Grammy nominee to play free noon concert, Nov. 4, St. John's, Lafayette Square

Noah Getz
Grammy nominee, composer, musician-in-residence at American University, and worldwide performer, Noah Getz will play saxophone with organist Michael Lodico in a free noontime concert Wednesday at St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square.

On the program is Esprit de la Lune (Spirit of the Moon, 2012) by Australian composer Andrian Pertout (b. 1963, Santiago, Chile) which Mr. Getz co-commissioned for a performance at King's Chapel in Boston. 

Michael Lodico/Photo, St. John's Episcopal Church

Mr. Lodico, a Fulbright Scholar, is the interim director of music ministry and organist at St. John's.  He teaches at St. Anselm's Abbey School and performs with harpist Rebecca Anstine Smith as the Lafayette Square Duo who will play at St. John's March 2.

These free noon concerts are monthly presentations of the church's First Wednesday series held every month through June.

St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square/Photo by Patricia Leslie

St. John's known to many Washington residents as the yellow church at Lafayette Square, is often called the “Church of the Presidents” since beginning with James Madison who was president from 1809 to 1817, every president has been a member of St. John's or has attended services at the church. A plaque at the rear of the church designates the pew where President Abraham Lincoln often sat when he stopped by St. John's during the Civil War.  

This year the church celebrates its bicentennial, and its history and that of its stained-glass windows are told in books and booklets available at St. John's.

First Wednesday concerts begin at 12:10 p.m. and last about 35 minutes. Food trucks are located at Farragut Square, two blocks away, for those on lunch break.

Who:   Saxophonist Noah Getz and organist Michael Lodico will present Esprit de la Lune by Andrian Pertout
   
What:  First Wednesday Concerts

When: 12:10 p.m., November 4, 2015

Where: St. John’s, Lafayette Square, 1525 H Street, NW, at the corner of 16^th, Washington, D.C. 20005

How much: No charge

Duration: About 35 minutes

Wheelchair accessible

Metro stations: McPherson Square (White House exit), Farragut North, or Farragut West 

For more information: Contact Michael Lodico at 202-270-6265.

Future dates and artists of the First Wednesday Concerts are:

December 2: Madrigal Singers from St. Albans & National Cathedral schools will sing seasonal music.

January 6, 2016: Concert organist Janet Yieh will play works by Brahms and Widor.

February 3: Bob McDonald and Friends will sing to celebrate the crooner's centennial in "Sinatra Turns 100."
 
March 2: The Lafayette Square Duo with Rebecca Smith on harp and Michael Lodico on organ will play a composition by Peter Mathews. 

April 6: Soloists from St. John's Choir will sing.

May 4: The U.S. Air Force Strings Chamber Orchestra with harpsichordist Brandon Straub will play Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 5.

June 1: Concert organist Roderick Demmings, Jr., will play virtuosic works by Bach, Wammes, and Widor.

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