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.

Steeple Concerts at St. Paul’s is proud to present renowned pianist Daniel Epstein in recital on Sunday, November 8. In anticipation of Beethoven’s 250th birthday on December 16, the concert will include his Piano Sonata #31 in A-flat major, Op. 110, together with music by Bach and Liszt. The Beethoven sonata is one of his last three piano sonatas, which were composed between 1820 and 1822 and which are considered some of the greatest works in the piano literature. Together with the Ninth Symphony, Missa Solemnis, and final string quartets, these sonatas comprise some of Beethoven’s final compositions.

The same program will be presented twice, at 3pm and 6pm. Following NJ state guidelines, we are restricting our audience size to fifty members per concert and shortening each concert to approximately 45 minutes in length. All concertgoers must wear a mask at all times while in the building and audience members will be asked to remain seated in their assigned pew for the duration of the concert.

Daniel Epstein is a graduate of the Juilliard School, where he studied with Adele Marcus. Mr. Epstein gained international attention in 1973 as the first American to perform the Yellow River Concerto with Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra, just before their historic tour of China. He has appeared as guest soloist with major symphony orchestras including those of Philadelphia, San Francisco, Houston, Dallas, Detroit, and Rochester. As the pianist and founding member of the famed Raphael Trio, Daniel Epstein has performed virtually the entire piano trio repertoire. He has also collaborated with many renowned string quartets, as well as with many other distinguished chamber musicians and soloists. Mr. Epstein is a member of the piano faculties of Manhattan School of Music and Rutgers University.

The recital is the second of four concerts in the Steeple Concerts 2020-2021 season. The final two programs will feature solo performances by harpist Bridget Kibbey and cellist Oliver Herbert. Advance purchase of tickets is required due to capacity limitations and the collection of necessary information for contact tracing for the 3pm and 6pm performances on each date. Depending on current state recommendations, we may offer a streaming video performance in lieu of a concert with audience present.

Tickets to the concert are $25 for adults and $10 for students. Tickets and details about this concert and upcoming programs for the season are available on the Steeple Concerts website at www.steepleconcerts.org.

St. Paul’s Church is located at 414 East Broad Street in downtown Westfield, NJ. Free parking is available in the parking lot adjacent to the church or on St. Paul’s Street on the south side of the church. 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.

Join us to experience the thrilling experience of live music and celebrate Beethoven’s 250th on Sunday, November 8!

Steeple Concerts at St. Paul’s is excited to announce the first concert of its 2020-21 “Season of Soloists.” On Sunday, September 27, acclaimed organist Joshua Stafford will perform on the 2004 Cornel Zimmer organ at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Westfield, NJ. The same program will be presented twice, at 3:00 PM and 6:00 PM.

Mr. Stafford is the 2016 Pierre S. du Pont First Prize winner of the prestigious Longwood Gardens International Organ Competition. He received his Bachelor of Music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music and his Master of Music degree from the Yale School of Music as a student of Thomas Murray. His performances have been hailed as “technically flawless yet exceptionally nuanced and spontaneous.” His concert programs almost always include a major organ transcription in addition to the standard organ repertoire. Mr. Stafford is the Director of Music at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Morristown, New Jersey.

Future programs in the season will feature solo performances by pianist Daniel Epstein, harpist Bridget Kibbey, and cellist Oliver Herbert. Steeple Concerts will follow all of the safety measures required by the mandates of the Governor of New Jersey and the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey in staging these concerts. More information about our COVID precautions can be found on our website.

Advance purchase of tickets is encouraged due to capacity limitations for the 3pm and 6pm performances on each date. Tickets to the concert are $25 for adults and $10 for students. Tickets and details about this concert and upcoming programs for the season are available on the Steeple Concerts website at www.steepleconcerts.org.

Season subscriptions are also available on the website. 

In light of the ongoing emergency surrounding the COVID-19, we have carefully considered the health and safety of our patrons, musicians, and staff; therefore, with deep regret, we must postpone the remaining two concerts of our 2019-20 season. The good news is that The Westerlies, originally scheduled to perform for us this coming Sunday, will perform in November as part of our 2020-2021 season! We also expect to present our 2020 Masterworks at St. Paul’s program, “Beethoven & Dvorák,” in May 2021. Watch www.steepleconcerts.org for details.

If you have already purchased tickets to either of the postponed concerts, you have the option to turn your payment into a 100% tax-deductible contribution to the Friends of Music at St. Paul’s, primary sponsor of our Steeple Concert series, or you may use your tickets at the corresponding concert in our next season. To inform us of your choice, please email us at info@steepleconcerts.org or reply to this email.

While we are deeply saddened that we must postpone the remainder of our 2019-2020 season, you can be sure that we are already hard at work developing our 2020-2021 season! Thank you for all that you do to support the Steeple Concerts series, and we wish you health and peace in these challenging times. 

The Westerlies postponed

Following the actions of many organizations, Steeple Concerts at St. Paul's has made the decision to postpone our upcoming March 29th concert featuring The Westerlies.  We feel this decision, while difficult, is in the best interest of our audience members, our guest artists, and our wider community.

We are in the process of working with the artists to reschedule for our upcoming 2020-21 season. If you have already purchased a concert ticket, please be assured your ticket will be honored for the new date. In the event you are unable to attend on the new date, your ticket will be honored at a similar concert during the 2020-21 season. If you prefer to receive a refund, please contact us at info@steepleconcerts.org
 

Rehearsals for Masterworks Concert to be delayed

The Masterworks choir was scheduled to begin rehearsals for the annual Masterworks concert "Beethoven & Dvorak" this coming Monday evening. Due to the COVID outbreak and for the safety of our singers, we will postpone the beginning of rehearsals until Monday April 6th.  We hope to have more clarity by then and ask for your cooperation and understanding as we all navigate these unprecedented times together. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our Artistic Director Mark Hyczko at mhyczko@stpaulswestfield.org

Steeple Concerts at St. Paul’s will present violinist Lara St. John and jazz pianist Matt Herskowitz at 5:00 pm on Sunday, November 17 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 414 East Broad Street, Westfield, NJ. Free parking is available in the parking lot adjacent to the church or on St. Paul’s Street on the south side of the church.

Lara St. John has long been a collector of music from Eastern Europe, beginning with her first trip to Hungary at 11 years old. She met jazz pianist Matt Herskowitz several years ago, and he proved a catalyst to her idea that some of these tunes might be well heard anew. The program includes songs from Armenia, Palestine, the Jewish Diaspora, Russia, Macedonia, Serbia, Greece, Romania, and Hungary. Some are fully written, some are partly improvised, but they all come from tunes that she has known and loved for years.

Ms. St. John began playing the violin when she was two years old. She made her first appearance as soloist with orchestra at age four and began studying at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia at 13. She has performed around the world as a soloist with the orchestras of Cleveland, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver, and with the Boston Pops, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, among many others. The Los Angeles Times wrote “Lara St. John happens to be a volcanic violinist with a huge, fabulous tone that pours out of her like molten lava. She has technique to burn and plays at a constant high heat.” Her album, Bach: The Six Sonatas and Partitas, of music for solo violin was the best-selling double album on iTunes in 2007. 

Pianist, composer, and arranger Matt Herskowitz is a graduate of the Juilliard School in New York and the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. His work combines the superlative technique of a classical virtuoso with prowess in jazz, world music and free improvisation.

Tickets to the concert are $25 for adults and $10 for students. Tickets and details about upcoming programs are available on the Steeple Concerts website at www.steepleconcerts.org and at the door. 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.

Steeple Concerts is thrilled to present Lara St. John at St. Paul’s for the second program of the 2019-20 season. Join us on November 17 in Westfield!

Steeple Concerts at St. Paul’s will present the Argus String Quartet at 5:00 pm on Sunday, September 22, in a program of music ranging from the 18th to the 21st centuries. As seen in the exciting program planned for the Westfield concert, the quartet  is dedicated to celebrating the artistic landscape of our time by drawing unexpected connections across styles and centuries in order to foster community amongst performers, audiences, and composers alike. The concert will be performed at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 414 East Broad Street, Westfield, NJ. Free parking is available in the parking lot adjacent to the church or on St. Paul’s Street on the south side of the church.

The Argus Quartet has quickly acquired an impressive reputation since its founding in Los Angeles in 2013. They have performed at many prestigious venues, including Carnegie’s Weill and Zankel Halls, Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, and the Ravinia Festival. Highlights of the 2019-20 season include debut performances for Washington Performing Arts at the Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center’s Great Performers series.

The program opens in the Baroque era with selections from The Art of the Fugue by Johann Sebastian Bach. The program then moves to a composition by the contemporary composer Juri Seo, a Guggenheim Fellowship winner on the music faculty at Princeton University, and the Cavatina from String Quartet, Op. 130, by Ludwig van Beethoven. Winter-Spring, by Seo, captures the turbulent changes of weather at the end of winter. The main musical motive comes from a simple two-note call of black-capped chickadees. In May 2019, the quartet released a recording of Seo’s works for string quartet on Innova Recordings. The second half of the program similarly contrasts Curiosity Cabinet, a short work for four strings by the contemporary Norwegian composer Rolf Wallin, with the 19th-century String Quartet No. 1 by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana.

Individual tickets to the concert are $25 for adults and $10 for students. Adult subscriptions to the full season of five concerts are priced at $100, with student subscriptions at $40. Season subscriptions, as well as tickets to individual concerts and details about upcoming concerts, 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.

Join us on September 22 as we kick off an exciting season of music on Sunday evenings in Westfield!

Steeple Concerts at St. Paul’s is proud to announce its program for the 2019-2020 season. The season includes five concerts that feature a mix of instrumental and vocal music for all tastes. All concerts are scheduled on Sunday afternoons at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 414 East Broad Street, Westfield, NJ.

The season opens on Sunday, September 22, with the Argus Quartet, a string quartet which has quickly acquired an impressive reputation since its founding in Los Angeles in 2013. The group is dedicated to celebrating the artistic landscape of our time by drawing unexpected connections across styles and centuries in order to foster community amongst performers, audiences, and composers alike. They have performed at many prestigious venues, including Carnegie’s Weill and Zankel Halls, Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, and the Ravinia Festival. Highlights of the 2019-20 season include debut performances for Washington Performing Arts at the Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center’s Great Performers series.

Lara St. John, violinist, will perform a varied program of traditional classical as well as folk-inspired music on November 17, with Matt Herskowitz at the piano. Canadian-born St. John has been described as a “high-powered soloist” by The New York Times. She has performed as soloist with the orchestras of Cleveland, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle, as well as the Boston Pops and the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, among others. Her 2008 world premiere recording of Matthew Hindson’s Violin Concerto prompted Gramophone to write: “It’s the sort of work that should get audiences running, not walking, back to concert halls on new-music nights.” Her 2016 release of re-imagined folk music with pianist Matt Herskowitz received a five-star review from All About Jazz.

The concert on January 26 features a change of pace with the Canadian Guitar Quartet. Founded in 1999, the Quartet has performed at the 92nd Street Y, among other venues, and has been broadcast on the CBC and Radio-Canada. Their most recent album, Mappa Mundi, includes works ranging from an arrangement of a Vivaldi concerto for two cellos for guitar quartet to a work paying homage to the traditional and modern tango of Argentina.

March 26 brings The Westerlies, a brass quartet, to Westfield. Based in New York, the group is made up of four childhood friends from Seattle and features music for two trumpets and two trombones. Their programs explore jazz, roots and chamber music influences to create the rarest of hybrids: music that is both "folk-like and composerly, lovely and intellectually rigorous” (NPR Music). The Westerlies navigate a wide array of venues and projects with the precision of a string quartet, the audacity of a rock band, and the charm of a family sing-along.

The season concludes with the traditional Masterworks Concert featuring the choir of St. Paul’s Church with orchestra. This year’s concert, “Beethoven & Dvořák”, features Antonin Dvořák’s “Mass in D” and Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Choral Fantasy”. The Dvořák Mass exhibits the influence of Czech folk music while scholars have noted similarities between the Beethoven Fantasy and his later Ninth Symphony. 

Season subscriptions, as well as tickets to individual concerts, are available on the Steeple Concerts website at www.steepleconcerts.org. Adult subscriptions to the full season are priced at $100, with student subscriptions at $40. Individual tickets to the first four concerts are $25 for adults and $10 for students, with tickets for the Masterworks Concert priced at $35 for adults and $15 for students.

The New Brunswick Chamber Orchestra will give the North American premiere of “Mahashatki”, a 2003 work by the late Sir John Tavener, in a program exploring the deeply spiritual minimalism of Arvo Pärt, Henryk Górecki, and John Tavener on February 9, 2019 at 7:30 PM, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Westfield.

The Saturday evening concert -- “Transcendence” --  will also feature Arvo Pärt’s haunting and spare “Tabula Rasa” and Henryk Górecki’s thrilling post-baroque concerto for harpsichord and strings.

Tavener (1944-2013) was a prolific composer of deeply spiritual work and a close friend of Sir Paul McCartney and the Princess Diana. “Mahashakti” explores the Sanskrit concept of the eternal feminine as a gateway into divine understanding. It is scored for strings, violin solo and percussionist.

Górecki’s “Harpsichord Concerto” (1980) is a short, driving virtuosic piece that is significant departure from the sound of any previous harpsichord piece ever written. Carl Patrick Bolleia will be the featured soloist for this and Pärt’s landmark “Tabula Rasa” (1977), the Estonian composer’s first to use his fascinating “tintinnabuli” style.

The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for “Transcendence” are available at the door for $25 ($10 for students) or at the Steeple Concerts website at SteepleConcerts.org. Spring Season Subscriptions are also available at a discount for a limited time.