Chamber music weekend

At St. John's we are happy to welcome Williams music students to perform in our sanctuary. The end of semester is approaching, and concerts are scheduled for both Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday, December 1st at 1:00 pm: Brahms: PIano Quartet in C Minor, Op. 60; Paul Schoenfield: "Cafe Music" for piano trio; Schumann: String Quartet in A, Op. 41, No. 3.

Sunday, December 2nd at 3:00 pm: Ben Mygatt and Qian Yang perform all three sonatas for violin and piano by Johannes Brahms.

Both concerts are free and open to the public. Come enjoy sublime music and support these wonderful young musicians!

Annual Messiah Sing-Along Sunday, Nov 18 at 2:30

Join us for our annual Messiah Sing-Along - bring your own vocal score, or use one of ours. 

Soloists: Kerry Ryer-Parke, soprano; Emily Ham, mezzo; Kurt Pfrommer, tenor; Keith Kibler, bass

Orchestra of local professionals joined by CIAO! (Community Intergenerational Action Orchestra)
under the direction of Jimmy Bergin.

The performance lasts one hour - a great way to begin the holiday season before the mad rush begins!

Free blues concert - Saturday, Nov 10 at 7:30 pm

Born IV Blues is a band of 10th graders from three different schools in Berkshire County bringing blues music to the next generation. They are infusing new life and energy to one of the oldest forms of American music and leaving their audiences wanting more. 

The band has been selected for the 2nd year to represent this region in the youth showcase at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN this coming January.

The concert is free - donations to help the band get to Memphis will be received with appreciation!

St. Petersburg Mens' Ensemble - free concert of sacred vocal music - Friday, Nov 9 at 7:30 pm

On Friday, November 9 at 7:30 pm, the St. Petersburg Men’s Ensemble will present a free concert of sacred vocal music from around the world.  

The group’s repertoire encompasses various epochs and styles – from ancient Russian chants and chorales of Western Europe to modern music. 

This concert is part of the group’s 2018 east coast tour, and we are thrilled to host them!

Save the Date: October 2 - Celebration of New Ministry

Clarinet and piano recital - Monday, August 20 at noon

Join us for the final concert of our 2018 Summer Noontime Concert Series.

Clarinettist Paul Green and pianist Doris Stevenson perform music by Debussy, Brahms, and Poulenc.

The concert is free - free will donations are welcome.

Paul Green has an active musical career both in Western Massachusetts and South Florida. He is the First Clarinetist of the Broad Street Symphony in Kinderhook, NY and the Berkshire Symphony in Williamstown and has performed with the Albany Symphony, Albany Pro Musica, Salisbury Sinfonietta and Springfield Symphony Orchestras. 
He is a faculty member of Skidmore College, Williams College, and the Berkshire Music School, and will be joining the faculty of Schenectady Community College in the Fall of 2018.

Doris Stevenson has won lavish praise from critics and public alike in performances around the world.  She has soloed with the Boston Pops, played at Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall in New York, the Kennedy Center in Wahington D.C., Salle Pleyel in Paris, Sala de Musica Arango in Bogota, and Suntory Hall in Tokyo.  Her acute sensitivity and musicianship have made her a sought-after partner with some of the leading lights in string playing.  She has performed with Gregor Piatigorsky, Ruggiero Ricci and Paul Tortelier, great players of the past.  Early in her career she was invited by Heifetz and Piatigorsky to perform with them in their chamber concerts.  She was pianist for the cello master classes of Piatigorsky, who described her as “an artist of the highest order." 

Viola duo recital - Monday, August 13 at noon

Free piano concert - Saturday Aug 11 at 4:30

Julia Choi 

in concert

Julia Choi performs music by Mendelssohn, Debussy, Liszt, Bartók, Chopin, and Kapustin on Saturday, August 11 at 4:30.

The concert is free and open to the public.

Yeojin “Julia” Choi is a rising junior at Williams College. She was born and raised in South Korea until she moved to California at the age of 10. She has always loved music and was able to share her passion for music with her mother, who is a professional pianist. 

Julia has won numerous awards and recognitions in the Southwestern Youth Music Festival, Music Teachers’ Association of California’s Certificate of Merit Program, and Lansum International Music Festival. 

Piano 4-hands concert Monday, August 6 at noon

The 15^th annual Summer Noontime concert series continues with a performance by duo pianists Scott Bailey and Jane Jenkins. 

The one-hour program includes music by Brahms, Schubert, and Dvorak. 

Audience members are invited to bring a bag lunch; the church will provide drinks and cookies. 

Admission is free; donations are welcome. 

Concerts continue weekly through August 20.

free bassoon recital Monday, July 30 at noon

The 15^th annual Summer Noontime concert series continues with a performance by Gerald Lanoue and William Safford, bassoons, with pianist Michael Clement.

The one-hour program features lyrical works by Rachmaninoff, Saint-Saens, Ravel, Elgar, Massenet, Rossini, and Bernstein. 

Audience members are invited to bring a bag lunch; the church will provide drinks and cookies.

Admission is free; donations are welcome. Concerts continue weekly through August 20.

Free solo guitar recital this Monday, July 23 at noon

The 15^th annual Summer Noontime concert series continues with a performance by guitarist Gef Fisher. 

The one-hour program includes music by Isaac Albeniz, Heitor Villa-Lobos, and John Dowland. Audience members are invited to bring a bag lunch; the church will provide drinks and cookies. 

Admission is free; donations are welcome. 

Concerts continue weekly through August 20.

The 15^th annual Summer Noontime concert series continues with a performance by violinist Akiko Kobayashi and pianist Claudia Kobayashi. The one-hour program includes music by Bach, Grieg, and Piazzolla.

Click here to listen to samples of Akiko's playing.. 

Audience members are invited to bring a bag lunch; the church will provide drinks and cookies. 

Admission is free; donations are welcome. An intimate setting with wonderful acoustics. 

Concerts continue weekly through August 20.

Schumann Piano Quartet video

Click here for complete performance of 
Robert Schumann's Piano Quartet in E-flat, Op. 47

Andrew King piano
Emily Kalish, violin
James Bergin, viola
Perri Morris, cello

This was the first concert in the 2018 Summer Noontime Concert series, held on Mondays at noon through August 20 - free!

The 15^th annual Summer Noontime concert series continues with a performance by pianist Kyle Walker and violinist Emily Kalish. 

The one-hour program includes music by African-American composer GeorgeWalker and MacArthur "Genius Award" winner Vijay Iyer. 

Audience members are invited to bring a bag lunch; the church will provide drinks and cookies. 

An intimate setting with wonderful acoustics. 

Admission is free; donations are welcome. Concerts continue weekly through August 20.

Video clips from July 2 concert

Listen to excerpts from July 2 Summer Noontime Concert series performance by Andrew King, piano; Emily Kalish, violin; James Bergin, viola; Perri Morris, cello.

Schumann: Piano Quartet - 2 short clips

Free chamber music series begins Monday, July 2 at noon

The 15^th annual Summer Noontime concert series begins with a program of chamber music performed by Andrew King, piano; Emily Kalish, violin; James Bergin, viola; Perri Morris, cello. 

Audience members are invited to bring a bag lunch; the church will provide drinks and cookies. 

An intimate setting with wonderful acoustics. Admission is free; donations are welcome. 

Concerts continue weekly through August 20.

 St. John’s 

Summer Noontime Concerts 2018

Chamber music 

in a sacred space

Mondays in July and August

Free concerts at noon 

July 2:        Andrew King, piano; Emily Kalish, violin; James Bergin, viola;
 Perri Morris, cello

July 9:        Emily Kalish, violin; Kyle Walker, piano

July 16:      Akiko Kobayashi, violin                          

July 23:      Gef Fisher, guitar        

July 30:      Gerald Lanoue, bassoon        

August 6:   Scott Bailey, Jane Jenkins, duo piansts

August 13: Michael Strauss, James Bergin, violas  

August 20: Paul Green, clarinet; Doris Stevenson, piano

The 15^th annual Summer Noontime concert series begins with a program of chamber music performed by Andrew King, piano; Emily Kalish, violin; James Bergin, viola; Perri Morris, cello.  

The one-hour program includes Brahms: Violin Sonata in G and Schumann Piano Quartet. 

Audience members are invited to bring a bag lunch; the church will provide drinks and cookies. An intimate setting with wonderful acoustics. 

Admission is free; donations are welcome. 

Concerts continue weekly through August 20.

Free chamber music concert - Sunday, May 13 at 4 pm

Free concert performed by Williams College students.

Program includes:

Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 6
Brahms: Sonata for Violin and Piano in G Major, op. 78
Piazolla: The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires (piano trio)

Come enjoy a delightful hour of music!

FutureCIAO! and Kids 4 Harmony in concert, Monday, May 7 at 7:00 pm

Monday, May 7

7:00 pm

 FutureCIAO! and Kids 4 Harmony (North Adams) will perform a joint concert at St. John's at 7 pm.  The two ensembles met last week to rehearse together and are very excited about this new collaboration.  

FutureCIAO! (founded by Jimmy Bergin) is a string orchestra open to students in grades 4 through 8.  

Kids 4 Harmony is a string program sponsored by Berkshire Children and Families in Pittsfield. 

The 30-minute concert will be followed by a reception in the lower room.  

Admission is free and open to the public; families and children welcome!

Stephen Ai in concert 

Saturday, April 28th at 4:00 p.m.

Music of J.S. Bach, Olivier Messiaen, 

Ludwig van Beethoven

Free and open to the public.

Stephen Ai '18 is a senior at Williams College pursuing a double major in mathematics and music. He is currently studying with Ms. Doris Stevenson. As a soloist, he has received many awards for his musicianship, including the Berkshire Symphony Soloist Competition, American Protégé Talent Competition, American Fine Arts Festival, San Diego Symphony Hot Shot Young Artists Award, and California Bach Festival Complete Works Audition Awards, and has appeared in concert with the Berkshire Symphony, San Diego Symphony, and the Los Angeles Bach Festival Orchestra. 

In masterclasses, he has performed for and received guidance from eminent artists, including Angela Hewitt, Stephen Hough, Andre-Michel Schub, Vitaly Margulis and Ruth Slenczynska, among others. Past teachers include Ms. Anna Stal, Ms. Judy Huang of the Orange County School of the Arts, and Mr. and Mrs. Michael and Irina Tseitlin of the California Institute of Music. 

Next year, he will attend the University of Cambridge to complete an MPhil in Music. On May 6th at 7:00PM at Brooks-Rogers Recital Hall at Williams College, he will give a senior recital presenting the works of Bach, Beethoven and Messiaen. 

Misty Blues in concert - Friday, April 13

Misty Blues, headed by Gina Coleman, in concert -
Admission is free; donations will be gratefully accepted!

Free piano recital - Sunday, January 21 at 3 pm

Andrew King

Sunday, January 21 at 3 pm

FREE

Hartford-based pianist Andrew King (son of Mary King) will perform music by Beethoven, Chopin, and Barber on Sunday, January 21 at 3 pm. 

Free and open to the public.

An increasingly established pianist in the greater Hartford area, Andrew King was winning regional competitions by the age of 17. 

After studying at the Hartt School Community Division, Mr. King attended Bowdoin College where he earned a BA in Music.  He returned to Hartt as the recipient of the WM Vincent Scholarship to complete his MM in Piano Performance.  

His principal teachers include Robert Durso (New York), David Westfall, Margreet Francis, and Gerald Stofsky (Vienna).  Mr. King has competed internationally and performed in masterclasses for leading pianists, including Ilya Itin, Paul Roberts, Yael Weiss, and Robert Wyatt.  

After having served on the faculty of the Hartt School Community Division for many years, Mr. King now devotes his energies to performing, teaching privately at his home studio in Bloomfield, and working towards certification as an Instructor of the Taubman Approach with the Golandsky Institute, based in New York City.  For more information, please visit his website, andrewkingpianist.com.