MAKING MUSIC, BUILDING COMMUNITY TOGETHER
2026, the facility will feature two cutting-edge performance spaces— the Herman and Walter Samuelson Foundation Theater and the Phyllis Cole Friedman Concert Hall— hosting music, theater, dance, cultural events, and more.
As this next chapter begins, it’ s a fitting time to reflect on the history and heart of Stevenson’ s music program, and the sense of community it continues to foster.
Origins in the Greenspring Valley
Music has been part of Stevenson’ s story since its earliest days as Villa Julie College. But it wasn’ t until the early 1990s that the music program began to take the shape we know today— thanks in large part to the arrival of Robert“ Bob” Suggs.
When Bob stepped onto the Greenspring campus in 1994, he knew only a few things: the school needed a music instructor, and it happened to sit across the road from the former home of opera legend Rosa Ponselle. A professional trumpet player and former member of the internationally touring Annapolis Brass Quintet, Bob was ready for a new chapter— one that would keep him closer to home.
“ I started looking for local colleges that needed a music instructor,” Bob said.“ Villa Julie was one of them.”
He began as a part-time faculty member, teaching music history and directing a small wind ensemble. Bob quickly
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