Picnic this Sunday at noon!

Last concert of summer series - music for 2 cellos!

 Don't miss the final concert of this season's Noontime Summer concert series! Cellists Perri Morris and Diana Golden perform works by two cellos by Friedrich Kummer, Friederich Dotzauer, and Halsey Stevens.

 

Perri Morris is a registered Suzuki Instructor who teaches in Williamstown and Bennington, and performs regularly with the Vermont Symphony.  Diana Golden is the founder and artistic director of the Firebrands concert series and chamber ensemble in Malden, MA.

The concert begins at noon and lasts 45 minutes.  Admission is free; voluntary contributions to help defray expenses are welcome. Audience members are invited to bring a bag lunch to enjoy during the concert - St. John's will provide drinks and cookies. 

Violin and piano recital this Monday at noon

The 10^th annual Summer Noontime Concert series continues on Monday, August 12 with a recital by New York-based duo of violinist Akiko Kobayashi and pianist Eric Siepkes.   The program includes music by Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart.

Praised by the Ibla (Italy) Grand Prize Competition for her “remarkably precise and honest playing, with no artificial effects,” Akiko Kobayashi is an enthusiastic solo and chamber music player, and has appeared as soloist with orchestras including the Yonkers Philharmonic, Tokyo Suginami Kokaido Chamber Orchestra, and the Berkshires International Festival Orchestra. 

Pianist Eric Siepkes made his debut at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall as prize winner of the Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition in New York.  He has performed in master classes for Richard Goode, Angela Hewitt, Natalya Antonova, and has performed in chamber music master classes for London Baroque, the Avalon String Quartet, and the Eroica Trio.

The concert begins at noon and lasts 45 minutes.  Admission is free; voluntary contributions to help defray expenses are welcome. Audience members are invited to bring a bag lunch to enjoy during the concert - St. John’s will provide drinks and cookies.  

Coffeehouse/Art Exhibtion in the Lower Room this Saturday

Blueberry Buckle

Come to the Lower Room gallery at St. John's this Saturday, August 10 from 7:30 - 9:30 for a free coffeehouse featuring Blueberry Buckle.  Coffee, lemonade, and light snacks will be available during the show.  In addition to the music, you can feast your eyes on an exhibition of 29 paintings by Framingham artist Sonja Maneri which adorn the walls of the Lower Room.

Blueberry Buckle is a family affair with Cate Byrne on violin, Savannah Byrne on drums, and their father, Tom Byrne, on guitar, bass, and the occasional wind instrument.  Together, they have played at a variety of venues and events including Pittsfield Brew Works, North Adams Co-operative Art Gallery, Petrino’s Café, Public eat +  drink, Mocha Maya’s, fundraisers for MCLA and United Way, Pittsfield’s Third Thursdays, Williamstown’s Sundays at Six, and several retirement communities.  Cate has also given solo performances at the Colonial Theater in Pittsfield.

Fronted by fiddler Cate, Blueberry Buckle embraces a variety of traditions including Celtic, Blues, Jazz, Old Time, and a little rock and roll.  There is danceable fun for everybody!

The Language of Vision, an exhibition of 29 paintings by Sonja Maneri, is mounted in the Lower Room and will run from August 5 - September 14.   The show include abstracts and figurative works in oil, watercolor, and collage. 

Sonja studied at the Museum of Modern Art and the Brooklyn Museum Art School and produced her first show in Brooklyn in 1965. Since 1970 she has lived in Massachusetts, where she has produced over 30 solo shows at galleries, libraries, universities, and churches. 

Music - food - art - what could be better?!

Art Exhibition of paintings by Sonja Maneri opens this Sunday, August 4 - 11:30 a.m. in the Lower Room.

St. John's is pleased to host an exhibition of paintings by artist Sonja Maneri. Sonja studied at the Museum of Modern Art and the Brooklyn Museum Art School and produced her first show in Brooklyn in 1965. Since 1970 she has lived in Massachusetts, where she has produced over 30 solo shows at galleries, libraries, universities, and churches. 

The show will include abstract and figurative works in oil, watercolor, and collage, and will be mounted in the Lower Room. The opening will be during coffee hour after the 10:00 service this Sunday in the Lower Room. Sonja will be present and will speak briefly about her creative process

Free Piano Recital - Monday, July 29 at NOON

Pianist Andrew King (son of Steve and Mary King) returns to St. John's on Monday, July 29 in a program of music by Faure, Schubert, and Brahms.  The concert will begin at noon and last 45 minutes.  Admission is free; donations to help offset expenses are welcome.  Audience members are invited to bring a lunch to eat during the concert; St. John's will provide drinks and cookies.

Pianist Andrew King earned his BA in Music from Bowdoin College and MM in Piano Performance from the Hartt School of Music, where he was the recipient of the WM Vincent Scholarship.  His principal teachers include Robert Durso (New York), David Westfall, Gerald Stofsky (Vienna), and Margreet Francis.  Andrew has competed internationally and performed in masterclasses for leading pianists, including Paul Roberts, Dorian Leljak, Robert Wyatt, Edna Golandsky, and Yael Weiss.  Active as both teacher and performer in the greater Hartford area, Andrew maintains a private studio at his home in Bloomfield and is on the faculty of the Community Division of the Hartt School.  Additionally, Andrew serves as the pianist for the Enfield American Baptist Church, a position he has held since 2008. Continuing his studies of the Taubman Approach with Robert Durso, Andrew is nearing certification as an Instructor of the Taubman Approach for the Golandsky Institute, based in New York City. For more information, please visit his website, andrewkingpianist.com

Emily Kalish violin recital - Monday, July 22 at noon

New York-based violinist Emily Kalish performs music for solo violin on Monday, July 22 at noon.

The program includes the Bach Chaconne, the Sonata for Violin Solo, Sz.117 of Bela Bartok, and Fiddling Alon(g/e), a new work by Larry Wallach, head of the music program at Bard College at Simon’s Rock.

In addition to solo recitals, Emily has played under the baton of conductors Kurt Masur, JoAnn Faletta, Gerard Schwartz, and Robert Franz, and currently holds a position in the Binghamton Philharmonic.  A dedicated teacher, she is on the faculty of the Concordia Conservatory of Music and Art.

The concert begins at noon and lasts 45 minutes.  Admission is free; voluntary contributions to help defray expenses are welcome. Audience members are invited to bring a bag lunch to enjoy during the concert - St. John’s will provide drinks and cookies.