Our story
Our Mission
The Mission of Music from Poplar Hill: The Jo Ricks Music Series is to bring artists of a wide range of musical styles to St. Mary’s County to share their music through affordable live performances, and to share their musical knowledge with children and youth. Created from the belief that music nourishes the spirit, enriches life and promotes a sense of community, Music from Poplar Hill: The Jo Ricks Music Series embodies the spirit of Jo Ricks, a beloved member of the Southern Maryland community who had a gift for bringing people together through music.
Jo Ricks: One of a Kind
-a tribute by Jo’s husband, Jeffrey Clark:
The person we honor with Music from Poplar Hill: The Jo Ricks Music Series is the late Jo Ricks, a resident of St. Mary’s County and Washington, D.C. Jo was one of those larger-than-life personalities who brightened every room she entered, who sparked up every party she ever attended. She laughed a lot and made others laugh even more. She liked everyone and everyone liked her.
Jo was an extremely successful real estate broker in Washington and served as Chair of the DC Real Estate Commission. But it was music that animated her life: Jo sang in the church choir in her hometown in North Carolina, performed late 1960s folk-rock music with a college classmate, belted out torch songs in gay bars in Washington in the 1970s and even a few in Key West and New York and more recently headlined for a rock’n’roll band in Southern Maryland. Her piano playing was unexceptional, her voice extraordinary. She more or less mastered the Great American Song Book ballads, then later did some spot on covers of classic rock songs with the popular Hook, Line and Sinker band. Their 2017 CD was a huge success (well, locally, we mean). Parishioners at St. George’s loved her frequent solos.
Jo and husband Jeffrey Clark travelled the world: South America, Ethiopia (her favorite), European capitals, US National Parks, Key West, Hawaii, New York, California and everywhere else.
Jo will be remembered long into the future; she was loved by so many!
-a further note:
After Jo and Jeff purchased a weekend place on St. George’s Island, she discovered St. George’s Episcopal in nearby Valley Lee and became a devoted member of the congregation. Jo found great joy worshipping there. Over many years, she gave generously of her time and care and helped make St. George’s a warm and welcoming place.
St. Georges’ Episcopal Church
Music from Poplar Hill is in residence at historic St. George’s Episcopal Church, situated on Poplar Hill in Valley Lee, Maryland - a place of meeting, creativity, and community for centuries.
Founded in 1692, St. George’s Episcopal Church is a historic landmark. The church is blessed with a beautiful setting, excellent acoustics, a newly renovated sacristy that serves as a green room for visiting artists, and a fine Steinway piano – all making St. George’s an ideal place for intimate concerts by soloists or small ensembles of musicians.
•••
St. George’s Episcopal is home to a vibrant community that, with its sister congregation at the Church of the Ascension, is a lively and active presence in Southern Maryland.
For more information on St. George’s Episcopal Church and its congregation please visit https://stgeorgesvalleylee.org/ or Facebook.
why the dragonfly?
People who knew Jo Ricks well also know that dragonflies were special to her and her husband, Jeff Clark. As Jeff tells it, “we have a friend who is an artist as well as a gardener, and she was taken by the dragonflies drawn to our flower garden on St. George Island. At this same time we bought a boat and had to come up with a name, so our artist friend said ‘How about Dragonfly?’ and Jo and I both immediately said yes to that suggestion. Then over the years the use of the name spread — most importantly to a small grant-making foundation we established after coming into some unexpected financial resources. Today at the house there are dragonfly representations on the walls, on sofa cushions and in the flower garden and … everywhere else.” Not to mention the actual dragonflies that continue to populate the garden!
For this and many other reasons it is fitting that the dragonfly became a symbol for Music from Poplar Hill – the Jo Ricks Music Series. Like music, dragonflies bring beauty and delight to our lives, cheering us with their presence. But their significance is not only about charm and beauty - they also play a key role in our ecosystem, and their presence is a sign of a thriving environment. And in the arts of many cultures, dragonflies in their mature and final form represent growth, transformation, and wisdom.