Spencerville Evensong Concert Series

Choral concert March 20, 2010

On Saturday, March 20, at 4 p.m., the Evensong Concert Series presented a concert featuring the Spencerville Sanctuary Chorale (from Washington Adventist University), the Spencerville Sanctuary Choir, the New England Symphonic Ensemble and the choir of the Takoma Park Presbyterian Church combining their voices and instruments to sing John Rutter's Requiem. Conductor James T. Bingham, Chair of the music department at Washington Adventist University, was at the podium to direct the concert.

John Rutter's Requiem was completed in 1985 and first performed in its entirety on October 13 of that year at Lovers' Lane United Methodist Church, Dallas, Texas under the direction of the composer. In the 25 years following its completion, Rutter's Requiem has become one of the most often performed and popular settings of the Requiem Mass texts, taking a place in the choral repertoire alongside Requiems of Fauré, Brahms, and Mozart.

Keyboard Virtuoso Jeremy Filsell, February 20, 2010

Jeremy Filsell was our guest on Saturday, February 20 for a concert of organ and piano works. Dr. Filsell was at the piano for the first half of the program to play three piano preludes of Sergei Rachmaninoff, Maurice Duruflé's Divertissement, and York Bowen's Sonata No. 5. The second half featured these same three composers in works for the organ: Bowen's Fantasia in G minor, Rachmaninov's Etude-Tableau and Vocalise, and Duruflé's Op. 5 Suite for organ.

Jeremy Filsell has a discography of more than 25 CDs on both piano and organ and maintains a busy performance career on both instruments throughout Europe, Scandinavia and North America. Gramophone magazine commented on the series of 12 CDs that comprised the premiere recordings of Marcel Dupré’s complete organ works for Guild in 2000, offering that it was 'one of the greatest achievements in organ recording'. In 2005, Signum released a 3-disc set on the 1890 Cavaillé-Coll organ in St. Ouen Rouen of the complete organ symphonies of Louis Vierne. They were BBC Radio 3’s Disc of the Week in September of that year.

As a teenage student of Nicolas Kynaston, Jeremy earned his Fellowship of the Royal College of Organists, winning all the major prizes and the Silver Medal of the Worshipful Company of Musicians. He is a graduate of Oxford University and of London's Royal College of Music (where he studied piano performance under David Parkhouse and Hilary McNamara) and was awarded his PhD at Birmingham Conservatoire/BCU for a thesis researching aesthetic and interpretative issues in the music of Marcel Dupré. He has held a number of teaching positions (until 2008 at the Royal Academy of Music in London and the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester), sung professionally as a lay clerk in the choirs of Guildford Cathedral and St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, given masterclasses at universities and summer schools in both the UK and USA and has served twice on international organ competition juries in Switzerland. He was a featured artist at the AGO National Convention in Minneapolis/St Paul in June 2008 and recent recital engagements have taken him across the USA and to Germany, France, Finland and Norway.

Jeremy Filsell is an artist equally accomplished and renowned as a pianist, and he is frequently booked to perform on both instruments during the same recital. This certainly makes for increased audience interest. He is one of only a few virtuoso performers on both the Piano and the Organ and his Concerto repertoire encompasses Mozart and Beethoven through to Rachmaninov (2nd and 3rd Concertos), Shostakovich and John Ireland. In recent years, he has recorded for Guild and Signum, the solo piano music of Eschmann, Howells, Goossens, Bernard Stevens, Rachmaninov and the two Sonatas of Julius Reubke.

Evensong Concert Series 2009/2010

September 19, 4 p.m. – Baroque Ensemble Ostraka

The baroque ensemble Ostraka opened the 2009/2010 concert series with a concert of music for bass viol, theorbo, lute and baroque guitar. This intimate program, titled Division, traced the history of ornamentation and improvisation in the solo music for bass viol. Beginning with the seminal music of Spanish composer Diego Ortiz and continuing through various European national styles spanning three centuries. The Ostraka trio members are Josh Lee, viol; John Lenti, lute; and David Walker, lute and guitar.

October 3, 4 p.m. – Sara Daneshpour, piano

Sara Daneshpour has appeared several times in concert at Spencerville. She is a favorite performer of ours, and for good reason. On October 3 she presented works by J.S. Bach, Robert Schumann, Claude Debussy, Frederic Chopin, and Sergei Prokofiev. At just 22 years old, Ms. Daneshpour is already establishing herself as a musical figure to be reckoned with. The Washington Post wrote of her performance with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra "...she created transfixing poetry. And she found delightful details in passagework and incidents that other pianists treat as routine." Her performance on the concert series this year was outstanding.

October 24, 4 p.m. - Bela Voce

Bela Voce is a vocal trio formed by Karla Rivera, soprano, Javier Gonzalez, tenor, and German Rodriguez, baritone. These talented young singers have been gaining a loyal following, presenting original works and their own arrangements. Their repertoire spans the centuries with music that has a broad appeal.

November 21, 4 p.m. - James DeWire, piano

James DeWire is a piano soloist and chamber player who holds degrees from the University of Virginia, the New England Conservatory and the University of Maryland. He has performed throughout the country and recorded several live performance solo CD's. His program featured works by J.S. Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, Frederic Chopin, Maurice Ravel, and Franz Liszt.

December 12, 4 p.m. - Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols

We observe traditions as a way of honoring what's come before, and because they anchor us, in a world of constant change, to something we can rely on. Our Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols (patterned after the service first held at King's College on Christmas Eve in 1918) is just such a tradition. We've presented this service, now a beloved tradition in our community, since 1988. We hope you'll join us again next year.

February 20, 4 p.m. - Jeremy Filsell, organ

English organist Jeremy Filsell is one of the few master organists today who also perform solo piano concerts. For select recitals, when the instruments are available for him to do so, he presents programs that highlight the contrasts and similarities of the works by composers who wrote for both instruments. Mr. Filsell is a virtuoso performer with hundreds of recitals and dozens of recordings to his credit, including the complete works of Marcel Dupré. He has dazzling technique and flawless musical instincts. His recital in February was brilliantly executed.

March 20, 4 p.m. - Choral Masterworks with the Columbia Collegiate Chorale

Each year, the director of our sanctuary choir, Dr. James Bingham, brings the students from the Washington Adventist University (formerly Columbia Union College) where he serves as Chair of the music department, to present a concert of masterworks from the choral repertoire. Years past have included performances of the Fauré, Duruflé, and Bingham Requiems, the Poulenc Gloria, and many other magnificent works. This year, the concert included the Requiem by John Rutter along with other works.

April 17, 4 p.m. - Pianist Zhong Jidong gives his solo piano debut concert.

Zhong Jidong, at just 16 years of age, is already displaying the poise, musicality and virtuosity of a great performer. Born in Beijing, China, he is currently a sophomore at Takoma Academy and a student of Dr. Daniel Lau at Washington Adventist University. He is the winner of several international competitions, including the Royal International Piano Competition in Morocco. This concert was his solo piano debut and will feature J.S. Bach's Partita No. 1 in B-flat Major, Chopin's Polonaise Fantasy and Ballade No. 2, Franz Liszt's monumental Sonata in B Minor and a composition by Chinese composer Yin Cheng-zong titled Moon Over the Winding River.

May 1, 4 p.m. - English Organist Huw Williams

Virtuoso English organist, Hugh Williams presented the closing recital of the concert series. Mr. Williams is currently the organist at the Chapel Royal in London and an internationally recognized organ concert and recording artist. Prior to his current appointment he was organist at St. Paul's Cathedral in London.