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!