Who We Are

The Mainstay, founded in 1997, is a non-profit live music venue dedicated to presenting a calendar of high quality, year-round concert events to our neighbors along the Eastern Shore of Maryland, and our growing list of friends from the circumference around Baltimore, Annapolis, Washington D.C., Wilmington, and Philadelphia. We are especially committed to introducing other cultural opportunities to the residents of Rock Hall.

With our live music presentations every week the Mainstay does its best to satisfy the diverse tastes of our loyal audiences with bluegrass, folk music, blues, Gospel, Celtic, soul music, classical, and world music. The Mainstay is particularly renowned for its reputation for jazz excellence dating back to our earliest concerts with jazz great Charlie Byrd and continuing to the present day with acclaimed jazz figures from all along the Eastern seaboard.

We hope your visit will convince you why our cozy and quirky theater, comfortably filled with our “world-class collection of 120 mismatched chairs” and a separate bar for snacks and refreshments, is frequently cited by the media and our audiences as “the best listening room in the Mid-Atlantic”. But it’s not just about the music. It’s a special place where you can feel connected with a truly exceptional musical experience and a sense of belonging.

Would you like to receive email notices of our upcoming shows? Send us an email at info@mainstayrockhall.org and request to be put on our email list.