Classical Music

Gloucester Meetinghouse presents the Essex Piano Trio performing “A Conversation among Friends” on April 18th

~ chasnaz

The Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation proudly presents the Essex Piano Trio as part of its Tenth Anniversary Series on April 18th at 7:30pm in the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church. The trio, playing a combination of the piano, violin and cello, will perform pieces that explore the friendships between the late 19th and early 20th century composers including Ravel, Vaughan Williams, Tchaikovsky and Arensky. 

After playing together for several years throughout New England, the musical friends known as the Essex Piano Trio formalized their working relationship in 2017.  Their signature concert title “A Conversation among Friends,” borrowing a descriptive phrase from American biographer Catherine Bowen, alludes to their audience-friendly concert format of interesting music interspersed with casual commentary.  The trio’s primary goal has been to grow as musicians while making the best music possible to share with audiences. Essex Piano Trio members bring many perspectives from their academic backgrounds and professional lives as educators and performers.

The historic Meetinghouse is located on the green at the corner of Middle and Church Streets (GPS 50 Middle Street). General admission is $30, students $10, under 12 free. Tickets are available at the door and online (recommended) with more information at: www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org.

Parking is available on the Green in front of the Meetinghouse (enter between the granite pillars) and at other locations around the Historic District. An accessible side entrance with a lift is at 10 Church Street.

Join us for this outstanding concert by the Essex Piano Trio!

GLOUCESTER MEETINGHOUSE 2025-26 SERIES OPENS OCT. 10 WITH NEW ENGLAND CONSERVATORY’S ‘TRIO GAIA’

~ chasnaz

The Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation is honored to be presenting Trio Gaia, the graduate piano trio-in-residence at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, in concert at 7:30 p.m., Friday, October 10, at the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church in Gloucester, MA.


This is the trio’s debut in the Foundation’s 10 years of programming in the 1806 Meetinghouse, a historic landmark on the Gloucester skyline and cited in the National Register of Historic Places.
The award-winning trio’s program, titled “Convergence,” will include works by Nico Muhly, Leoš Janáček and Béla Bartok, concluding with Franz Schubert’s Piano Trio No. 2 in E Flat Major. It explores a theme of our times—conflict, both internal and external—and its resolution through music. Grant Houston, Trio Gaia’s violinist and spokesman, said, “This program offers a reflective parallel to today’s world, where divisions and struggles for resolution continue to shape our collective experience, and the search for unity persists despite discord.”


Cellist Yi-Mei Templeton and guest-artist pianist Alexa Stier will be joining Houston. The trio is the Conservatory’s most recent graduate piano trio-in-residence, performing nationally and abroad since 2018, including in Panama and Japan. Trio Gaia won first prize at the WDAV Young Chamber Musicians Competition in North Carolina and honors at other competitions.


Tickets are available at http://www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org or at the door. The Meetinghouse is at Middle and Church Streets in Gloucester, The location is most easily found via GPS using the address, 50 Middle Street. Limited parking is available on the Green in front of the church, entered from Middle Street. Access for persons with disabilities is at 10 Church Street.


The Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church traces its history to the 1779 founding of the first Universalist church in America, a rebellious congregation that played a timely role in development of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. The Meetinghouse Foundation is dedicated to the building’s preservation and use for and by the community.

Charles & Gregory Tompkins live in Concert Saturday May 17th

~ chasnaz ~ 1 Comment

Dear Friends of the Gloucester Meetinghouse,

The Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation will present the last concert of our 2024-25 season on Saturday, May 17th at 7:30pm with Charles and Gregory Tompkins, a talented father and son duo that will combine the sounds of the organ, piano and violin. This is a wonderful program you do not want to miss!

PROGRAM:

Concerto in F major after Albinoni…Johann Gottfried Walther (1684-1748)

Solo in D major, Opus 4 No. 5…John Stanley (1712-1786)  

Passacaglia in G minor, “The Guardian Angel”…from the Mystery (Rosary) Sonatas for Violin Heinrich Biber (1644-1704)

Sonata in B-flat, Opus 65 No. 4…Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)

Capriccio… Naji Hakim (b. 1955)

Adoration… Finale (from First Sonata for Organ) Florence Price (1877-1953)           

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

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