Free noon French organ concert Jan. 10, St. John's, Lafayette Square

 Julie Vidrick Evans by Tommy Jordan
 
Prize-winning concert organist, Julie Vidrick Evans, will play French music in a free concert Wednesday, January 10, 2018, at St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square beginning at 12:10 p.m.

Ms. Vidrick Evans is the director of music for Chevy Chase Presbyterian Church who followed her grandmother's and mother's practices of organ playing, according to a 2016 article in the Washington Post. Ms. Vidrick Evans earned a master of music in organ performance from Catholic University and a bachelor of music from James Madison University.
The program: 

Piéce héroïque -- César Franck (1822-1890)

Suite de deuxième ton -- Louis Nicholas Clérambault (1676-1749)

- Duo

- Basse de cromorne

- Récit de nasard

- Caprice

Suite Brève -- Jean Langlais (1907-1991)

- Dialogue sur les mixtures

- Cantilene

- Fête 

The presentation is one of St. John's First Wednesday Concerts, always performed without charge and lasting about 35 minutes.

St. John's was founded in 1815 and is known to Washington residents as the yellow church at Lafayette Square. It's often called the “Church of the Presidents” since beginning with James Madison, who was president from 1809 to 1817, every president has attended services at the church, and several have been members. A plaque at the rear of St. John's designates the pew where President Abraham Lincoln often sat when he stopped by the church during the Civil War.

Benjamin Latrobe, known as the "father of American architecture" and the architect of the U.S. Capitol Building and the White House porticos, designed St. John's Church in the form of a Greek cross.

The church bell, weighing almost 1,000 pounds, was cast by Paul Revere's son, Joseph, in August, 1822, and was hung at St. John's that November where it has rung since. Wikipedia says two accounts report that whenever the bell rings on the occasion of the death of a notable person, six male ghosts appear at the president's pew at midnight and quickly disappear.
St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square, Washington, D.C./Photo by Patricia Leslie

Dolley Madison, wife of President Madison, was baptized and confirmed at St. John's, according to the National Park Service, which calls the church "one of the few original remaining buildings left near Lafayette Park today."
 
Following inaugural tradition, President Donald J. Trump and his family began his presidency on January 20, 2017 with private services at St. John's.

For those on lunch break Wednesday, food trucks are located at Farragut Square, two blocks away.

Who: Julie Vidrick Evans playing music by French composers

What: First Wednesday Concerts

When: 12:10 p.m., January 10, 2018

Where: St. John’s, Lafayette Square, 1525 H Street, NW, at the corner of 16th, 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, St. John's director of music ministry and organist, 202-270-6265 or Michael.Lodico@stjohns-dc.org or 202-347-8766
 
Future First Wednesday concerts, all beginning at 12:10 p.m. and lasting until 12:45 p.m., are:

February 7: Soloists from St. John's Choir

March 7: Preludes and Fugues from Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier by Mak Grgic, guitar, and Stephen Ackert, organ

April 4: The premiere of Paul Leavitt's Fanfare for Trumpet and Organ by Lisa Galoci, organist, and Chuck Seipp, trumpet

May 2: Music for Angels, including Craig Phillips' Archangel Suite by Michael Lodico, director of music and organist, St. John's

June 6: Music by Women Composers, including Margaret Sandresky's Dialogues for Organ and Strings by Ilono Kubiaczyk-Adler, organist, with the U.S. Air Force Strings

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Free noon Christmas concert at St. John's, Lafayette Square, Dec. 6

The Episcopal High School Chamber Choir will sing music of the season in a free noontime concert on Wednesday, December 6, at St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square. 

On the program are: 

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

Adam lay ybounden - Boris Ord

Sicut cervus - Palestrina

Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day - Nicholas White

Unclouded Day - arr. Shawn Kirchner

Steal Away - Nicholas White

Go Where I Send Thee - arr. Paul Caldwell & Sean Ivory

Carol of the Bells - Peter Whilhousky

What Sweeter Music - John Rutter

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer - arr. Mac Huff

The choir sings under the direction of Brent Erstad who teaches at EHS and is the assistant director of music at St. John's.

The presentation is one of St. John's First Wednesday Concerts, always performed without charge and lasting about 35 minutes, beginning at 12:10 p.m.
 
St. John's was founded in 1815 and is known to Washington residents as the yellow church at Lafayette Square. It's often called the “Church of the Presidents” since beginning with James Madison, who was president from 1809 to 1817, every president has attended services at the church, and several have been members. A plaque at the rear of St. John's designates the pew where President Abraham Lincoln often sat when he stopped by the church during the Civil War.
 
Benjamin Latrobe, known as the "father of American architecture" and the architect of the U.S. Capitol Building and the White House porticos, designed St. John's Church in the form of a Greek cross.

The church bell, weighing almost 1,000 pounds, was cast by Paul Revere's son, Joseph, in August, 1822, and was hung at St. John's that November where it has rung since. Wikipedia says two accounts report that whenever the bell rings on the occasion of the death of a notable person, six male ghosts appear at the president's pew at midnight and quickly disappear.
St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square, Washington, D.C./Photo by Patricia Leslie

Dolley Madison, wife of President Madison, was baptized and confirmed at St. John's, according to the National Park Service, which calls the church "one of the few original remaining buildings left near Lafayette Park today."

Following inaugural tradition, President Donald J. Trump and his family began his presidency on January 20, 2017 with private services at St. John's.
 
For those on lunch break Wednesday, food trucks are located at Farragut Square, two blocks away.

Who: The Episcopal High School Chamber Choir sing seasonal music

What: First Wednesday Concerts

When: 12:10 p.m., December 6, 2017

Where: St. John’s, Lafayette Square, 1525 H Street, NW, at the corner of 16th, 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, St. John's director of music ministry and organist, 202-270-6265 or Michael.Lodico@stjohns-dc.org or 202-347-8766
 
Other First Wednesday concerts, all beginning at 12:10 p.m. and lasting until 12:45 p.m., are:
 
January 10, 2018: Music from French composers by Julie Vidrick Evans, organist

February 7: Soloists from St. John's Choir

March 7: Preludes and Fugues from Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier by Mak Grgic, guitar, and Stephen Ackert, organ

April 4: The premiere of Paul Leavitt's Fanfare for Trumpet and Organ by Lisa Galoci, organist, and Chuck Seipp, trumpet

May 2: Music for Angels, including Craig Phillips' Archangel Suite by Michael Lodico, director of music and organist, St. John's
 
June 6: Music by Women Composers, including Margaret Sandresky's Dialogues for Organ and Strings by Ilono Kubiaczyk-Adler, organist, with the U.S. Air Force Strings
 
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All Saints Day free concert Nov. 1, St. John's, Lafayette Square

Fra Angelico (c. 1395-1455), The Forerunners of Christ with Saints and Martyrs (about 1423-24), National Gallery, London/Wikipedia

Maurice Duruflé, George Shearing, and J.S. Bach are some of the composers whose works will be played at a free lunchtime concert Wednesday at St. John's, Lafayette Square in honor of All Saints Day.

Brent Erstad, an organist and assistant director of music at St. John's who teaches at Episcopal High School in Alexandria, will play Fantasia and Fugue in C Minor, BWV 537 (Bach), Prélude et Fugue sur le nom d'Alain (Duruflé), and There is a Happy Land (Shearing).

Also on the program are Elegy by George Thalben-Ball and Litanies by Jehan Alain. The performance is part of the church's First Wednesday concert series.

Brent Erstad/Episcopal High School

All Saints Day commemorates those who have died and have gone to heaven. It falls between Halloween and All Souls Day or Day of the Dead on November 2, the latter which recognizes those who have died and have not yet reached heaven. 

All Saints often commemorates the lives of loved ones who have died in the past year, including those known to members at St. John's who, throughout the year, provide names of the deceased to the church where they are read aloud in services.
 
The history of All Saints' Day can be traced to Pope Boniface IV, who in 609 AD consecrated the Pantheon at Rome to the Virgin Mary and all the Martyrs. In the next century, All Saints was given officialdom on November 1 by Pope Gregory III.

All Saints' Day at a cemetery in Sanok, Poland, November 1, 2011/Silar, Creative Commons, Wikipedia
 
St. John's was founded in 1815 and is known to Washington residents as the yellow church at Lafayette Square. It's often called the “Church of the Presidents” since beginning with James Madison, who was president from 1809 to 1817, every president has attended services at the church. A plaque at the rear of St. John's designates the pew where President Abraham Lincoln often sat when he stopped by the church during the Civil War.
 
Benjamin Latrobe, known as the "father of American architecture" and the architect of the U.S. Capitol Building and the White House porticos, designed St. John's Church in the form of a Greek cross.

The church bell, weighing almost 1,000 pounds, was cast by Paul Revere's son, Joseph, in August, 1822, and hung at St. John's that November where it has rung since. Wikipedia says two accounts report that whenever the bell rings on the occasion of the death of a notable person, six male ghosts appear at the president's pew at midnight and quickly disappear.
St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square, Washington, D.C./Photo by Patricia Leslie

Dolley Madison, wife of President Madison, was baptized and confirmed at St. John's, according to the National Park Service, which calls the church "one of the few original remaining buildings left near Lafayette Park today."
 
Following tradition, President Donald J. Trump and his family began his presidency on the morning of January 20, 2017 with private services at St. John's.

For those on lunch break Wednesday, food trucks are located at Farragut Square, two blocks away.

Who: Brent Erstad, organist, playing an All Saints' Day concert

What: First Wednesday Concerts

When: 12:10 p.m., November 1, 2017

Where: St. John’s, Lafayette Square, 1525 H Street, NW, at the corner of 16th, 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, St. John's director of music ministry and organist, 202-270-6265 or Michael.Lodico@stjohns-dc.org or 202-347-8766
 
Other First Wednesday concerts all beginning at 12:10 p.m. and lasting until 12:45 p.m. are:

December 6: Music of the Season by the Episcopal High School Chamber Choir

January 10, 2018: Music by French composers by Julie Vidrick Evans, organist

February 7: Soloists from St. John's Choir

March 7: Preludes and Fugues from Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier by Mak Grgic, guitar, and Stephen Ackert, organ

April 4: The premiere of Paul Leavitt's Fanfare for Trumpet and Organ by Lisa Galoci, organist, and Chuck Seipp, trumpet

May 2: Music for Angels, including Craig Phillips' Archangel Suite by Michael Lodico, director of music and organist, St. John's
 
June 6: Music by Women Composers, including Margaret Sandresky's Dialogues for Organ and Strings by Ilono Kubiaczyk-Adler, organist, with the U.S. Air Force Strings
 
patricialesli@gmail.com

Free Bach Brandenburg concert, Wednesday, St. John's, Lafayette Square

Mary Bowden/Photo by Lisa-Marie Mazzucco

Classical trumpeter Mary Bowden will join the 20 members of the U.S. Air Force Strings Ensemble Wednesday to play Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in a free noontime concert at St. John's Episcopal Church at Lafayette Square.

Ms. Bowden, who has accompanied Adele on tour, began fulltime college music studies at the age of 14. Gramaphone has called her "brilliant" and “radiant in new repertoire for trumpet,” an adaptation of "radiant" which appears in the title of her recently released first album, "Radiance."  

A worldwide performer, Ms. Bowden has placed first in many competitions.

 The U.S. Air Force Strings Ensemble

Air Force Strings is one of six musical ensembles of the U.S. Air Force Band. The Strings' portfolio includes wide-ranging styles from classical to rock, bluegrass, Broadway, and patriotic selections, played without a conductor. 


Also on Wednesday's program is "Serenade for String" by George Antheil (1900-1959), an avante-garde composer and inventor (Wikipedia).

The concert is the last of this year's First Wednesday Concerts series at St. John's.

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

St. John's was founded in 1815 and is known to Washington residents as the yellow church at Lafayette Square. It's often called the “Church of the Presidents” since beginning with President James Madison, who was president from 1809 to 1817, every president has attended services at the church. 

A plaque at the rear of St. John's designates the pew where President Abraham Lincoln often sat when he stopped by the church during the Civil War. 

Benjamin Latrobe, the "father of American architecture" who designed the U.S. Capitol and the White House porticos, created the plan for St. John's Church using a Greek cross.  
 
The church bell, which weighs almost 1,000 pounds, was cast by Paul Revere's son, Joseph, in 1822 and hung at the church that year where it has rung since. Wikipedia says two accounts report that whenever the bell rings on the occasion of the death of a notable person, six male ghosts appear at the president's pew at midnight and quickly disappear. (Who's counting?) 

Dolley Madison, wife of President Madison, was baptized and confirmed at St. John's which is "one of the few original remaining buildings left near Lafayette Park today,"
according to the National Park Service.

Following tradition, President Donald J. Trump and his family began his presidency on the morning of January 20, 2017 with private services at St. John's.

For those on lunch break, food trucks are located nearby at Farragut Square.
 
Another concert not to miss!
 
Who:  Mary Bowden and the U.S. Air Force Strings presenting Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 and Antheil's "Serenade for Strings"

What: First Wednesday Concerts

When: 12:10 p.m., June 7, 2017

Where: St. John’s, Lafayette Square, 1525 H Street, NW, at the corner of 16th, 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, St. John's director of music ministry and organist, 202-270-6265 or Michael.Lodico@stjohns-dc.org.
  
patricialesli@gmail.com

Free 'Merrie Olde England' organ concert, May 3, St. John's, Lafayette Square

Thomas Smith

The organist and director of music at Church Church in Georgetown, Thomas Smith, will present a free recital of English organ music in a noontime concert Wednesday at St. John's Episcopal Church in downtown D.C.

A Philadelphia native, Mr. Smith has degrees in organ performance and church music from Duquesne University and the Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins University. 
 
The concert is one of St. John's First Wednesday Concert series which shall conclude this year on June 7 with a performance of Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 by the U.S. Air Force Strings with trumpeter Mary Bowden.

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

St. John's was founded in 1815 and is known to Washington residents as the yellow church at Lafayette Square. It's often called the “Church of the Presidents” since beginning with James Madison who was president from 1809 to 1817, every president has attended services at the church. A plaque at the rear of St. John's designates the pew where President Abraham Lincoln often sat when he stopped by the church during the Civil War. 

Benjamin Latrobe, known as the "father of American architecture" and the architect of the U.S. Capitol Building and the White House porticos, designed St. John's Church in the form of a Greek cross.  

The church bell, weighing almost 1,000 pounds, was cast by Paul Revere's son, Joseph, in August, 1822, and hung at St. John's that November where it has rung since. Wikipedia says two accounts report that whenever the bell rings on the occasion of the death of a notable person, six male ghosts appear at the president's pew at midnight and quickly disappear.  (Who are the six? Only male ghosts? Did they come out when Dolley Madison died in1849? Or, Rosa Parks in 2005?  Who's watching? This sounds like a great children's book.)

Dolley Madison, wife of President Madison, was baptized and confirmed at St. John's, according to the National Park Service, which calls the church "one of the few original remaining buildings left near Lafayette Park today."

Following tradition, President Donald J. Trump and his family began his presidency on the morning of January 20, 2017 with private services at St. John's.

For those on lunch break Wednesday, food trucks are located at Farragut Square, two blocks away.
 
A concert not to miss! 

Who:  Thomas Smith playing a recital of English organ music in "A Journey to Merrie Olde England"

What: First Wednesday Concerts

When: 12:10 p.m., May 3, 2017

Where: St. John’s, Lafayette Square, 1525 H Street, NW, at the corner of 16th, 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, St. John's director of music ministry and organist, 202-270-6265 or Michael.Lodico@stjohns-dc.org or 202-347-8766
 
June 7:  Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 by the U.S. Air Force Strings with trumpeter Mary Bowden
 
patricialesli@gmail.com

Free jazz concert, Feb. 1, St. John's, Lafayette Square

Jazz singer Sara Jones

Did someone say Billie Holiday?   

Jazz singer Sara Jones, the winner of a Billie Holiday competition, will present a free lunchtime concert at St. John's Episcopal Church on Lafayette Square Wednesday to sing the greats of Cole Porter and George Gershwin, among other composers.

Accompanying her for Winter Escape will be Steve Heberman on the guitar and Paul Langosch, bass.

St. John's quotes Ms. Jones describing the concert as "jazz standards and Brazilian bossa novas that will keep you warm during this wintry and blustery season.  With songs lovingly curated from the Great American Songbook, we will explore songs about love of travel, love of warmth, and love of life!"  

A prelude to Valentine's Day!

The concert is one of St. John's First Wednesday Concert series, presented without charge.
 
St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square, Washington, DC/Photo by Patricia Leslie

St. John's was founded in 1815 and is known to Washington residents as the yellow church at Lafayette Square. It's often called the “Church of the Presidents” since beginning with James Madison who was president from 1809 to 1817, every president has attended services at the church. A plaque at the rear of St. John's designates the pew where President Abraham Lincoln often sat when he stopped by the church during the Civil War.  

Benjamin Latrobe, the architect of the U.S. Capitol Building, designed St. John's Church in the form of a Greek cross.  

The church bell, weighing almost 1,000 pounds, was cast by Paul Revere's son, Joseph, in August, 1822, and hung at St. John's that November where it has rung ever since. Wikipedia says two accounts report that whenever the bell rings on the occasion of the death of a notable person, six male ghosts appear at the president's pew at midnight and quickly disappear.  (Who are the six?)

Following tradition, President Donald J. Trump and his family began his presidency on the morning of January 20, 2017 with private services at St. John's.

For those on lunch break Wednesday, food trucks are located at Farragut Square, two blocks away.
 
A concert not to miss! 

Who: Jazz vocalist Sara Jones

What: First Wednesday Concerts

When: 12:10 p.m., February 1, 2017

Where: St. John’s, Lafayette Square, 1525 H Street, NW, at the corner of 16th, 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, St. John's director of music ministry and organist, 202-270-6265 or Michael.Lodico@stjohns-dc.org
 
Other dates and artists of the First Wednesday Concert Series are:
 
(The first Wednesday in March is Ash Wednesday.)

April 5: Soloists from St. John's Choir will sing.

May 3: Thomas Smith, the director of music at Christ Church, Georgetown, will play A Journey to Merrie Olde England - A Recital of English Organ Music.

June 7: Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 will be played by the U.S. Air Force Strings with trumpeter Mary Bowden.


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Beatles Toccata in free noon concert Jan. 4, St. John's, Lafayette Square

Janet Yieh by Harrison Linsey

Concert organist Janet Yieh will play the Beatles Toccata for "All You Need is Love" by Paul Ayres at a free noontime concert Wednesday at St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square.

Ms. Yieh's performance is part of the church's
First Wednesday Concerts held on the first Wednesday of the month at 12:10 p.m. and lasting about 30 minutes.

What is a "toccata"?  The Free Dictionary supplies several definitions:  "A virtuoso composition, usually for the organ or another keyboard instrument, in free style with brilliant passagework" and "a composition in the style of an improvisation, for the piano, organ, or other keyboard instrument, intended to exhibit the player's technique."

Also on Wednesday's program are: 

Overture to the Oratorio “St. Paul” arr. W. T. Best
Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809-1847)

Adagio in E Major
Frank Bridge (1879-1941)
 
Dieu Parmi Nous
Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992)

Ms. Yieh, a native of Alexandria, is pursuing her master’s degree at Yale’s Institute of Sacred Music and School of Music. She serves as organ scholar at Trinity Church on the Green in New Haven. She received her undergraduate degree in organ from the Juilliard School and was assistant organist at Trinity Church on Broadway at Wall Street for four years.
 
The winner of many competitions, Ms. Yieh plays concerts throughout the U.S. and Asia, including Alice Tully Hall, the Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Washington National Cathedral, and Holy Trinity Anglican Cathedral. She began piano lessons at age 4, violin at age 7, and the organ, at 11. 

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

St. John's was founded in 1815 and is known to Washington residents as the yellow church at Lafayette Square. It's often called the “Church of the Presidents” since beginning with James Madison who was president from 1809 to 1817, every president has attended services here. A plaque at the rear of St. John's designates the pew where President Abraham Lincoln often sat when he stopped by the church during the Civil War.  

Following tradition, President-Elect Donald J. Trump will begin his inauguration on January 20 with private services at St. John's.

For those on lunch break Wednesday, food trucks are located at Farragut Square, two blocks away.
 
A concert not to miss! 

Who: Concert Organist Janet Yieh

What: First Wednesday Concerts

When: 12:10 p.m., January 4, 2017

Where: St. John’s, Lafayette Square, 1525 H Street, NW, at the corner of 16th, 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: 202-347-8766
 
Other dates and artists of the First Wednesday Concert Series are:
 
February 1: Jazz vocalist Sara Jones will sing a Winter Escape, accompanied by the Dan Dufford Ensemble.
 
(The first Wednesday in March is Ash Wednesday.)

April 5: Soloists from St. John's Choir will sing.

May 3: Thomas Smith, the director of music at Christ Church, Georgetown, will play A Journey to Merrie Olde England - A Recital of English Organ Music.

June 7: Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 will be played by the U.S. Air Force Strings with trumpeter Mary Bowden.


patricialesli@gmail.com