Leaf raking party!

First, they were here -- pretty!!!

Now, they're here... :(

but...THIS guy's got the right idea!

Come to the leaf-raking party at St. John's this Saturday, November 15 at 10:00 am!

your hosts: Dan, Lisa and Jack Campbell - the more the merrier, ALL ages welcome!

Blessing of the Animals - music by Wintergreen!

Join us as we celebrate the feast of St. Francis of Assisi with a Blessing of the Animals during a simple service of Evensong on Sunday, October 5th at 4:30 p.m.

All creatures great and small will be welcomed to take their places in and among the pews, which make excellent corrals for animal companions. Dogs should be on leashes, and cats in carriers. Participants who wish to remember a deceased pet may bring a photo or keepsake for that purpose.

The local folk trio Wintergreen return as our guest musicians. Members Larry and Alice Spatz and Jared Polens perform a mixture of traditional and contemporary folk music from Britain and America on a variety of instruments including hammered dulcimer, guitar, mandolin, psaltery, and bass. Their inspired selections always capture the spirit of this service.

A free-will offering will be received for the fund for strays and wild animals at Greylock Animal Hospital.
St. John’s is located at 35 Park Street, and is wheelchair accessible. Information: 413-458-8144.

Final Summer Concert - Brahms Violin Concerto!

Don't miss the final concert of our Summer Noontime concert series this Wednesday, August 27. Violinist Emily Kalish and pianist Scott Bailey will perform the Brahms Violin Concerto in D, one of the greatest concertos composed for this instrument. Audience members are invited to bring a bag lunch; St. John’s will provide drinks and cookies. The concert will begin at noon and last for 45 minutes. Admission is free; donations to help offset expenses are accepted.

Violinist Emily Kalish grew up in Great Barrington, where she was a student of Alla Zernitskaya. She recently received her master’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music, where her teacher was Burton Kaplan. She is a member of the Berkshire Symphony and is on the faculty of the Enchanted Garden Conservatory in Ridgefield, CT.

Pianist Scott Bailey is the director of choral activities at Bay Path College, and an adjunct professor of music at Westfield State College and private instructor of piano and accompanist at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. He is the music director at the First Congregational Church of North Adams, United Church of Christ, and is coordinator of their North County Music Series, a concert series featuring local and emerging musicians from Berkshire County and beyond.

St. John’s is located at 35 Park St. in Williamstown, and is wheelchair-accessible. More information can be found at www.saintjohnswilliamstown.org or by calling 413.458.8144

Avery Griffin concert

Our Summer Noontime Concert Series continues on Wednesday, August 20 with a performance by baritone Avery Griffin and pianist Scott Bailey. The concert will begin at noon and last for forty-five minutes and will include music by Vartan Aghababian, James Radford, Avery Griffin, as well as some folk songs. Audience members are welcome to bring a bag lunch and St. John’s will provide drinks and cookies. Admission is free; donations to help offset expenses are accepted.

Baritone Avery Griffin is a free-lance singer who performs regularly with such New York-based groups as the Trinity Choir at Trinity Church (Wall Street) and the St. Thomas Choir of Men and Boys. The ’07-’08 season saw Avery participating in performances of Purcell’s King Arthur, the Monteverdi Vespers, two late Haydn masses, and the American premiere of John Tavener’s Solemnitas in Concepione Immaculata Mariae Virginis, among others. He is a member of NotaRiotous, the permanent chamber ensemble of the Boston Microtonal Society http://www.bostonmicrotonalsociety.org/ (directed by St. John's Special Events Coordinator James Bergin). Griffin teaches music theory at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. He is a graduate of Boston University, where he was the recipient of several awards, including the Harold Zulalaian cholarship and the Ellalou Dimmocock scholarship.

Pianist Scott Bailey is the director of choral activities at Baypath College; an adjunct professor of music at Westfield State College; and private instructor of piano and accompanist at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. He has served on the faculty at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and works as a freelance accompanist and teacher throughout the Pioneer Valley as well as Berkshire County. He is the music director at the First Congregational Church of North Adams, United Church of Christ, and is coordinator of their North County Music Series, a concert series featuring local and emerging musicians from Berkshire County and beyond.

Final Summer Forum this Sunday

St. John’s summer forums will conclude this Sunday, August 17, when GreenFaith fellow and parishioner Tamara Adkins will help participants consider environmental stewardship. The forum will take place at 9:00 a.m. in the church’s upper room, and will include the showing of a segment of the film “Renewal”.

Adkins, who has a master’s degree in public health and is a doctoral candidate in Antioch University’s environmental studies program, studies the connections between plastics and public health through an environmental justice lens. As a GreenFaith fellow, she works to integrate spirit, stewardship, and justice.

In these summer forums, St. John’s welcomes the public to hear the experiences of people who have taken bold steps in faith and put their conviction and passion into action. The church is located at 35 Park Street, Williamstown, MA, and is accessible to the physically challenged. The upper room is reached by the ramp entrance on Park Street. Information: 413-458-8144.

Igor Lovchinski, pianist

Russian-born pianist Igor Lovchinski comes to St. John's this Wednesday August 13 to present a free concert of music by Chopin and Gershwin as part of our weekly Summer Noontime concert series. The concert will begin at noon and end by 12:45. Audience members are invited to bring a bag lunch to eat during the concert; St. John's will provide cookies and drinks.

Families are encouraged to bring their children to these concerts. You'll want to sit close to the front so you can see all the action!

Igor Lovchinsky has performed at the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Auditorium, the Bushnell Center, the Eastman Theater and the Ohio Theater. Internationally, he has presented recitals at the National Philharmonic Hall in Warsaw, the American Embassy in Beijing, and the Rosza Centre in Calgary. Upcoming engagements include performances with the Indianapolis Symphony and the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestras.

As concerto soloist, Mr. Lovchinsky has performed with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra (OH), the “Live Music Project” Ensemble (Quick Centre in Fairfield, CT) and the Florida International University Symphony Orchestra. In addition, his performance of Chopin’s First Concerto with the Connecticut Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra was broadcast on WQXR radio in New York and was featured as the soundtrack of the independent film "Romance Larghetto" by director Pablo Goldbarg.

Born in Kazan, Russia in 1984, Igor Lovchinsky began playing the piano at the age of two. In 1989, he entered the Kazan Special Music School for Gifted Children and after coming to the United States in 1994, garnered first prizes at the Eastman International Piano Competition and the National Chopin Piano Competition of the Kosciuszko Foundation.

Mr. Lovchinsky holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Juilliard School and is now in the graduate program at the New England Conservatory in Boston. His teachers have included Nina Polonsky, Steven Glaser, Jerome Lowenthal and Patricia Zander.

Summer Forum: Medical Mission to the Dominican Republic

St. John’s summer forums continue this Sunday, August 10, when medical missioners Laurie Glover and Bart Saxbe will speak about their experiences in The Dominican Republic this summer. The forum will take place at 9:00 a.m. in the church’s upper room.

Glover, who oversees the visual resource collection at the Clark Art Institute, is Senior Warden of St. John’s and helps coordinate the parish’s annual medical mission trip. Saxbe, also a parishioner, is a general surgeon in practice with Williamstown Medical Associates. Both are veterans of several mission trips the parish has sponsored to The Dominican Republic and Bolivia through Medical Ministry International. This year’s group of six teenagers and six adults worked for two weeks in surgical and dental clinics in Monte Plata.

In these summer forums, St. John’s welcomes the public to hear the experiences of people who have taken bold steps in faith and put their conviction and passion into action. The church is located at 35 Park Street, Williamstown, MA, and is accessible to the physically challenged. The upper room is reached by the ramp entrance on Park Street. Information: 413-458-8144.

Summer forum this Sunday

St. John’s summer forums continue this Sunday, August 3, when Amy Alexander and Raj Ray will present “In Our Own Voice”, their stories of living with mental illness. The forum will take place at 9:00 a.m. in the church’s upper room.

Amy Alexander is a mental health consumer and trained speaker for the statewide In Our Own Voice Program under the aegis of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. She has advocated at the State House in Boston and local venues to campaign for better treatment for people living with mental illness, and has spoken to local churches, colleges, and civic organizations in hopes of eradicating the stigma surrounding mental illness.

In these summer forums, St. John’s welcomes the public to a respectful and appreciative hearing of the experiences of people who have taken bold steps in faith and put their conviction and passion into action. The church is located at 35 Park Street, Williamstown, MA, and is accessible to the physically challenged. The upper room is reached by the ramp entrance on Park Street. Information: 413-458-8144.

Violinist Alicia Choi (Williams '09)

Our Summer Noontime Concert Series continues this Wednesday, July 30 with a performance by violinist Alicia Choi and pianist Scott Bailey in music of Bach (Solo Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Minor, BWV1003) and Beethoven (Violin Sonata No. 8 in G Major). The concert will begin at noon and end by 12:45. Audience members are welcome to bring a bag lunch and St. John’s will provide drinks and cookies. Admission is free; donations to help offset expenses are accepted.

Children are especially welcome!

Alicia Choi began studying the violin at the age of four. She was a scholarship student at the Aspen Music Festival in 2001 and 2006. From 2001-2005, Alicia attended the Pre-College Division of the Juilliard School of Music, studying with Won-Bim Yim and Masao Kawasaki. She has performed in master classes of Aaron Rosand, Philip Setzer, the Daedalus Quartet, Donald Weilerstein, James Buswell, and Wonji Kim Ozim.
She currently attends Williams College, where she plays in the Berkshire Symphony, Symphonic Winds and various chamber ensembles, and studies with Joanna Kurkowicz.

Pianist Scott Bailey is currently an adjunct professor of music at Westfield State College and private instructor of piano and accompanist at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. He has served on the faculty at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and works as a freelance accompanist and teacher throughout the Pioneer Valley as well as Berkshire County. He is the music director at the First Congregational Church of North Adams, United Church of Christ, and is coordinator of their North County Music Series, a concert series featuring local and emerging musicians from Berkshire County and beyond.

"Mixed" marriage forum this Sunday

St. John’s summer forums continue this Sunday, July 27, when parishioners Debbie Monahan and Jimmy Bergin will present their own story of a middle-aged romance between two very different believers, one an agnostic and the other an evangelical Christian, and how they found common ground in a church community. Monahan serves on the Vestry and Bergin leads a special events ministry at St. John's Church in Williamstown, where they have made their spiritual home since 2002.

The forum will take place at 9:00 a.m. in the church’s upper room. In these summer forums, St. John’s welcomes the public to a respectful and appreciative hearing of the experiences of people who have taken bold steps in faith and put their conviction and passion into action.

Music for Flute

St. John's free Summer Noontime concert series continues this Wednesday, July 16 with a recital by flutist Lucy Bergin and pianist Scott Bailey, who will perform works of Bach, Faure and Mozart. The concert will begin at noon and conclude by 12:.45.

Audience members are invited to bring a bag lunch to eat during the concert. St. John's will provide drinks and cookies.

Children are especially welcome at these concerts; parents, please view this as a great way for kids to see live music up close and personal!

Trio Cafe Budapest at the movies!

Sunday, July 20 at 7:30, bring your family to the Morgan lawn at the top of Spring St. in Williamstown to hear the Trio Cafe Budapest in concert, as a prelude to the outdoor screening of "Ghostbusters", presented by the Images Cinema http://www.imagescinema.org/

The band will play from 7:30 until the movie begins. Their brand new CD "Meridian" will be available for sale!

Jim Kolesar - Summer Forum July 20

St. John’s summer forums continue this Sunday, July 20, when parishioner Jim Kolesar will speak about China, often called the country of the future. Kolesar recently spent two weeks with a Williams College group meeting education, business, and government leaders in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Beijing. He will share his impressions of the country’s rapidly changing culture, economics, and politics, and of the situation there for faith communities. The forum will take place at 9:00 a.m. in the church’s upper room.

In these summer forums, St. John’s welcomes the public to a respectful and appreciative hearing of the experiences of people who have taken bold steps in faith and put their conviction and passion into action. The church is located at 35 Park Street, Williamstown, MA, and is accessible to the physically challenged. The upper room is reached by the ramp entrance on Park Street. Information: 413-458-8144.

Crazy trombone!

St. John's Noontime Concert series continues this Wednesday, July 16 with a concert by trombone virtuoso Will Lang. Will can do things on a trombone that are not generally regarded as possible! If your child is considering taking up an instrument, or is playing one now, this will blow their minds!

Will Lang is making a career in new music. An active musician in both New York and Boston, he performs new music by established as well as emerging composers.

He has performed new music in such venues as Carnegie's Zankel Hall, the Winter Garden, the Cathedral of St. Paul in Boston, the Flea, the Gershwin Hotel, and the Stone.

During this last year Lang has been involved in the premiere of over 25 new works, playing with such ensembles as the TACTUS Ensemble, Zero Gravity, the SEM Ensemble, NotaRiotous (directed by Jimmy Bergin), and Loadbang, a new music group of which he is a founding member. Lang and trumpeter Andrew Kozar founded the Tuesday Night Power Concert Series at the Manhattan School of Music, each concert featuring a different guest artist or composer. The pair produced fourteen concerts this year, and plans to expand the series next year.

Lang has also toured across New York State with the SUNY Fredonia Wind Ensemble as soloist, performing Richard Peaslee's Arrows of Time. He is currently finishing a Masters in Music degree in Contemporary Performance from the Manhattan School of Music, where he studies with Benjamin Herrington.

Admission is free (donations are accepted) and audience members are invited to bring a bag lunch to eat during the concert. St. John's will provide drinks and cookies after the concert.

Youth Band Concert!

Our Summer Noontime Concert Series continues on Wednesday, July 9 with a program of contemporary gospel music presented by the St. John’s Youth Band. The concert will begin at noon and end by 12:45. Audience members are welcome to bring a bag lunch and St. John’s will provide drinks and cookies. Admission is free, but donations to help offset expenses are accepted. Children are especially welcome!

Members of the band are all students at Mt. Greylock and include Dylan Sikelianos, lead guitar; John Kolesar, bass guitar; Evie Mahan and Tyra Nurmi, vocals; St. John’s Special Events coordinator Jimmy Bergin directs the band and plays keyboard. The program will feature selections from the musical Godspell and other high-energy contemporary gospel songs. The Youth Band was formed last year, rehearses weekly and has played regularly at the bi-weekly “Worship Outside the Box” services held at St. John’s on Sunday mornings, as well as at other church functions.

The concert series will continue on Wednesdays from July 16 - August 20. Featured performers include trombonist Will Lang; flutist Lucy Bergin; violinist Emily Kalish; the Trio Café Budapest; pianist Igor Lovchinski; baritone Avery Griffin; Molly and the Mackins.

Transgender Forum this Sunday

St. John’s summer forums continue this Sunday, July 6, when Justin Adkins, a transgender person in the parish community, will share his journey in becoming a man. He will also share basic information about transgender people and how to be an ally to this diverse group of people. The forum will take place at 9:00 a.m. in the parish’s upper room. In these summer forums, St. John’s welcomes the public to a respectful and appreciative hearing of the experiences of people who have taken bold steps in faith and put their conviction and passion into action.

The church is located at 35 Park Street, Williamstown, MA, and is accessible to the physically challenged. The upper room is reached by the ramp entrance on Park Street. Information: 413-458-8144.

Summer Noontime Concerts begin!

St. John's Episcopal church in Williamstown will kick off its annual Noontime Concert Series on Wednesday, July 2 with a program of contemporary music for trumpet, violin and piano. Featured performers are trumpeter Andrew Kozar, violinist Ruby Chen and pianist Scott Bailey. The concert will begin at noon and end by 12:45. Audience members are welcome to bring a bag lunch and St. John’s will provide drinks and cookies. Admission is free, but donations to help offset expenses are accepted

A native of Pittsburgh, Andrew Kozar is a trumpeter and composer based in New York City. An strong advocate of contemporary music, he performs and composes for several ensembles in New York including loadbang (trumpet, bass clarinet, trombone and baritone voice); Zero Gravity, a new contemporary ensemble at the Manhattan School of Music; the Andy Trio (trumpet, violin and steel pans). He has performed with such artists as Dave Douglas, Todd Reynolds, Ken Thompson, Band on a Can and Jason Price. In the last year, Kozar has had five pieces composed for him.

Violinist Ruby Chen, born in Taipei, Taiwan, began studying violin at the age of seven. She is pursuing her masters degree at the Yale School of Music, where she studies with Ani Kavafian. Ruby received her Bachelor of Music degree and Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music, where she studied with Mikhail Kopelman, a former member of the Borodin and Tokyo String Quartets.

Pianist Scott Bailey is currently an adjunct professor of music at Westfield State College and private instructor of piano and accompanist at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. He has served on the faculty at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and works as a freelance accompanist and teacher throughout the Pioneer Valley as well as Berkshire County. He is the music director at the First Congregational Church of North Adams, United Church of Christ, and is coordinator of their North County Music Series, a concert series featuring local and emerging musicians from Berkshire County and beyond.

The concert series will continue on Wednesdays from July 9 - August 27. Featured performers include violinist Emily Kalish; trombonist Will Lang; violist James Bergin; flutist Lucy Bergin; pianist Igor Lovchinski; the Trio Café Budapest; baritone Avery Griffin; Molly and the Mackins.

St. John's is located at 35 Park Street and is wheelchair-accessible.

Summer Forums begin

St. John’s Summer Forums open this Sunday, June 29, when local residents Molly Mackin and Sue O’Riley present their passion for the Rural Literacy Project at 9:00 a.m . in the church’s upper room.

The Rural Literacy Project www.ruralliteracyproject.org is a grass-roots organization that helps build and supply libraries in rural towns in Central America. The library in the photo is in San Andres, Guatamala, and was completed in 2008. The Project was started in 2000 by Sue O'Riley, a local elementary school teacher. At least twice a year, a group goes down to Peru, Honduras, or Guatemala to live, work, and commune with a new culture for a few weeks at a time. It is a rich opportunity for participants to gain new perspectives on globalization, service work, and our own American culture.

St. John’s Summer Forums welcome the public to hear about the experiences of people who have taken bold steps in faith and put their passions into action. Forums will be held on Sunday mornings at 9:00 am through August 17. The church is located at 35 Park Street, Williamstown, MA, and is accessible to the physically challenged. The upper room is reached by the ramp entrance on Park Street. Information: 413-458-8144.

Pool party!

Saturday, June 21st from 2:00 - 5:00

Pool Party to thank everyone that helped with the youth ministry

burgers - hot dogs - chips - drinks - sweets

SWIMMING!

music by the youth band

The party will be held at the Petrino's house:

229 Bridges Road, Williamstown.

Bring your suits and let's have fun!

PS - this pool shown here is mine, but we can dream....

Georgian Music Concert

This Sunday, March 30th at 3:00 p.m.:

Concert of

Caucasus Georgian Folk and Liturgical Music

performed by

The Kartuli Ensemble

Williamstown's Trio Brevalo

Trio Nanina

Suggested donation: $10.

The tiny nation of Georgia is nestled between Russia and Turkey on the eastern shore of the Black Sea, and is unique in many ways:

- Georgia is believed by many to be the birthplace of winemaking

- it boasts a language related to no other, and which has its own unique alphabet

- it was the legendary home of the fabled Golden Fleece sought by Jason and the Argonauts.

However, one of Georgia's strongest attractions in recent times has been its remarkable polyphonic singing tradition. Composer Igor Stravinsky was fascinated by it, filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen have used it in one of their films, and even pop stars Kate Bush and Billy Joel have featured clips from Georgian folk songs on their recordings.

Interest in Georgian folk singing has been growing steadily worldwide. Formed in 1985, The Kartuli Ensemble is the first choir of foreigners devoted exclusively to the traditional folk singing of Georgia. Over the years, the group has stirred interest among many other people throughout the world, some of whom have begun also begin singing Georgian. One such group is Trio Brevalo based right here in Williamstown! The Kartuli Ensemble and NYC-based trio Nanina will join this local trio for a benefit concert on Sunday, March 30 at 3pm at St. John's Episcopal church in Williamstown, MA.

All proceeds will go to a close friend of the singers, Maia Kachkachishvili, who lives in Tbilisi, Georgia. Maia has been a key contact in Georgia's relations with foreigners, and has helped many realize their goals of meeting and working with eminent folk singers and scholars in Georgia. Maia suffered a brain aneurysm is December and has gone into severe debt from the hospital bills and related costs.

Easter Concert March 14

NORTHERN HARMONY PRESENTS
A SPECIAL EASTER CONCERT

Friday, March 14

8 pm

St. John's Episcopal Church

35 Park St

Williamstown, MA

Select vocal ensemble led byPatty Cuyler & Larry Gordon presents music for Easter
Music from Corsica, Georgia, renaissance Italy and Spain, English carols, American shape-note and gospel quartet

Admission at the door: $12 / $8 for students and seniors

Over the centuries the Easter season and the bloom of spring have inspired some of the most affecting music from many cultures. The Christian story of Jesus’s death and resurrection was often combined with older themes of the mysteries of death and rebirth.Northern Harmony’s program includes traditional sacred music from Corsica and Caucasus Georgia, English Easter carols, renaissance motets from Spain and Italy, Latin motets by the contemporary Estonian composer Urmas Sisask, American gospel quartet, and traditional and contemporary American shape-note songs.

The 13 select singers include many veterans of Northern Harmony’s extended European tours, several of the strongest singers from the Village Harmony teen ensemble, and a few special guests.Northern Harmony is especially known for its remarkable command of various specialized ethnic singing styles and timbres, and this eclectic program certainly shows off this variety.

The Corsican repertoire is perhaps the least familiar. The mountainous island has a very old and earthy three part harmony singing tradition, both sacred and secular, carried on through the ages by small ensembles of village singers who would sing together throughout their lifetimes. Included in this program are three representative sections of the mass – Kyrie, Sanctus and Agnus Dei; two laments at the cross – Perdono Mio Dio, and Stabat Mater; and the triumphant Good Friday hymn, Vexilla Regis.

The Georgian repertoire includes three very ancient hymns from the Easter liturgy, with their highly startling harmonies, and a perhaps even older, rousing round dance, traditionally sung outside the church on Easter day. This piece uses alternating choirs and features the wild Georgian style of yodeling.

Other works on the program include an anonymous intricate late 15th century motet from Italy, a late 16th century motet by Spanish composer Francisco Guerrero, the extended traditional English Easter ballad The Seven Virgins in the wonderful version from the Oxford Book of Carols, traditional shape-note songs from the Sacred Harp as well as a fiery contemporary shape-note piece by Glen Wright, and the gospel song Lead Me On and On taken from the Golden Gate Gospel Quartet.

Bring your candles!

This Sunday (Feb 2) at 9 am we will celebrate the feast of Candlemas at our Worship Outside the Box (WOTB) servce. Candlemas is a traditional Christian festival that commemorates the ritual purification of Mary 40 days after the birth of her son. It also marks the presentation of the infant Jesus in the temple. The Feast of Purification is called Candlemas because that was the day on which the year's supply of candles for the church were blessed.

Christians were observing this holiday in Jerusalem as early as the 4th Century A.D. By the middle of the 5th century, candles were lit on this day to symbolize that Jesus Christ was the light, the truth and the way.

Bring your candles this Sunday at 9 am for a blessing!

Epiphany Brunch!

Join us after the 10 am service this Sunday, January 6 for the annual Epiphany Brunch. Bring a main dish, salad or dessert if you like - or just come! It's a great time of fellowship, and our new youth worship band (Tyra, Evie, John and Dylan) will lead us in choruses and carols, as well as perform two high-energy songs from the musical "Godspell". See you there!