"Sundays at Central" Concert Series

Free Concert Series
at Central Presbyterian Church
7308 York Road, Towson

Schedule 2007 - 2008

Featuring excellence in a variety of styles:
Vocalists, Strings, Brass, Choral Music, Piano, and Woodwinds

All concerts will be held at 4 pm except for December 14.

Con Brio! - Brass Roots Trio - September 16, 2007 - 4pm

"If you can imagine Garrison Keillor meeting Aaron Copland on Bourbon Street you get a sense of the Brass Roots Trio." Blending classical and contemporary American styles and adding a brilliant tenor voice, the trio has created a new sound that transcends traditional musical boundaries. Their musical trek through classical, baroque, jazz, ragtime, folk and gospel styles has led to a repertoire of hundreds of ingenious original arrangements. With virtuosic brilliance, Brass Roots Trio makes three instruments sound like a small orchestra!

• Rosetta Senkus Bacon (piano)
• Travis Heath (trumpet/flugelhorn)
• Douglas Lundeen (horn/tenor)

The Voice of Russia - Lyra - October 7, 2007 - 3pm

Returning after their breathtaking performance two years ago, the vocal sextet from St. Petersburg, Russia will bring us another concert combining Russian Classics and beautiful Russian folk music. These awesome solo voices blend perfectly to present a sound like velvet.

Coming from St. Petersburg Conservatoire, Lyra, is a community of professional musicians with a passion for ensemble singing. Come hear them present Russian folk music as well as sacred music of the Russian Orthodox Church. Don't miss this opportunity to hear these vocalists as they bring a little of the Russian heritage to us.

An Afternoon of Irish Singing, Dancing, & Fiddling - November 18, 2007 - 4pm

Join some of the Washington area's finest Irish musicians for an afternoon of traditional Irish music and song.

Paul Gannon, Mitch Fanning, Tina Eck and Mark Hillman will perform a selection of traditional Irish jigs, reels and other music from the Emerald Isle.

The Bog Band, the Washington area's premier school for aspiring young Irish musicians, will follow with their own selection of traditional Irish fare. Paul, Mitch, Tina, and Mark will then join them for an exciting finale.

Appearing throughout both performances will be dancers from the Culkin School of Irish Dance.

• Paul Gannon (guitar and vocals)
• Mitch Fanning (fiddle)
• Tina Eck (flute)
• Mark Hillman (uilleann pipes)

Glad Tidings on a Starry Night - Christmas at Central
December 14 at 7:30m AND Decenber 16, 2007 at 4pm

Christmas at Central continues to be a tradition that attracts such a large following that it requires two performances! The concert joins a large chorus and orchestra with you, our audience, to raise the joyous sounds of Christmas. You will participate in singing favorite carols arranged by John Rutter, Richard Webster, and David Willcocks. This year, the concert will feature "Glad Tidings" by Randol Bass. The telling of the Christmas story is interspersed with carol arrangements and laid out in a manner which illuminates and enhances the story itself. Join the Chancel Choir, the Childrens Choir, and your fellow revelers for an evening that is guaranteed to have you leaving with smile on your face and glad tidings in your heart!

Wit, Whimsy & Warmth - Music of Karen Amrhein - February 10, 2008 - 4pm

Our February 10th concert presents music by Central Presbyterian's own award-winning composer, Karen Amrhein. Karen will be sharing several of her melody-filled compositions for piano and strings, including her String Trio and 2nd String Quartet, her dramatic Short Stories for piano and strings, and Dance Card for solo piano that includes among other things a Rag, a Beguine, and a Charleston! Fanfare Magazine reviewer William Zagorski describes Karen as "a striking miniaturist and a superb contrapuntalist. Her music is enlivened by an attractive sense of whimsy and delight at being alive..." -- but don't just take his word for it. Please join us and find out for yourself.

Kaleidoscopes of Song - March 2, 2008 - 4pm

Pianist Lura Johnson has performed throughout the US in prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Corcoran Gallery, the National Gallery, and Strathmore Hall. Praised for her "invention, originality, and marvelous sense of flow," she is in great demand as a chamber musician, appearing frequently with members of the Baltimore Symphony. Lura holds degrees from Rice University and studied at the Peabody Institute with Leon Fleisher and Robert McDonald. A native of Oberlin, Ohio and daughter of musical parents, she now teaches at the Peabody Institute and Loyola College. Lura will present a program of works for solo piano entitled "Kaleidoscopes of Song," leading audience members on an exploration of color and melody in works by Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, Debussy, Ravel, and Schubert.

Bourbon Street Ramblers - April 6, 2008 - 4pm

The 6-piece Dixieland band known as the Bourbon Street Ramblers has been the featured headliner at the Maryland Wine Festival for the past 20 years. The Ramblers perform from the standard swing repertoire as well as improvise on traditional New Orleans-style jazz, creating a festive Mardi Gras atmosphere. This concert will be sure to have the Sanctuary swinging!

• Eric Apland (piano)
• John Wessner (trombone)
• Howard Kadison (drums)
• Ed Goldstein (tuba)
• Bob Thulman (clarinet/soprano sax)
• Al Straub (cornet)

A Touch of Brass! - May 4, 2008 - 4pm

Just think of this as Bagpipes and Brass without the Bagpipes! You have heard the wonderful brass ensemble that has blessed our concert series in the past. This is the time to hear this large symphonic brass choir play a wide variety of music from John Rutter's "Gloria" through "Scarborough Fair" made famous by Simon and Garfunkel. Eleven brass players will be joined by percussion, organ, and the choral forces of Central's own Chancel Choir to present music that is both majestic and just plain fun. This is just the thing to close out the 2007-2008 Sundays at Central Concert Series.

For more information about these concerts, please call Central Presbyterian Church at 410-823-6145. The concerts are free to the public. However, donations for the series are welcomed and can be sent to Central Presbyterian Church and marked "Concert Series."

See also:

• NV: Sundays At Central Concert Series (9/02)
• NV: Art Inside These Walls: The Sundays at Central Concert Series (10/05)
• Music Ministries at Central