Chamber Music

GLOUCESTER BACH BIRTHDAY CONCERT MARCH 21ST!!!

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The Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation’s Annual Bach Birthday Concert performed by Brandenburg and Beyond

The Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation is delighted to present Brandenburg and Beyond, a neo-baroque ensemble featuring a combination of flute, oboe, harpsichord, and strings, performing in our annual Bach Birthday Concert on Saturday, March 21st at 7:30pm in the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church, located on the green at the corner of Middle and Church Streets.

The ensemble performs classic baroque works as well as contemporary music written in this century. The resident harpsichordist, Chris Gantner, is a composer who frequently premiers new works specifically for the group. These New England-based artists perform all over the world and hold teaching and performance positions at various orchestras, colleges, and universities.

The program entitled “Bach and His Sons” will feature the following pieces:

Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 by J.S. Bach 

Concerto for Flute and Strings in D Minor by C.P.E. Bach 

Prelude and Fugue in C Minor for Organ by J.S. Bach

The Short Tempered Klavier by P.D.Q. Bach – arranged for this occasion and unique instrumentation by Chris Gantner 

Tickets will be available at the door and in advance (strongly recommended) with more information at: www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org. General admission is $30, students $10, under age 12 free

The historic 1806 Meetinghouse, listed on the National Historic Register, was built for the first Universalist Church in America and is the home of the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church, is located on the green at the corner of Middle and Church Streets (GPS 50 Middle Street).  Parking is available on the green, entered between two granite posts on Middle Street, and around the historic district. The side entrance at 10 Church Street has an elevator to the main level, if needed.

Music lovers, please join us for this annual Bach celebration!

BACH BIRTHDAY CONCERT IN THE MEETINGHOUSE, MARCH 21ST!

~ chasnaz

The next event in the 2023-24 Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation Series is the annual Bach Birthday Concert on Thursday, March 21st at 7:30pm. 

It will feature the The Bach Project at Ashmont Hill Chamber Music, under the direction of Andrew Sheranian, performing the Brandenburg Concerto #5, the great Prelude & Fugue in B-minor for organ solo, and the delightfully humorous Coffee Cantata.

March 21st is the actual birthday in 1685 of Johann Sebastian Bach, generally regarded the greatest composer of all time. The pieces being performed represent the pinnacle of Bach’s achievement in secular music of three genres: a dramatic concerto for strings with harpsichord solo; a monumental piece for the pipe organ; and a comical operetta. This piece depicts the story of a stern father concerned about his daughter’s addiction to coffee, a new sensation in Leipzig at the time, his forbidding her marriage unless she stops, and her strategy to get his permission.

The historic 1806 Meetinghouse, home of the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church, is located on the green at 50 Middle Street where event parking is available.  A side entrance at 10 Church Street offers a lift for persons with disabilities.  For those unable to attend in person the concert will be simulcast and available afterwards on the GMF YouTube channel.

Tickets are available at the door and online, with more information at www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org

‘HEAVENLY BAROQUE CHRISTMAS’ MEETINGHOUSE CONCERT ON DECEMBER 7TH

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The Musicians of the Old Post Road return to Gloucester for their seventh year to perform a program called ‘Heavenly Baroque Christmas.’  The Thursday-evening, candlelit chamber-music concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in the historic Meetinghouse, home of the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church, located at the corner of Middle and Church Streets (GPS 50 Middle Street).  A side entrance with an elevator is at 10 Church Street.

‘Heavenly Baroque Christmas’ celebrates the season with celestial works from Spain & New Spain.  The concert features music by Iribarren, Salazar, and others including Zumaya, the first Mexican classical composer of indigenous descent.  The Musicians of the Old Post Road perform on period instruments. They are joined by guests from Ensemble La Fontegara of Mexico and vocal soloists; soprano Adriana Ruiz & mezzo-soprano Hilary Anne Walker.

Tickets and more information are available online at www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org or at the door by cash, check or credit card. Preferred seating: $50; general seating $35; students $10; children under 12 free.

Treat yourself, friends and family to a merry little Thursday night concert of gorgeous Baroque music for strings, flute, harpsichord and voice; something that you won’t find anywhere else, a seasonal delight to the ear and a balm for the soul.

ENJOY THE MAGIC OF THE HOLIDAYS IN THE MEETINGHOUSE!!!

American Originals: A Moravian Christmas

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Musicians of the Old Post Road in the Gloucester Meetinghouse (Unitarian Universalist Church)

Candlelight Chamber Music Concert on Saturday, December 17th, 2022, 7:30pm

The Musicians of the Old Post Road will present their 6th holiday concert in the historic Gloucester Meetinghouse on Saturday, December 17, 2022 at 7:30pm called “A Moravian Christmas.’

Founded by Artistic Directors Suzanne Stumpf and Daniel Ryan, the ensemble takes its name from its acclaimed concert series, originally entitled Old Post Road Historic Concerts.

“Musicians of the Old Post Road is a cleverly conceived and impeccably presented group of artists who render a great service in the realm of period performance. Through their scholarship, programming, and enthusiasm, they shine a light on a corner of the repertoire that is too often neglected.”

— Classical Voice of New England

Immerse yourself in beautiful music for the season by a unique 18th-century community. Experience modern-day premieres of works penned by America’s Moravian immigrants along with selections by Johann Joachim Quantz, Carl Heinrich Graun and Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach (fifth son of J.S. Bach) that they carefully imported and preserved.  The ensemble performs on period instruments and will be joined by soprano Jessica Petrus and mezzo-soprano Hilary Anne Walker.

If you crave a respite from the hustle and bustle of holiday madness, give yourself and your friends the gift of exquisite chamber music by candlelight for Christmas in the warmth and Federal period elegance of Gloucester’s last-surviving Meetinghouse, built in 1806 for the first Universalist Society in America.

Preferred Seating $45, General $30, Students $10, Under 12 free

The Meetinghouse is located at 50 Middle Street, set back on the green. The accessible side entrance with a lift is located at 10 Church Street. Parking is available on the green and on nearby streets and lots. Tickets may be purchased at the door or in advance on our website: http://www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org