'Magpie'

About the Artist

  Terry Leonino & Greg Artzner, a.k.a. 'Magpie,' have played music together professionally for over 50 years, and have performed in countless schools all over the state of Maryland and beyond for most of those years. Their broad and deep repertoire includes numerous songs that comprise uplifting and upbeat programs on topics of history and the environment. From the Underground Railroad and the Civil War to The Great Depression and the Nineteen Sixties, history comes alive in the songs the people sang. "Battle Cry of Freedom: Civil War to Civil Rights" connects the struggles for freedom in the mid-19th century and the mid-20th century through the songs sung in both.  Terry and Greg also have the largest repertoire of earth songs you'll find anywhere, songs that celebrate the beauty and diversity of our mother planet and enjoin us all to step up and do our part to protect it. From our beautiful Chesapeake Bay to the mountains to the oceans, Terry & Greg sing of the intersections of the web of life on earth, and the interdependence of all who call it home, in programs such as "Living Planet,""Tales of the Blue Crab," and "Sense of Wonder" (A tribute to Maryland's own Rachel Carson).   Their sound, authentic acoustic Americana, is built on Greg's solid fingerstyle guitar and two strong voices in powerful harmony. Add to this Terry's world-class harmonica virtuosity, and also her excellent playing on mandolin, dulcimer and guitar, and you have a treat for the ear. They are masters at engaging young audiences in enthusiastic chorus singing as well as "signing" along using American Sign Language and meaningful gestures.   They have been presenters for the National Parks, the US Fish & Wildlife Service, and the Smithsonian Institution singing songs of history and the earth. Terry & Greg also conduct songwriting residency programs with students, composing lyrics to new songs that tell stories of history, such as the life of Harriet Tubman, and of the earth. Songwriting residencies in Maryland produced some beautiful songs celebrating the Chesapeake, its entire watershed, and the plethora of life that depends upon it.      With many recordings to their credit, Magpie received the World Folk Music Association's prestigious John Denver Award for Environmental Activism, and are the recipients of multiple "Wammie" awards from the Washington Area Music Association.