Spencerville Evensong Concert Series

Organist Jeremy Filsell in performance, Saturday, May 26, 4 p.m.

Organist Jeremy Filsell closes the 2011/2012 Evensong Concert Series with a special program on Saturday, May 26 at 4 p.m. The first half of the program will feature organ works by American composers, Raymond Weidner, Richard Purvis, Gerald Near and Leo Sowerby, as we conclude this year of celebration for the 20th anniversary of the Moller Op. 11806 organ. The second half will include Filsell's own transcription of Sergei Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances, Op. 45.

Dr. Filsell is a world renowned virtuoso performer on both the organ and piano. He has performed as a solo pianist and organist in many appearances throughout Russia, Europe and the USA. Gramaphone magazine, in commenting on his recording of the complete organ works of Marcel Dupré wrote that it was ‘one of the greatest achievements in organ recording…'  His many recordings have included the complete Organ Symphonies of Louis Vierne, Bach's Clavier-Übung and, more recently, two discs of French Mélodies for Naxos (by Vierne, Widor, Dupré and Tournemire) with Michael Bundy (Baritone), and one of Rachmaninov's piano music for Signum (Sonata no. 2 in B-flat Op. 36, Etudes-Tableaux Op.33 and Preludes Op. 32).

In his dual career as a church musician he has held, among others, international posts at Ely Cathedral, Eton College, the Royal Academy of Music in London and the Royal Northern College of Music in Machester with a lay clerkship in the choir of St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. In 2008, he came to the USA where he now serves as Principal Organist of the Washington National Cathedral.

There is no charge for admission to this program. A free-will offering will be received at the close of the concert and a reception to meet the artist will follow.

Music for organ and brass, April 28, 4 p.m.

On April 28, at 4 p.m., the Brass Mosaic and friends presented a program of music for brass ensemble and organ. The ten piece brass ensemble, formed from some of the best brass players in our area's orchestras and military brass ensembles, combined with our own organist, Mark Willey, to play original compositions and arrangements by J.S. Bach, Gabrielli, Widor, and more. Check back soon for audio samples of this concert.

Choral Masterworks from France and England, March 24, 4 p.m.

On Saturday afternoon, March 24 at 4 p.m., the Spencerville Evensong Concert Series will present a program of choral masterworks by Maurice Duruflé, C. Hubert Parry, Gerald Finzi, Ralph Vaughan Williams, William Mathias, and more. The concert will feature the Columbia Collegiate Chorale of Washington Adventist University, Spencerville Sanctuary Choir, New England Symphonic Ensemble and organ, under the direction of Dr. James Bingham and Preston Hawes.

The program opens with the ethereally beautiful Requiem by Maurice Duruflé performed with strings, trumpets and organ. Duruflé composed the Requiem, op. 9 in 1947 on a commissioned by the French publisher Durand. He wrote it in memory of his father using themes from Gregorian chants. Duruflé uses these melodies, and the rhythmic flexibility of chant to infuse the work with a lyrical freedom and to musically color the drama of the text. The work was last performed for the Evensong Series in 2006.

The second half of the program opens with two works for orchestra, the well known Nimrod from Elgar's Enigma Variations and two movements from Peter Warlock's Capriole Suite. The choir then takes the loft again for eight anthems from the pen of some of the greatest English composers, starting with Hubert Parry's I was glad, an anthem fit for royal weddings and coronations. The concert concludes with David Willcocks' clever anthem Sing, sung to the accompaniment of Widor's Toccata from Symphony No. 5.

Joseph Gascho in concert, Saturday, February 4, 4 p.m.

On February 4, conductor and harpsichordist Joseph Gascho performed a program featuring works from his recently released solo CD. Dr. Gascho enjoys a varied career as a baroque keyboardist–performing as a soloist and collaborative artist; conducting opera, orchestra and choir; editing and arranging scores; and teaching and lecturing. He has won numerous grants and prizes, including first prize in the 2002 Jurow International Harpsichord Competition. In addition to numerous performances in the United States, he served as claveciniste repetiteur and directed a chamber music program at the Academie d'Art-Lyrique in Aix-en-Provence, France.  In the fall of 2010, he completed a doctorate at the University of Maryland. He teaches at the George Washington University and at Oberlin Conservatory's Baroque Performance Institute.

Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, December 10, 4 p.m.

The Sanctuary Choir at Spencerville, and the Columbia Collegiate Chorale of Washington Adventist University, conducted by Dr. James Bingham lead this service, with accompaniment on the organ by Mark Willey and the piano by Mark Di Pinto. This year, in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the organ, Mark Willey played a 30 minute prelude of seasonal organ music.