Harpist Bridget Kibbey to stream program online for Steeple Concerts on Sunday, January 24th

Steeple Concerts at St. Paul’s will present a live online solo recital by harpist Bridget Kibbey at 6pm on Sunday, January 24, as part of its 2020-2021 season. Ms. Kibbey will perform an eclectic program ranging from music of the 18th century to contemporary compositions for solo harp from St. Paul’s Church in Westfield, NJ. The concert may be viewed on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEuEtvjy3kTyNDEm-18e11A.

You may be familiar with J. S. Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565, one of the most familiar pieces in the organ repertoire and well-known from film and recordings, but you probably have never heard it performed on the harp! Ms. Kibbey’s performance will open the concert with a different take on an often-performed composition. The first part of the program continues with two selections from Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier, performed on the solo harp rather than the more familiar harpsichord or piano. The second part of the program moves to the 20th and 21st centuries, with works by Albéniz, D’Rivera, and Grandjany, as well as a new work by Manuel Valera. 

Called “a Yo-Yo Ma of the harp” by Vogue magazine, Ms. Kibbey has fast gained a reputation for her diverse, energetic programming that spans the baroque, French masterworks, and rhythmic migration in South America. She has performed with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and is a winner of a prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant and the Premiere Prix at the Journées de les Harpes Competition in Arles, France. Her debut album, Love is Come Again, was named one of the Top Ten Releases by Time Out New York.

Following current NJ state and church guidelines, this program will be offered as a streaming video performance in lieu of an in-person concert with audience. While tickets are not required to view the online concert, donations are encouraged to help cover the cost of presenting this professional live music event as part of the Steeple Concert series. Donations may be made online at https://www.steepleconcerts.org/donate.

The recital is the third concert in the Steeple Concerts 2020-2021 season. The next program will feature a performance by solo cellist Oliver Herbert on March 21. Depending upon conditions at the time of the March concert, we hope to be able to offer in-person attendance for the performance again. 

Details about this concert and the upcoming season program are available on the Steeple Concerts website at www.steepleconcerts.org. Steeple Concerts at St. Paul’s is presented by the Friends of Music, a 501(c)3 organization devoted to presenting the arts in Westfield.