U.S. Army Chorus opens St. John's free First Wednesday concert series, Oct. 3

The U.S. Army Chorus

American spirituals, patriotic favorites, and more are set to be performed by the United States Army Chorus when it opens this year's series of free concerts at St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square, on October 3. 

The lunchtime concerts are part of the church's First Wednesday performances played monthly at 12:10 p.m. and lasting about 35 minutes.

Formed in 1956 to accompany the U.S. Army Band, the U.S. Army Chorus regularly sings with the National Symphony Orchestra on Memorial Day, Independence Day, at other patriotic events, and for visiting heads of state. It tours the U.S. and performs with local symphonies.

Also called "Pershing's Own," the chorus, whose members speak more than 26 languages and dialects, is one of the few professional male choruses in the U.S.

In the Chorus's repertoire are traditional military music, pop, Broadway, folk, and classical tunes. Major Leonel A. Pena is the director.

T .

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

St. John's founded in 1815 is known to many Washington residents as the yellow church at Lafayette Square, and often called the “Church of the Presidents.” 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 St. John's designates the pew where President Abraham Lincoln often sat when he stopped by the church during the Civil War.

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

Who: The U.S. Army Chorus

What: First Wednesday Concerts

When: 12:10 p.m., October 3, 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, at 202-270-6265.

Future dates and artists of the First Wednesday Concerts are:

November 7: The Ars Nova Brass Quintet with organist Michael Lodico 

December 5: The Episcopal High School Chamber Chorus will sing Music of the Season under the direction of Brent Erstad.

January 9, 2019 (second Wednesday): Concert organist Colin Lynch will play works by French composers.


February 6: Baritone Bob McDonald's sings jazz from Broadway shows.

March 6: No concert due to Ash Wednesday.

April 3: A concert by percussionist Tom Maloy and organist Michael Lodico

May 1: Music by organist Lisa Galoci and trumpeter Chuck Seipp to include the world premiere of Paul Leavitt's Fanfare for Trumpet and Organ

June 5: The U.S. Air Force Strings with pianist Brent Erstad will play Gerald Finzi's Ecologue and Ralph Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis   

patricialesli@gmail.com

The New Year's Eve Concert at St. Columba's

St. Columba's Episcopal Church/Photo by Wayne C. Fowler

At the New Year's Eve concert at  St. Columba's Episcopal Church,  there were several crowd favorites.

Prelude and Fugue in A Minor by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) is one of the composer's "most famous and celebrated works," and organist J. Reilly Lewis gave the audience what it longed to hear in dramatic fashion. 

Rose Lamoreaux rendered beautiful selections from "The American Songbook," and even if you don't especially like "sing-alongs," the concert ending with the "sing-along" to "The Gloucestershire Wassail" was fun.

The church crowd, no different from most, warmed up to the music it knew best, like Lamoreaux's "Embraceable You," which she delivered with an operatic voice which seemed as natural as candles burning brightly at Christmastime.

"The 12 Days of Christmas" is not heard much anymore, ("Hallelujah!  Hallelujah!"), but Lamoreaux sang a well-received comedic version, although some of the words were inaudible at the back of the church.

John Hurd, St. Columba's director of music, accompanied her on the piano, and the combination suggested a pleasing piano bar. 

With eyes closed to some of her selections, a Pat Boone movie came to mind, a name unknown to millennials, no doubt, but where were they?  Not in church on New Year's Eve, that's for sure.  The youngest person seen or heard was a baby at the rear of the church who gave a couple of quick shout-outs during the concert.

Truly, the best part of the evening was saved for the last since the first part of the program seemed a weird assortment with no hint of celebration in the air.  Perhaps, the programmers had heard the newscasters all label 2014 "a terrible year; an awful year," and they followed suit.

Opening the concert was Grand Dialogue in C by Louis Marchand (1669-1732), "a good representative of the early French organ school" which church organist, Diane Heath, played splendidly, but "funereal" is a good adjective to describe most of the contents.

Concerto No. 6 in D Major by Antoni Soler i Ramos (1729-1783) for organ (played by Lewis) and harpsichord (Ann Colgrove) was at times energetic and joyful, but that the composer was a monk came as no surprise since the mix of instruments promised a more pleasing outcome than what was enjoyed.

The most beautiful piece of the evening was "The Beatitudes" by Arvo Part (b. 1935), sung by The New Year's Eve Chorale whose names were omitted from the program. Judy Dodge, St. Columba's director of music emerita, conducted.
 
The writer of the excellent program notes, Cathy Kreyche,  was recognized for her skill and concise descriptions of music histories and biographies. 

Thirty minutes before the program began at 6 p.m., the church's pews were already about two-thirds filled, and concertgoers continued to drift in 40 minutes after the music started.  

When the concert ended around 7:15 p.m., all were invited to a champagne reception at the church before partiers headed out into the evening to renew auld acquaintances and welcome new ones, and maybe, a new year that's not so "awful."

Inside the church, arrangements of greens with small pine cones and tiny white carnations stood tall at the end of every other row of pews, and one wished the candles in their centers had been lighted to complement the seasonal setting.  Large green wreaths festooned with big red, velvet ribbons hung on the walls above heaters where members of the audience laid their coats for post-concert warmth.    

About 250 attended the concert which charged a "suggested" $20 per adult.  The money will be used for the church's music program, said a staff member.

The concert is held annually, a wonderful tradition for the end of the year.

St. Columba's, located in northwest Washington at 4201 Albemarle Street, has more than 3,000 members.  It was founded in 1874.

patricialesli@gmail.com







 

Postponed: free noon concert Wednesday at St. John's, Lafayette Square

The U.S. Army Chorus

 

(This just in:  The concert is postponed due to congressional meltdown.  More to come.)

 

St. John's Church at Lafayette Square inaugurates its 2013-14 free noon First Wednesday concert series October 2 with a performance by the nation's premier men's chorus, the United States Army Chorus, who regularly sing with the National Symphony Orchestra on Memorial Day, Independence Day, and at other patriotic events.  

This will be the third consecutive year the chorus has sung in the concert series.

Formed in 1956 to join the U.S. Army Band, "Pershing's Own," the group's songbooks include the traditional military music, and pop, Broadway, folk, and classical music, too. The chorus frequently performs for visiting heads of state since members can sing in more than 26 languages and dialects.  Most of the choristers hold advanced music degrees and tour the U.S., singing with symphonies and in renowned concert halls.

If fall comes, can springtime be far away from St. John's, Lafayette Square?/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.” Beginning with President James Madison, who served from 1809 to 1817, every president has either been a member of, or has attended services at St. John's. A plaque at the rear of the church designates the Lincoln pew where President Abraham Lincoln often sat when he stopped by St. John's during the Civil War.  

St. John's organist Benjamin Hutto will accompany the chorus Wednesday. The concert will start at 12:10 p.m. and last about 30 minutes. Those needing a break from the congressional meltdown on Capitol Hill will likely find the concert especially soothing. And bring your hanky in case "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" is on Wednesday's program.

Who:  The U.S. Army Chorus

What:  The First Wednesday Concerts

When: 12:10 p.m., October 2, 2013

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, Farragut North, or Farragut West

Food trucks:  Located two blocks away at Farragut Square

For more information: Contact Michael Lodico, St. John's associate organist and choir director, at 202-270-6265

Other First Wednesday concert dates all starting at 12:10 p.m. are:

November 6: Bianca Garcia, flute, assisted by Michael Lodico, organ, in the world premiere of "Kokopelliana" by Stephen Cabell

December 4: Madrigal Singers from St. Albans & National Cathedral schools directed by organist Benjamin Hutto, performing seasonal music

January 8, 2014 (2nd Wednesday): Organist Richard Fitzgerald improvises on themes from the stained glass windows of St. John's

February 5: Soloists from the St. John's Choir perform baroque music for Valentine's Day 

March 12 (2nd Wednesday): Virtuoso Organist Dongho Lee performs Charles Ives's Variations on "America" and other works 

April 2: The U.S. Air Force Strings conducted by 2nd Lt. Shanti Nolan, with organist Michael Lodico, perform Francis Poulenc's Organ Concerto

May 7: Easter music for trumpet and organ with trumpeter A. Scott Wood and Benjamin Hutto

June 4: Organist Alan Morrison

patricialesli@gmail.com

July 4 Capitol Concert is dynamite

At the rehearsal of the 2013 July 4 Capitol Concert on July 3, Neil Diamond sang the premiere of his Freedom Song:  They'll Never Take Us Down composed in honor of the 2013 Boston Marathon victims, first responders, and the city's recovery. He also sang Sweet Caroline/Patricia Leslie

Not to miss on PBS tonight at 8 p.m. EST!

Washington, D.C. for all its bad has a lot of good at the U.S. Capitol, and one of the best is the July 4 Capitol concert which, after attending last night, I vow not to miss again.  It would be hard to top free Barry Manilow, Neil Diamond, and John Williams performances, and Barry sang a lot more than an expected one or two patriotic songs.

The Choral Arts Society of Washington, the National Symphony Orchestra, the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets, the U.S. Army Ceremonial Band, cannons (the U.S. Army Presidential Salute Battery) and fireworks shot off behind the Congressional office buildings made the evening an unforgettable experience.  Bravo!

The next inaugural committee might consider hiring Barry Manilow who did not lip sync, but wowed thousands at the July 4, 2013 Capitol Concert rehearsal with his eternally energetic and distinctive voice.  He invited members of the crowd to join him in singing, and he held the microphone for some individuals to sing a few seconds of solo which delighted the audience and proved how magnetic his voice and stage presence are. Barry Manilow is 70 years old/Patricia Leslie 

(My friend says to me:  "Ah, um....isn't Barry Manilow kind of smaltzy?"  And I say to my friend:  "I wouldn't mind schmaltzing with him.")

Barry Manilow at the rehearsal of the 2013 July 4 Capitol Concert.  He sang I Write the Songs That Make the Young Girls Cry, It's a Miracle, Can't Smile Without You, Could It Be Magic?, Let Freedom Ring/Patricia Leslie

Members of the Broadway cast of Motown: The Musical sang Get Ready, but they weren't.  They were the only performers who exhibited lack of rehearsal for the rehearsal.  Behind the jumbotron is what looks like a jumbo pencil but is the Washington Monument under repair/Patricia Leslie

Michelle Obama might do well to use Darren Criss in her Move It! weight loss campaign for it was easy for him to get audience members on their feet and shaking tail feathers with his dynamic Shout! backed up by Patrick Lundy and the Ministers of Music/Patricia Leslie

At the foot of the steps to the U.S. Capitol it was hard to keep still when Darren Criss belted out Shout!/Patricia Leslie

Jackie Evancho sang an electric Star-Spangled Banner.  Other performers were Christopher Martin, Megan Hilty, Scotty McCreery, and Candice Glover/Patricia Leslie

This is what the stage looked like about 75 minutes before show time/Patricia Leslie

Union Station was bedecked in July 4 regalia/Patricia Leslie

Before the concert rehearsal started, these folks at the foot of the U.S. Capitol steps did what Washingtonians like to do: read, eat, and lay on concrete to stake out space and rest before the really big show/Patricia Leslie

The view from the Capitol steps/Patricia Leslie

The Embassy of Canada celebrates July 4 with Canadian flags/Patricia Leslie

patricialesli@gmail.com

A star-studded evening at the National Symphony Orchestra

Jean-Yves Thibaudet/Cincinnati Symphony.org

 

How was I so lucky to be able to attend the best performance of the year by the National Symphony Orchestra?  Or, at least, of the six concerts I heard?

My $11 seat three rows from the front at the Kennedy Center Friday night on the "piano side" was equivalent to a 50-yard chair when the Redskins play Dallas. 

Jean-Yves Thibaudet, born in Lyon, France in 1961 and "one of today's most sought after soloists," according to the program which quotes verbatim from his website, did dazzle with his performance of Camille Saint-Saens' Piano Concerto No. 5 in F major, Op. 103, "Egyptian."  His fingers raced up and down the keyboard faster than a fan's blades turn in summer, and the magical music we heard coming from the piano was truly astonishing, given the pounding inflected upon it by Thibaudet. He was up and down from the bench so frequently one guesses he never need exercise.

At the end the crowd roared, and the pianist, who has played around the world for three decades and recorded more than 50 albums, returned to the stage for three encores which ended the first part of the program.

At intermission in the aisle was a woman, about 80, complimenting Thibaudet's performance:  "I've traveled around the world," she said, and it was about time the National Symphony put on a really good show.  "Shut up," said the man (her husband?) as he guided her up the aisle with his hands on her shoulders.  "No one wants to hear you!"  (I was taken aback, more by him than by her.)

It was a spectacular evening, beginning with Edvard Grieg's familiar Peer Gynt, Suite No. 1, and ending with Witold Lutoslawski's Concerto for Orchestra. 

Krzysztof Urbanski was the guest conductor

 

The guest conductor making his NSO debut was Krzysztof Urbanski, the music director of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the chief conductor for the Trondheim Symfoniorkester and the principal guest conductor of the Tokyo Symphony. Quite the showman himself who has won many awards and conducted all of Poland's major orchestras, Urbanski, age 29, was a a danseur at the podium to watch him weave and wave the baton and urge the orchestra to follow his commands.  His modern, upswept hair style might be worthy of an Oscar nomination.

Meanwhile,  Thibaudet's wardrobe, the program noted, was designed by Vivienne Westwood.  It included a diamond oblong belt buckle of about 2.5 by 1.5 inches, a diamond-filled emerald cut brooch (about 2 by 1 inches) hanging from a necklace, and a single diamond-studded earring. A black satin jacket and black patent-leather shoes complemented his score.

 

patricialesli@gmail.com

Friday night's jazz scene at the Sculpture Garden

Deanna Bogart and her band at the National Gallery's Sculpture Garden/Patricia Leslie

Every Friday!

I tell you:  Every Friday!  We've got to be there.
 

Good vibes, drink, ambience, people, people.

Dance with me, Henry.

All right, baby/Patricia Leslie

So what if all those country people are over at the National Building Museum whoopin’ and a’hollerin’. We got class at the Jazz Sculpture Garden.  Like last Friday when Deanna Bogurt and her band played the blues and jazz and her brand of "blusion."  We had a gooood time.

“Darlin’, that one’s mine! Don’t even think about taking a sip!”

 

“Oh, okay. Don’t we have enough for us each to have a pitcher?”/Patricia Leslie

If stretched from end to end, the legs of Louise Bourgeois's Spider, 1996, might equal the length of the beer line seen beyond/ Patricia Leslie

Ouch! Blisters and band-aids, all for the love of beauty in the beer line. What means comfort at a free jazzfest?/Patricia Leslie

 Chains on wheels? Or chains on heels? You got'em!/Patricia Leslie

 

The presiding officer of the day was President George Washington who held court from on high/Patricia Leslie

 

"Lovey, do you think there are sharks in this pond?"

"Silly, they only swim on Capitol Hill."/Patricia Leslie

She just looks like she's holding Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen's Typewriter Eraser, Scale X, 1999.  Does anyone here know what a typewriter eraser is? Or was?/Patricia Leslie

What better place to look at your newest National Gallery of Art catalogue than in the National Gallery of Art’s Sculpture Garden with good food and drink and sunshine to brighten your day?Patricia Leslie

What’s with Men in Red all of a sudden?/Patricia Leslie

A line at the men's room, I declare/Patricia Leslie

Whoops!  Wardrobe!  I want wardrobe!/Patricia leslie

 

Across the street National Archives watches with envy/Patricia Leslie

 

Upcoming Jazz Sculpture Garden programs run from 5 - 8 p.m.:

Hendrik Meurkens, June 21

Swingtopia, June 28

Ernest "EC3" Coleman and Friends, July 5

Juanita Williams, July 12

Euphonasia, July 19

Incendio, July 26

Brian Simms, August 2

Josh Bayer, August 9

Doc Scantlin's Palmettos, August 16

Dixie Power Trio, August 23

Bruno Nasta (jazz violin) and the U.S. Navy Commodores Jazz Ensemble, August 30

 

Where:  The Sculpture Garden at the National Gallery of Art at the corner of 7th and Constitution Avenue, N.W.

 

How much:  No charge for admission

 

Food and beverages:  Available at the Garden and may be brought in with the exception of alcoholic beverages which may be purchased. Guards check bags.

 

Metro stations  Federal Triangle, Smithsonian, or Archives-Navy Memorial

 

For more information:  202-289-3360

 

patricialesli@gmail.com

Mozart and Tchaikovsky on tap tonight at Dumbarton Concerts

A Far Cry/Yoon S. Byun

 

The Washington premier of Mason Bates's Icarian Rhapsody will debut tonight at Dumbarton Concerts'  last presentation of the season with a performance by A Far Cry, a 17-member string orchestra from Boston where it serves as the chamber orchestra for the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

Mason Bates, a native of Richmond, Virginia, is the composer-in-residence for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Tonight's program at Georgetown's Historic Dumbarton Church includes Mozart's Eine Kleine Nacht Music, Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings in C, and Piazzolla's Two Tangos.

Dumbarton Concerts, celebrating the conclusion of its 35th season, "is dedicated to assembling the most talented ensembles from around the world to create a concert season of the highest quality."

Tickets may be purchased online or at the door.  

Historic Dumbarton Church in Georgetown/Patricia Leslie

What:  A Far Cry at Dumbarton Concerts

When:  Tonight, April 6, 2013 at 8 p.m.

Where:  Historic Dumbarton Church, 3133 Dumbarton Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20007

How much:  $33, general admission, or $29, seniors and students

Parking:  Limited free parking is available at Anthony Hyde Elementary School at 3210 O Street, N.W. beginning at 6:30 p.m. until 30 minutes after the show's conclusion, or arrive in Georgetown early and drive the blocks until you find a spot. (You will.)  This is Georgetown, after all, where Metro rail is prohibited, however, buses may pass.

An hors d'oeuvre bar with beer and wine is available.

For more information:  202-965-2000

patricialesli@gmail.com