Concerts on the Hill 2007-2008 Season
Concerts on the Hill is an exciting part of the music and outreach programs at St. John's Episcopal Church and is committed to fostering the fine arts on the Seacoast through concerts, workshops, and family events. St. John's Concerts on the Hill series brings diverse and dynamic music programs to the Seacoast community highlighting regional, national, and international talent. Upcoming events in our 2007-2008 season include:
Saturday, October 27, 2007, 7 PM: Zedashe Ensemble Coming to Portsmouth from the medieval fortress city of Sighnaghi in eastern Georgia (former Soviet Union), Zedashe will bring to life authentic performances of Georgian music and dance at St. John's. Founded in 2000 by Ketevan Mindorashvili and her brother Shalva, Zedashe Ensemble has become famous for the performance and preservation of traditional Georgian polyphony and folk dance, the life blood of their country. The group will perform work songs, ballads, church chants, love songs, war dances, and ritual circle dance common in traditional Caucasian life. Prepare to be enchanted!
Sunday, January 6, 4 PM: Abbey Hallberg Siegfried, Organ. Described by Gramophone Magazine as playing with "bountiful refinement, virtuosity, and gusto," St. John's Director of Music Abbey Siegfried wears the many hats of solo concert artist, chamber musician, teacher and church musician. As a solo concert artist she has performed throughout Europe and the United States and gives concert/lectures on contemporary organ music. On January 6, the Day of the Epiphany, Siegfried will present the complete Messiaen cycle "La Nativite du Seigneur" (9 meditations for organ on the birth of the Lord). The magnificent Letourneau pipe organ will come to life through Messiaen's haunting and color-filled musical language and Siegfried's sensitive and bold interpretive skill.
Sunday, March 9, 2008, 4 PM: Hirsch-Pinkas Piano Duo. Since its 1992 debut, the Hirsch-Pinkas Piano Duo has presented one- and two-piano recitals to enthusiastic audiences throughout the world. Sally Pinkas and Evan Hirsch, each an active soloist, bring to their collaborations virtuosity, enthusiasm, and striking warmth (they are married). Dedicated to an exploration of twentieth-century music, their repertoire includes rarely-heard works such as Messiaen's Visions de l'amen, Milhaud's La creation du monde and Rochberg's Circles of Fire (which they premiered). Equally at ease with the standard repertoire, the Duo's offerings range from Byrd to Mozart and Rachmaninoff, and include works especially arranged by Hirsch.
Wednesday, April 2, 7 PM: The American Boychoir. The American Boychoir's rich sonorities, musical sophistication, expressive power and innovative programming have established its reputation as the United States' premier concert boys' choir and one of the finest boychoirs in the world. Its members – boys in grades 5 through 8 – come from around the country to pursue a rigorous academic and musical curriculum at The American Boychoir School, the only non-sectarian residential boys' choir school in the country. Founded in Columbus , Ohio in 1937, The American Boychoir has been located in Princeton, New Jersey since 1950. Portsmouth is one of the lucky stops for the Choir's Spring East coast tour – normally heard at venues such as Carnegie Hall and Tanglewood, it is rare to hear them in such an intimate setting as St. John's.
(Posted September 21, 2007 by bmenk)
