St. John's Lutheran Church offers Three Music Series for the public, through May 2022

SAN ANTONIO, Dec. 30, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Under the direction of Dr. Jennifer Seighman, DMA—Music Director and Organist of St. John's Lutheran Church—the church is offering three concerts series to the public: First Friday Noontime Concerts, Vespers liturgies, and St. John's Music Series.

"Music is one of the pillar ministries of St. John's, inspired by the words of Martin Luther: 'Beautiful music is the art of the prophets that can calm the agitations of the soul; it is one of the most magnificent and delightful present God has given us,'" says Seighman. "In this spirit, St. John's musical concerts provide an important outreach to the greater San Antonio community in hosting local, national, and international performers of the highest caliber."

Below is a compilation by date of St. John's First Friday Concert Series; St. John's Music Series; and Advent and Lenten Vespers. All events occur in the historic church at 502 East Nueva (across from La Villita), with complimentary parking in the church's adjacent parking lot. Masks required at all events.

All of the First Friday concerts are no-admission cost as is the Lenten Vespers. Some of the Music Series require purchase of tickets in advance or at the door; see links in concert descriptions to buy tickets in advance. At the First Friday concerts, church volunteers prepare and serve lunch in the church hall for a $5 donation; guests can dine in the hall or take their meal to-go.

REMAINING CONCERTS FROM JAN TO APRIL 2022

(First) Friday, February 4, 2022, noon – The trumpet duo of Jeff Castle and Dan Orban will perform selections featuring composers from Baroque, classical and modern genres. Castle performed with the Band of the West, Lackland AFB; the Band of the Pacific-Alaska; and The Air Force Band in Washington D.C. He now performs regularly as an extra/sub with the San Antonio, Mid-Texas and Corpus Christi Symphonies, and is the co-founder and director of Castle Brass. Orban began as trumpeter/cornetist with the U.S. Naval Academy Band in Annapolis, and then joined the "President's Own" US Marine Band. He has performed with many renowned artists including B.B. King, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Wayne Newton, the Four Tops, the Temptations, Kelly Clarkson, Oakridge Boys, Toby Keith and Ricky Martin. No charge for admission.

(First) Friday, March 4, 2022, noon - Mezzo-soprano Jacquelyn Matava and pianist Samuel Gaskin will present a recital of songs by composers ranging from Franz Schubert to John Corigliano. Winner of The American Prize (2021) for women in opera, Matava has been praised for her "warm sound" and "soothing legato line." Operatic credits include the title roles in Cendrillon and Dido and Aeneas, Charlotte (Werther), Zita (Gianni Schicchi), Zweite Dame (Die Zauberflöte), Tisbe (La Cenerentola), and Nancy (Albert Herring). She won third prize in the 2020 National Opera Association Vocal Competition and was a Regional Finalist in the 2013 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. As an organist, pianist and improviser, Gaskin has also played harpsichord with the San Antonio Symphony and as a jazz piano in several ensembles. Future solo appearances include a concert at "Marcel Dupré: Fifty Years On"—a convention hosted by the University of North Texas. Winner of the 2016 University of Michigan Organ Improvisation Competition, he is currently Assistant Organist/Choirmaster at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in downtown San Antonio. No charge for admission.

Sunday, March 6, 2022, 3:00 pm – San Antonio Choral Society, four-hands piano featuring Zachary Ridgway and Geoffrey Waite, soprano Lily Guerrero, and baritone Jake Skipworth will be featured in Johannes Brahms' Ein deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem), written following the death of his mother. In place of customary liturgical requiem texts, Brahms warmly sets Luther's German translation of the Bible in heartfelt compassion toward those left behind. Tickets $5-18.

Sunday, March 27, 2022, 6 pm – Lenten Vespers - Sonoro and Sonido Barroco will present dramatic musical works depicting the passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ from the perspective of Christ, his mother Mary, and his disciple Peter. Music will include Charpentier's Stabat Mater H.15, Casals' "O vos omnes," Haydn's Seven Last Words, Lotti's "Crucifixus á 8," Charpentier's Le Reniement de St. Pierre, and Barber's "Adagio for Strings." No charge for admission.

(First) Friday, April 1, 2022, noon – The harp and flute duo Chaski will perform selections of classical, Celtic, and Latin American folk music featuring many kinds of flutes and harps. Adrienne Inglis and Shana Norton have toured the US, Costa Rica, Venezuela, England and Scotland, and have independently produced five recordings. It was featured on the soundtrack of 2006 IMAX film "Ride Around the World: A Cowboy Adventure." They perform everything from intimate house concerts to school concerts to choral and orchestra concerts as featured soloists. No charge for admission.

(First) Friday, May 6, 2022, noon - Men's vocal ensemble IlluMEN is an all-professional choral group of men, composed of vocal coaches, choir directors and teachers, opera singers, and other musical professions. IlluMEN will present an engaging selection of treasured choral favorites and new compositions guaranteed to excite. No charge for admission.

More on St. John's Lutheran Church:
As the oldest Lutheran congregation in San Antonio, St. John's has been at the very heart of San Antonio's history and community for multiple generations. It is known as the "Lutheran Cathedral of the Southwest." Every Sunday morning at 10 a.m., St. John's offers a traditional liturgy with Holy Communion, Biblical preaching and the very best of sacred music. Sunday morning worship is live-streamed at http://www.StJohnsSA.org.

"We are blessed to have someone as talented as Dr. Seighman leading our musical ministries," says Ron Stinson, Congregation President at St. John's. "Her credentials are deep and impressive—notably as the current Artistic Director for the San Antonio Choral Society for 11 seasons. She graduated magna cum laude with Bachelor of Music Education degree from Westminster Choir College where she sang with renowned orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, the NJ Symphony, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. She received a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Oklahoma and a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Sacred Choral Music from the Catholic University of America."

St. John's Choir provides music for the 10 am Sunday Eucharist service and performs in the parish's Music Series. The choir consists of professional section leaders and volunteers of high school age (10th grade and older) who learn music quickly and are interested in enhancing the worship of God through singing. Rehearsals are held on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 – 8 pm.

St. John's Choristers, comprised of singers aged 9-15, provide music for the 10 am Sunday Eucharist service approximately once a month. They rehearse from 8:30 – 9:00 am on Sunday mornings as part of Sunday School each week. New friends are always welcome. Choir members do not need to be members of the parish.

For more information about any of these concerts or the church choirs, please contact the church at 210.223.2611 or [email protected].

Media Contact

Jeanne Albrecht, St. John's Lutheran Chruch, 2103929047, [email protected]

SOURCE St. John's Lutheran Chruch