, he was in rehearsals. When they were breaking into people’s houses, he was practicing Dvorak and Mozart. His violin opened the door to opportunity, and he ran through it. Since then, Brendan has performed with the Washington Metropolitan Symphony, the McLean Symphony, the Prince George's Philharmonic, and the Alexandria Symphony. He has served as the concertmaster for the NOVA-Annandale Symphony Orchestra and regularly performs chamber music with members of the Alexandria Chamber Music Society. He maintains a private music studio teaching lessons to students on violin, guitar and piano. Brendan believes that everyone can learn to appreciate and love music, and that it can be a new way of communicating, building bonds, and connecting with people who may look, sound, or speak differently.
In 2022, Brendan published his first novel, THE VIOLIN CONSPIRACY (Anchor Books), a GMA Book Club Pick, the riveting story of a young Black musician who discovers that his old family fiddle is actually a priceless Stradivarius: when it’s stolen on the eve of the world’s most prestigious classical music competition, he risks everything to get it back. In 2023, Brendan published his second novel, SYMPHONY OF SECRETS (Anchor Books), about a music historian who discovers that the world's greatest composer may have stolen the music from a neurodivergent Black woman – and the powers-that-be will do anything to silence the historian. Brendan's third novel, DARK MAESTRO, was published on MAY 13, 2025
Ticket sales are final. If you can no longer attend, please gift your ticket to someone else or let the Library know and it can be considered a full tax-deductible donation for tax purposes.
In accordance with Small Games of Chance regulations, raffle tickets must be purchased with cash or check only. Please plan accordingly, as we will be unable to accept credit cards or digital payments for raffle tickets. Thank you for your understanding.
To inquire about sponsorship levels, contact Karen Confer at kconfer@jvbrown.edu or 570-326-0536 ext 117.
A portion of your ticket price is tax-deductible. The James V. Brown Library is a certified 501(c)(3) organization.
A special thanks to the volunteer Author Spotlight Committee: Stephanie Calder, chair; Brette Confair, Brenda Cromley, Jeri Demel, Ashley DeWald, Gloria Z. Greevy, Lyneah Hudock, Andria Larson, Diane Pelesh, Annmarie Phillips, Melissa Rackish, Stephanie Radulski, Ruth Rees, Tricia Shipman
About This Event
The Library Gala is the Library’s main fundraiser each year. Typically held in the fall, the Library Gala is an evening full of fun and laughter for a good cause – your public library!
The funds support the Library’s mission of being the place to go to learn, connect and grow, and help the library offer programming for all ages.
This year's featured virtual author is Brendan Slocumb, who will talk about the writing process and his books at this year's event, which begins at 5:00 p.m. Thursday, October 9, at the Williamsport Country Club.
*Complimentary Valet Parking included with ticket price. Tickets are $125 per person. Doors open at 5:00 PM for in-person silent and ticket auction. Dinner at 6:15 PM. Virtual conversation and Q&A with Brendan Slocumb at 7:15 PM.
Brendan Nicholaus Slocumb was raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a degree in music education, concentrations on Violin and Viola. For the past two decades, he has been a public and private school music educator from kindergarten through twelfth grade, teaching general music, orchestra and guitar ensembles. His students were often chosen for district and regional orchestras. In 2005, Brendan was named Teacher of the Year for Robert E. Lee High School; he has been named to Who’s Who of American teachers, and is a Nobel Teacher of distinction. Brendan also serves as an educational consultant for the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
Music has always played a major part of Brendan’s life. He believes that it’s a life-saving force, and a gift we should always offer our children. When he was nine, he started playing violin through a public school music program. Friends he grew up with are today sitting in jail; when they were out running the streets, he was in rehearsals. When they were breaking into people’s houses, he was practicing Dvorak and Mozart. His violin opened the door to opportunity, and he ran through it. Since then, Brendan has performed with the Washington Metropolitan Symphony, the McLean Symphony, the Prince George's Philharmonic, and the Alexandria Symphony. He has served as the concertmaster for the NOVA-Annandale Symphony Orchestra and regularly performs chamber music with members of the Alexandria Chamber Music Society. He maintains a private music studio teaching lessons to students on violin, guitar and piano. Brendan believes that everyone can learn to appreciate and love music, and that it can be a new way of communicating, building bonds, and connecting with people who may look, sound, or speak differently.
In 2022, Brendan published his first novel, THE VIOLIN CONSPIRACY (Anchor Books), a GMA Book Club Pick, the riveting story of a young Black musician who discovers that his old family fiddle is actually a priceless Stradivarius: when it’s stolen on the eve of the world’s most prestigious classical music competition, he risks everything to get it back. In 2023, Brendan published his second novel, SYMPHONY OF SECRETS (Anchor Books), about a music historian who discovers that the world's greatest composer may have stolen the music from a neurodivergent Black woman – and the powers-that-be will do anything to silence the historian. Brendan's third novel, DARK MAESTRO, was published on MAY 13, 2025
Ticket sales are final. If you can no longer attend, please gift your ticket to someone else or let the Library know and it can be considered a full tax-deductible donation for tax purposes.
In accordance with Small Games of Chance regulations, raffle tickets must be purchased with cash or check only. Please plan accordingly, as we will be unable to accept credit cards or digital payments for raffle tickets. Thank you for your understanding.
To inquire about sponsorship levels, contact Karen Confer at kconfer@jvbrown.edu or 570-326-0536 ext 117.
A portion of your ticket price is tax-deductible. The James V. Brown Library is a certified 501(c)(3) organization.
A special thanks to the volunteer Author Spotlight Committee: Stephanie Calder, chair; Brette Confair, Brenda Cromley, Jeri Demel, Ashley DeWald, Gloria Z. Greevy, Lyneah Hudock, Andria Larson, Diane Pelesh, Annmarie Phillips, Melissa Rackish, Stephanie Radulski, Ruth Rees, Tricia Shipman