Grace Church Concert Series
GRACE CHURCH CONCERT SERIES 25th ANNIVERSARY SEASON
We are proud to announce our 2024-2025 season!
Grace Church Concert Series
Sunday, October 27, 2024; 5 pm
Voices of Tomorrow: vocal students from Shenandoah University
Experience the soaring beauty and emotional depth of some of the country's most promising young voices as they perform music ranging from opera to musical theatre and beyond. This intimate concert, showcasing Shenandoah Conservatory’s leading young vocalists, accompanied by acclaimed young pianists from the Conservatory, celebrates the natural beauty and expressive power of the human voice. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to witness the future stars of the vocal world in a setting that enhances every note and nuance.
Sunday, November 24, 2024; 5 pm
Andrew Sords, violin; John Walz, cello; Tim Durkovic, piano
Andrew Sords, violin | John Walz, cello | Tim Durkovic, piano
Works by de Falla, Mendelssohn's “Song Without Words”, and Mendelssohn's C Minor piano trio.
The Sords-Walz-Durkovic Trio's début for the storied Palm Springs Concert Series was hailed as 'technically superb; melodious, resonant, expressive, and passionate. The audience could not stop applauding.' Together, the trio of virtuosi unite for works by Rachmaninoff, Dvorak, and Mendelssohn. John Walz is the principal cellist for the Los Angeles Opera and has appeared on over 1400 soundtracks. Timothy Durkovic's piano abilities are comprehensive - chamber music, concerti, and recital. On violin, Andrew Sords has appeared on five continents and with hundreds of orchestras. Their performance for the series is not to be missed.
Sunday, December 1, 2024; 5 pm
A special performance by Michael Gilliland, pianist
Allegro from Sonata in F Major — Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Consolations — Franz Liszt
Prelude in D Major — Sergei Rachmaninoff
The Man I Love / Someone to Watch Over Me — George Gershwin
Weather or Not — Michael Gilliland
Michael Gilliland holds an undergraduate degree in Music Education from Penn State University. While a student, he served as the Drumline Captain of the Penn State Marching Blue Band and was a member of the piano studio of Dr. Timothy Shafer. After graduation, he earned the Professional Performance Certificate (PPC) in Piano at the same institution. His program will include a variety of pieces drawn from different eras of music history. The program will conclude with Gilliland’s first composition, “Weather or Not.” This four-movement work seeks to capture the essence of four different elemental phenomena through the exploration of rhythms and harmonies.
Sunday, February 9, 2025; 5 pm
VOCES8: A return performance by the preeminent British a cappella ensemble
“The singing of VOCES8 is impeccable in its quality of tone and balance. They bring a new dimension to the word ‘ensemble’ with meticulous timing and tuning.”
— GRAMOPHONE MAGAZINE
“VOCES8’s gorgeous sound, impeccable ensemble, and intense responsiveness to text, harmony, and melodic shape are all of the highest quality. Hearing them sing is a joy.”
— BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE
The British vocal ensemble VOCES8 is proud to inspire people through music and share the joy of singing. Touring extensively, the group performs repertoire from Renaissance polyphony to contemporary commissions and arrangements; versatility and a celebration of diverse musical expression are central to the ensemble’s performance ethos.
Saturday, April 5, 2025; 5 pm
(please note the different day of the week)
The Children of the Gospel Choir:
A return performance by the spirit-filled youth ensemble
Michele Fowlin, Artistic Director
Prepare to be Inspired! As one of the region's most celebrated youth ensembles for 30 years, Washington Performing Arts Children of the Gospel Choir will bring a concert featuring a repertoire of traditional and contemporary gospel selections, along with spirituals and other musical genres. Under the leadership of Artistic Director, Michele Fowlin, the choir has performed with Joseph Parrish at the Kennedy Center; with Matthew Whitaker at the historic Lincoln Theatre; with Sara Bareilles at the White House; with Broadway star Matthew Morrison; at the Washington National Cathedral as part of the Inaugural Prayer Services for President Barack Obama, at the National Memorial Service for Nelson Mandela; and many other events.
Sunday, June 1, 2025; 5 pm
MELERensemble: "Love Triangle"
Johannes Brahms: Two Songs for Voice, Viola and Piano Op. 91
Robert Schumann: Fantasiestücke, Op.73
Clara Schumann: Six Lieder, Op. 13
Johannes Brahms: Clarinet Trio, Op. 114
"Love Triangle" is filled with the passion and poignancy of the famous romantic trio of composers--Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann, and Clara Schumann. The concert is bookended by two of Brahms' most beautiful works--"Two Songs" for voice, viola, and piano, and his lush Clarinet Trio. Robert Schumann's brilliant but psychologically troubled side comes to the fore in the whimsical Fantasiestücke for clarinet and piano. Clara Schumann's own profound talents as a composer will be highlighted in her yearning lieder. Through the intertwined lives and music of these three, the program explores the joys and heartbreaks of their complicated relationships and famed love triangle.