2014-2015

The Pipes Alive! series continues with Sean McCarthy playing the St. John’s organ on Sunday, June 6, 2021 at 12:30pm. 

Sean McCarthy is Director of Music and Organist at First Church of Christ in Wethersfield, CT.  He has appeared in concert throughout the United States, including performances at the Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception (Washington, DC), the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, (Baltimore, MD), National Presbyterian Church (Washington, DC), First Presbyterian Church (Atlanta, GA), and Trinity Cathedral (Trenton, NJ).  He has appeared as organ soloist with the Ridgefield (CT) Symphony Orchestra, the Central Florida Symphony Orchestra, and the Mid-Atlantic Chamber Orchestra.  An avid chamber music partner, he has performed as harpsichordist with the New England Baroque Soloists, and as organist with the Epic Brass Quintet (Boston, MA) and the Monumental Brass Quintet (Washington, DC).  His recordings have won critical acclaim in Fanfare and American Record Guide review journals and have been featured nationally on NPR’s Pipedreams programs from National Public Media. Sean holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Organ Performance from the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, where he was a student of Donald Sutherland and Peter Marshall.  He and his wife Eve reside in Redding, CT.

Join us for half-hour organ concerts featuring St. John’s magnificent Austin pipe organ, on the first Sunday of the month, January through June, 12:30 p.m. with regional organists. Free!

Music at the Red Door is supported in part by the Richard P. Garmany Fund of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, the Edward C. & Ann T. Roberts Foundation, the George A. & Grace L. Long Foundation, the Ensworth Charitable Foundation, the William & Alice Mortensen Foundation, and the Marjorie Jolidon Fund of the Greater Hartford Chapter, American Guild of Organists. 

An evening of incredible jazz! Join us on Friday, May 14 at 7:30pm, in the marvelous acoustics of St. John’s Church, for a unique concert teaming up the inimitable Nat Reeves with a other amazing jazz talents, including a featured student artist

The concert is free admission, suggested donation $20. Checks payable to Music at the Red Door.
A reception follows in the church hall.

Music at the Red Door is supported in part by the Richard P. Garmany Fund of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, the Edward C. & Ann T. Roberts Foundation, the George A. & Grace L. Long Foundation, the Ensworth Charitable Foundation, the William & Alice Mortensen Foundation, and the Marjorie Jolidon Fund of the Greater Hartford Chapter, American Guild of Organists. 

During the past 30 years, Nat Reeves has been one of the top bassists in jazz. His supportive and stimulating playing has uplifted a countless number of sessions and recording dates (most notably with the great altoists Jackie McLean and Kenny Garrett). Both as a performer and an educator, he has made a strong impact on the jazz world.

The Pipes Alive! series continues with Edward Clark playing the St. John’s organ on Sunday, May 2, 2021 at 12:30pm. 

Edward Clark received his Bachelor’s Degree from Tufts University and his Master of Sacred Music Degree from Union Theological Seminary’s School of Sacred Music. He studied organ with Claire Coci and Mildred Andrews and harpsichord with Eugenia Earle and Davitt Moroney. Mr. Clark has been Minister of Music at the historic First Church of Christ, Congregational, Farmington since 1965. He is organist for the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and has been featured in the symphony’s performances of the Saint-Saens Organ Symphony. For over twenty years he was a member of the organ and harpsichord faculty at the Hartt School of Music, University of Hartford. He has recently rejoined the Hartt faculty teaching continuo playing courses. He has made frequent appearances with the CT Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, Arcadia Players Baroque Orchestra, the Springfield Symphony, Orchestra New England, the Hartford Chorale, CONCORA, Chorus Angelicus and the Connecticut Choral Society as well as with numerous church choirs. He has performed in recital and with chamber music groups throughout the Northeast. Mr. Clark has been active in the American Guild of Organists, serving as Dean of the Hartford Chapter, education and exam coordinator, judge for local and regional young organist competitions, and currently as the newsletter editor/publisher. He is a founding member of the United Church of Christ Musician’s Association, has edited and published program books for its biennial summer conferences and serves as its webmaster. Mr. Clark has made a number of trips studying historic organs of Argentina, Mexico, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, and Scandinavia. His home instrument collection includes a two manual Franco-Flemish style harpsichord by Carl Fudge, a single manual south German style harpsichord by Carl Dudash, a lautenwerk converted from a Zuckerman Flemish harpsichord, a Hubert style clavichord built by Mr. Clark from a Carl Fudge kit, a Klop continuo organ, a three maunal Hauptwerk virtual organ, and a Baldwin grand piano.

Join us for half-hour organ concerts featuring St. John’s magnificent Austin pipe organ, on the first Sunday of the month, January through June, 12:30 p.m. with regional organists. Free!

Music at the Red Door is supported in part by the Richard P. Garmany Fund of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, the Edward C. & Ann T. Roberts Foundation, the George A. & Grace L. Long Foundation, the Ensworth Charitable Foundation, the William & Alice Mortensen Foundation, and the Marjorie Jolidon Fund of the Greater Hartford Chapter, American Guild of Organists. 

Check back here for updates – we hope to present this as a livestreamed event, but it remains tentative. The ancient and beautiful service of Choral Evensong is presented on the fourth Sunday of selected months at St. John’s. Join us on April 25 at 5:00pm for music by the St. John’s Schola; Scott Lamlein, organist and choirmaster.

What is Choral Evensong? “Evensong … is a very tiny fragment of something else:  it is a fragment of the worship which is offered to God by Christian people every hour in every part of the world. When you come to Evensong here it is as if you were dropping in on a conversation already in progress — a conversation between God and people which began long before you were born and will go on long after you are dead.”

Join us for a beautiful chamber music concert on Friday, April 16, 2021 at 7:30pm by Leonid Sigal and friends. Mr. Sigal is well known for his series at the Wadsworth Atheneum, “Sunday Serenades,” where he and his HSO colleagues perform repertoire inspired by the artwork on display. He has planned a program of Prokofiev, Fauré and Beethoven.

The concert is free admission, suggested donation $20. Checks payable to Music at the Red Door.
A reception follows in the church hall.

Music at the Red Door is supported in part by the Richard P. Garmany Fund of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, the Edward C. & Ann T. Roberts Foundation, the George A. & Grace L. Long Foundation, the Ensworth Charitable Foundation, the William & Alice Mortensen Foundation, and the Marjorie Jolidon Fund of the Greater Hartford Chapter, American Guild of Organists. 

Check back here for updates – we hope to present this as a livestreamed event, but it remains tentative. The ancient and beautiful service of Choral Evensong is presented on the fourth Sunday of selected months at St. John’s. Join us on March 28 at 5:00pm for music by the St. John’s Schola; Scott Lamlein, organist and choirmaster.

What is Choral Evensong? “Evensong … is a very tiny fragment of something else:  it is a fragment of the worship which is offered to God by Christian people every hour in every part of the world. When you come to Evensong here it is as if you were dropping in on a conversation already in progress — a conversation between God and people which began long before you were born and will go on long after you are dead.”

The Pipes Alive! series continues with Carolyn Craig playing the St. John’s organ on Sunday, March 7, 2021 at 12:30pm. This concert is part of our 25th Anniversary Celebration of the St. John’s Austin Organ. Read about the organ here.

Carolyn Craig, of Knoxville, TN, is in her second year pursuing her Master’s of Music in Organ Performance at Yale, where she has studied organ with Martin Jean and Jon Laukvik and conducting with David Hill and Marguerite Brooks. In New Haven, Carolyn is also the Senior Organ Scholar at Trinity on the Green, working with Walden Moore. She recently received Yale’s Mary Baker Award for collaborative performance.

Prior to attending Yale, Carolyn spent a formative gap year as the 2019-2020 Organ Scholar at Truro Cathedral in England. For her undergraduate degree, Carolyn attended Indiana University, where she held the prestigious Wells Scholarship and graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Music in Organ Performance in the studio of Christopher Young and with minors in Conducting and German. While at Indiana University, Carolyn was the Organ Scholar at Trinity Episcopal Church, working with Dr. Marilyn Keiser. During her semesters in Graz and Vienna, Carolyn studied with Ulrich Walter and Johannes Ebenbauer.

A winner of the AGO’s Region IV Quimby Competition for Young Organists, Carolyn has been heard on APR’s Pipedreams and has given solo recitals internationally, at venues such as Truro, Winchester, and St. Paul’s Cathedrals, and domestically, at venues such as the Methuen Memorial Music Hall. As a solo pianist, she has performed in Carnegie Hall. Carolyn was named to The Diapason’s “20 under 30” class of 2019 and is a finalist for the 2020 Arthur Poister Competition in Organ Playing.

Join us for half-hour organ concerts featuring St. John’s magnificent Austin pipe organ, on the first Sunday of the month, January through June, 12:30 p.m. with regional organists. Free!

Music at the Red Door is supported in part by the Richard P. Garmany Fund of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, the Edward C. & Ann T. Roberts Foundation, the George A. & Grace L. Long Foundation, the Ensworth Charitable Foundation, the William & Alice Mortensen Foundation, and the Marjorie Jolidon Fund of the Greater Hartford Chapter, American Guild of Organists. 

We welcome concert organist David Hurd to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the mighty St. John’s pipe organ on Saturday, March 6 at 3:00pm. Mr. Hurd is organist and choirmaster at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, New York, and well-known composer of many settings in The Hymnal 1982.

This concert is free admission, no tickets required. Suggested donation: $20 Checks payable to Music at the Red Door.

A gala reception follows in the church hall, celebrating the 25th anniversary of our Austin Organ. Read the history of our amazing instrument here.

David Hurd is widely recognized as one of the foremost concert organists, sacred music composers, and church musicians in the United States, as well as for his innovative, enthralling, and ever-evolving improvisation abilities. Now Organist and Choirmaster of the Church of St. Mary the Virgin in New York, he is a greatly sought-after composer of dozens of hymns, choral works, and organ works. He was named Composer of the Year in 2010 by the American Guild of Organists. A typical recital program by Dr. Hurd will feature works of Bach or Krebs, his own compositions, and a thrilling improvisation.

Music at the Red Door is supported in part by the Richard P. Garmany Fund of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, the Edward C. & Ann T. Roberts Foundation, the George A. & Grace L. Long Foundation, the Ensworth Charitable Foundation, the William & Alice Mortensen Foundation, and the Marjorie Jolidon Fund of the Greater Hartford Chapter, American Guild of Organists. 

CANCELLED DUE TO COVID19. The ancient and beautiful service of Choral Evensong is presented on the fourth Sunday of selected months at St. John’s. Join us on February 28th at 5:00pm for music by the St. John’s Youth Choir and Guests; Scott Lamlein and others, organist and choirmaster.

What is Choral Evensong? “Evensong … is a very tiny fragment of something else:  it is a fragment of the worship which is offered to God by Christian people every hour in every part of the world. When you come to Evensong here it is as if you were dropping in on a conversation already in progress — a conversation between God and people which began long before you were born and will go on long after you are dead.”

The Pipes Alive! series continues with Scott Lamlein playing the St. John’s organ on Sunday, February 7, 2021 at 12:30pm.

Click below to watch.

Program:
J. S. Bach: Fantasia and Fugue in G minor, BWV 542
Carson Cooman: Alborada
Adolphus Hailstork: Great Day
Christa Rakich: Quodlibet on Slane
Charles-Marie Widor: Allegro vivace (variations) from Symphony V

As director of music and organist at St. John’s, Scott directs our Royal School of Church Music-affiliated Youth Choir and our semi-professional Adult Choir. He also serves as artistic director of the Music at the Red Door concert series.

Join us for half-hour organ concerts featuring St. John’s magnificent Austin pipe organ, on the first Sunday of the month, January through June, 12:30 p.m. with regional organists. Free!

Music at the Red Door is supported in part by the Richard P. Garmany Fund of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, the Edward C. & Ann T. Roberts Foundation, the George A. & Grace L. Long Foundation, the Ensworth Charitable Foundation, the William & Alice Mortensen Foundation, and the Marjorie Jolidon Fund of the Greater Hartford Chapter, American Guild of Organists.