Saturday 6 June at 12.30pm
The Studio of Irena Portenko

“I am very nervous, I can’t play”, says my student to me before the performance. “Well, there are still a few minutes left, if you want to change your mind and not play at all”, I say in response. My students’ eyes become bigger and he exclaims: “What do you mean not to play, but I practiced and prepared!” “Then, I think you should try and see what happens.”
Irena Portenko brings her piano students to perform at the St. John’s in the Village twice per year. The beginning, intermediate and advanced players, current and former students, guests come to share their favorite pieces with each other. We support each other’s growth and cheer everyone who works hard and takes their skills to the new heights.
This student piano concert is free to attend.

Sunday 7 June at 4pm
Piano Decathlon Concert

National Piano Associates presents their Season Final Concert featuring the participants of Piano Decathlon
Students of Nelson Ojeda Valdés and Christopher Bradshaw will be performing followed by an Awards Ceremony of Medals and Certificates.
This concert is free to attend and no prior registration is necessary.

Monday 8 June at 7pm
David Oei Classical Salon Series Concert

On this DOCS program we will perform two selections from our duo CD "Five Not-SoEasy Pieces", Rebecca Clarke's Midsummer Moon and Britten's Three Pieces from the Suite for violin and piano. Also on the program is the delightful Villa-Lobos Duo for violin and viola and the rarely heard Reinecke Trio for clarinet, horn and piano.
Suggested donation at the door $30. Any amount is welcome and appreciated.

Tuesday 9 June at 7pm
ALBA Consort: The Nightingale Sings

ALBA Consort traces the journey of the Nightingale, a symbol of love in both the east and the west, with ancient music from its flight through Spain to mid and southern Europe, North Africa and over the Caucasus to Persia, and performs "Four Persian Mystic Poems" written for the ensemble by composer Reza Vali. With Margo Andrea - mezzo soprano & vielle, Rex Benincasa - voice and percussion, Jason Priset - lute and guitars, Carlo Valte - oud and guitar, and Karen Lindquist - harps.
$30 general admission, $25 for seniors, $20 for students with ID.

Friday 12 June at 6.30pm
Student Piano Recital

Piano recital by students of Augustin Simat. This concert is free to attend and no prior registration is required.

Saturday 13 June at 4pm
Jill Clarke in Concert

Music of George Gershwin, Maurice Ravel, Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Liszt, and Frédéric Chopin. Admission is Free

Saturday 13 June at 7.30pm
One Love

An evening of African American spirituals, pop, gospel, and reggae.
Tickets $30 on the door.

Monday 15 June at 5pm - Solos & Duets Concert

Come celebrate Spring with us as Intersection Music and Arts students and faculty perform a variety of solos and duets. Concert at 5 pm, with a garden reception to follow.
intersectionmusicandarts.org

Friday 19 June at 7.30pm
Re-Imagine: C4’s Future

**Re-Imagine: C4's Future (2025 & Beyond)**
Featuring the IGNITE Competition Winners: Courage Barda^, Julio Morales^ and Max Vinetz^. Additional compositions by Jennifer Lucy Cook, Michael Dellaria, Andrew Hamilton, and world premieres by Mario Gullo*^, Jamie Klenetsky Fay*^, Bryan Lin*^, Karen Siegel*^ and George Wright*^.
Ticketing link to follow soon.
Learn more about C4 *here*.

Sunday 21 June at 3pm
Harmony 3: Fête de la Musique

Harmony 3 Reed Trio presents an afternoon of woodwind music celebrating France’s national day of music! Featuring pianist Whitney Wallace and French musical delights by Canteloube, Ibert, Fauré, and more.
Tickets starting from $12 here.

Monday 22 June at 8pm
Five Centuries of Minimalism

Anton Batagov
**Five Centuries of Minimalism**
Solo piano recital
A journey through five centuries of music. Acclaimed composer/pianist Anton Batagov
performs a selection of his works along with classical masterpieces.
Anonymous (England, early 16th century): A Galyarde
Batagov: Letter from Sergei Rachmaninoff to Peter Gabriel
Schubert: Impromtu in G Flat Major
Batagov: Prelude and Culture News
Batagov: Portrait
Purcell: Ground in C Minor
Batagov: Lyrical Music
Tchaikovsky: Alone Again As Before
Batagov: Waltz
Glass: Escape!
Batagov: I'm Far Away
Anonymous (England, early 16th century): My Lady Careys Dompe
Batagov: Chaconne in A minor
Bach: Ich ruf'zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ
Total duration: 1 hr 30 min, no intermission
**Artist's note**
I doubt there is anybody (including myself) who likes the word "minimalism" but I'm afraid we have to accept it. However, it is much more than just a compositional technique. Its roots are deeply embedded in the nature of all universal processes. "Monotony is a law of nature: look at the monotonous manner in which the Sun rises" (Gandhi).
Minimalism does not reflect our ordinary state of mind immersed in all kinds of activities and rapidly changing emotions. It is a totally opposite thing. Minimalism means concentration. This concentration is our way back home. When our mind is focused on something and not distracted we quit an ordinary state of mind to enter a completely different state – a very subtle sphere where we can have a really powerful transpersonal, transcendental, transformational experience.
That's why all ancient rituals, all sacred chants, mantras and prayers, as well as all traditions of bell ringing and drumming, all types of folk music from any region of the world, - all of that is "minimalism": a single motive or rhythmic pattern, or a sequence of motives or patterns, being repeated over and over again, with variations and/or gradual changes. Many classical composers have minimalist "roots".
Not only does this never get boring, but the longer you listen, the less you want it to stop. Any piece, any measure, any single note is a mirror that reflects all the universe and all the human emotions. Everything exists as a constant inseparable unity.
So minimalism is not a style or technique that was invented in the 1960's. In fact, we can hardly imagine how many thousands of years ago the "minimalism” was born.
This program is a journey through five centuries of "minimalist" music. On this program there is no such thing as "classical music", "early music", "contemporary music". It does not matter when each of those works was written, and who was the composer.
It's a soundtrack for our meditation. Now, here.
**About the artist**
Composer and pianist Anton Batagov is one of the most unique and influential artists in the world of new classics. His discography includes over 60 albums that have an audience of millions. He plays on the world's most prestigious stages. His compositions have been performed and recorded by outstanding classical and rock musicians and orchestras. The philosophy of Batagov's projects eliminates any boundaries between centuries and genres, between "performance" and "composition" by viewing all existing musical practices – from ancient rituals to rock and pop culture and advanced computer technologies – as inseparable elements of his work.
Anton Batagov is one of the closest collaborators of Philip Glass, one of the leading performers of his music. He has been touring internationally with Glass for almost a decade. His Glass albums – *The Complete Etudes*, *Prophecies* (Batagov's piano arrangements of scenes from *Einstein on the Beach* and *Koyaanisqatsi*), *The Hours* and *Distant Figure* (a composition written by Philip Glass for and premiered by Anton Batagov) – have received worldwide recognition.
As a composer, Batagov has a distinctive style. The post-minimalist language of his compositions is rooted in the harmonic and rhythmic patterns of Russian church bells mixed with the dynamic pulse of early Soviet avant-garde, the energy of progressive rock, and the spirit of Buddhist philosophy. Batagov is the author of several movie soundtracks and original music for numerous television channels.
From 1997 to 2009, Batagov stopped his concert activity to focus on recording and composition.
Since 2009 he has been performing a series of unique solo piano programs. His repertoire includes contemporary classics and great composers of the past. Along with the music of John Cage, Morton Feldman, Philip Glass and Michael Nyman, Batagov performs Bach, Pachelbel, early English music, Mozart, Schubert, Debussy, and many others composers, as well as his own numerous piano compositions.
Mr. Batagov has performed at Walt Disney Hall (Los Angeles) and Brooklyn Academy of Music (New York), Jordan Hall (Boston) and Bing Concert Hall (Palo Alto, CA), Elbphilharmonie (Hamburg), The Berliner Philharmonie and Philharmonie de Paris, Musiikkitalo (Helsinki) and Reduta Hall (Bratislava), Teatro Regio (Parma, Italy) and Palau de la Musica Catalana (Barcelona, Spain), The Grand Hall of Moscow Conservatory and The Grand Hall of St.Petersburg Philharmonie, Moscow International House of Music and Zaryadye Hall, and many other venues. The list of festivals he has participated in includes Salzburg Festival (Austria), Diaghilev Festival (Russia), Ruhrtriennale (Germany), Next Wave and Bang on a Can festivals (New York), Aarhus Festival (Denmark), and others.
***Brilliantly hypnotizing.***
*(Los Angeles Times)*
***His performance transcends the material world.***
*(Crescendo magazine, Germany)*
***Anton Batagov is a mystic of the piano. Part shaman and part showman, beneath his fingers the***
***keys of the keyboard reveal another world,*** ***another layer of spiritual energy, and another way of listening.***
*(Time out New York)*
***Batagov shakes up our notion of what a solo piano recital can sound like.***
*(The Gathering Note, Seattle)*
Tickets ($50) *here*.

www.batagov.com

Thursday 25 June at 7.30pm
Cello Beyond Borders

Robert Schumann — Fantasiestücke, Op. 73
Sulkhan Tsintsadze — Five Pieces on Folk Themes
Ludwig van Beethoven — Cello Sonata No. 3 in A Major, Op. 69
The concert is titled **Echoes & Fire** and brings together Romantic masterworks with the folk-inspired colors of Georgian music. It will be an intimate chamber music evening centered on lyricism, virtuosity, and the close connection between the audience and performers.
Gleb Ivanov has been praised by The New York Times as “a cut above the usual, a young super-virtuoso,” and has appeared at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, the Louvre Museum, Bargemusic, and many other major venues. I am an Opus Klassik- and German Recording Critics’ Award-nominated cellist, founder of Cello Beyond Borders, and currently based in New York City.
Tickets ($5) in advance *here* or $30 on the door.

Friday 26 June at 7pm
FireFLAG/EMS Annual Musical Garden Party

Gotham Rock Choir, Peace of Heart Choir, and others perform in a garden-party setting in St Benedict’s Courtyard, celebrating First Responders of NYC in the season of New York Pride. Tickets ($100) *here*.

Sunday 28 June at 3pm
A Concert of Chamber Music

Vivaldi Concerto in B minor
Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E minor, 1st movement
Sarasate Navarra, Op. 33
Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue
Ernest Bloch Concerto Grosso No. 1

Tuesday 30 June at 7.30pm
Summer Opera Extravaganza

A concert of extraordinary moments of musical drama.
Join Vira + Friends for a grand melodic adventure. Let soprano Brooke Schooley, contralto Vira Slywotzky, bass Isaiah Musik-Ayala and pianist David Sytkowski be your guides on a journey through the tragedy, comedy, chaos, peace and great humanity that the world of opera encompasses.
Tickets ($25) and full information *here*.

Friday 3 July at 7pm
Arielle Kaplan in Concert: The Retro Song Show

Sunday 12 July at 3pm
Chamber Music Afternoon

Come enjoy some chamber music this summer! Our musicians will be performing a mix of classical music and our own arrangements of pieces from video games/TV! Program TBD (estimated runtime is 1.5 hours including a brief intermission) Musicians Violins: Eric Shen, Jasmine Qiang, and Melodee Li Viola: Vishnu Gottiparthy Cellos: Ivy Xue and Alex Huang Clarinet: Jonathan Lee Donations are optional (suggested $5) but they would help support future performances like this one!
RSVP *here*.

PREVIOUS PERFORMANCES STILL AVAILABLE

Falla & Friends

Widely regarded as the foremost Spanish composer of the twentieth century, Falla moved to Paris in 1907, encouraged by friends such as Joaquín Turina. His time in Paris, between 1907 to 1914, proved to be transformative. He developed close & professional friendships with leading Impressionist composers, including Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, as well as with members of the avant-garde collective known as *Les Apaches*.
You can still view this concert *here*.

Paris - New York: Songs of Spring

This vibrant musical show blended the romantic charm of French chanson and the infectious rhythms of American songs. Music by Mandel & more!
Jessica Crandall, Emma Lavandier, and Ellen Mandel with violinist Melanie Haskins in a fun and spirited cross-cultural celebration. Mandel's "ardent, spiky, and freshly organic" songs (NY Times), beloved French and American standards— dreamy ballads, luscious duets, cheerful and jazzy love songs.
You can still view this concert *here*.

Harmony 3 on Earth Day

Join Harmony 3 for a musical celebration of our planet and all the beauty it holds. Featuring music by Jenni Brandon, a world premiere inspired by the four seasons by Yuval Avni, and an original arrangement of "What a Wonderful World", and more!
You can still view this concert *here*.

Antonio Watts: In the Spirit (Black History Month)

Antonio Watts electrifies the stage, channeling the raw power and spirit of the civil rights movement and beloved gospel legends. His classically trained operatic voice soars with passion, exhilarating the audience, lifting hearts, and celebrating the vibrant legacy of African American History's music traditions.
Metropolitan Opera baritone, Antonio Watts performs with Broadway musical director, James Davis Jr. on an evening you'll not soon forget.
You can still enjoy this concert *here*.

Harmony 3: Cello Crush

"Cello Crush": Harmony 3 Reed Trio featured cellist Tamar Sagiv
What happens when a reed trio meets a cello? Harmony 3 explores unexpected chemistry across time periods and musical genres, featuring the phenomenal cellist Tamar Sagiv. Program included Telemann, Bloch, three world premieres, and an original arrangement of "My Funny Valentine." The concert was both in-person and also live-streamed.
It can still be enjoyed *here*.

Light in Transformation: Schoenberg in the Village

Set in the luminous acoustics of Saint John's in the Village, this concert brought together two late-Romantic masterpieces that glow with humanity, intensity, and renewal. From Schoenberg's confessional Verklärte Nacht to Mendelssohn's Quintet No. 2,. Light in Transformation invites listeners into a shared moment of closeness, sound, and reflection.
This concert was both in-person and live-streamed and can still be enjoyed *here*.

Harmony Three: Autumn Leaves

An evening of warmth and color, brought to you by three reed instruments!
Featuring jazz vocalist Yaala Ballin in an original arrangement of *Autumn Leaves* and works by Beethoven, Handel, and more.
Enjoy the live-stream *here*.

Duo Texarcana

Join Duo TexArkana : clarinet and saxophone. Clarinetist Timothy Hanley and saxophonist Jarod Apple performed works by David Biedenbender, Eric Mandat, Kyle Henkel, Stacy Garrop, Nadine Silverman, Alissa Voth, and more.
Enjoy the live-stream *here*.

Queer Contemporaries

October brought a showcase of living composers and modern queer composers, including a performance of their own music by the composer Hannah Cai Sorbel.
The concert is followed by a soft-drinks reception at which audience members can meet the musicians.
Free.
The concert can still be enjoyed *here*.

Brahms Waltzes

Celebrate Brahms' most romantic work, followed by a set of exciting premieres from our young composers.
The concert can still be enjoyed *here*.

Drs. Felix Graham and Christopher Cayari, with John Urban on piano, led a program of queer story-telling through musical theater, classical and pop/blues songs. Original compositions (You'll get a sneak listen to new songs from The Passion of Miss de Marco, Unemployed Stenographer -- a brand new lesbian true crime musical!), Sara Bareilles, Sapphic love songs and Shrek, oh my! Featuring guest performances by Jae Carelli, Caitlyn Duer, Mika Kaufman, Hannah Cai Sobel & Freddy Vaccaro. A fun night of Sex Appeal, religious fervor...and Dear Evan Hanson.

Presented by TRANScend Choral & Community Music Foundation with partial support from The Heritage of Pride Foundation. The concert was both in-person and also live-streamed.
Tickets (from $6) for the stream are still available *here*.

In Bloom and In Twilight

Soprano Veronica Mak and pianist Shaobai Yuan presented song by Clara Schumann, Schubert, Hahn, Bachelet, and Britten.
The concert can still be enjoyed *here*.

First Came the Words: Queer Voices Sung

This Queer Voices Sung concert looked at words by LGTBQ+ poets set to music by LGBTQ+ composers. You can still view it *here*.

Body & Soul Big Band Stadthagen
Fundraiser for St John’s music fund

The Body & Soul Big Band Stadthagen, Germany, is celebrating its 25th anniversary.
This program begins with our Brass Ensemble, presenting two remarkable pieces: the timeless classic “Stardust” by Hoagy Carmichael and the energetic and playful “Mr. Jums” by Chris Hazell.
After that, the full Big Band will take the stage, bringing you the powerful sounds of swing and jazz with pieces like “Hay Burner” by Count Basie and “Switch in Time” by Peter Herbolzheimer. You’ll also hear the soulful “Almost Like Being in Love” in the style of Natalie Cole and the vibrant “It Had Better Be Tonight” by Henry Mancini.
View the concert *here*. You can donate *here* putting ‘music fund’ in the description field.

Da Capo: Composers Thinking Visually

Helen Grime – *Three Whistler Miniature*s (2011)
Tyson Davis – *...pink atmospheres...* (2023)
Hugues Dufourt – *La Sieste du Lettré* (2010)
David Glaser – *Medici Slot Machine* (2024)
World premiere, Commissioned by Da Capo
Arlene Sierra – *Meditation on Violence* (2012)
The concert can still be enjoyed *here*.

Queer Voices Sung: Musical Theatre Favorites

Queer Voices Sung is a monthly LGBTQ+ concert series at St John’s, curated by soprano Any Anderson. This concert was both in-person and also live-streamed and still available *here*.

In Her Image: Accord Treble Choir

*In Her Image* was a provocative concert program that explored the spectrum of meanings we find in the experience of being a woman. As there is no universal human experience, so too the lives of women reflect infinite combinations of social, cultural, political, racial, economic, and environmental circumstance. Some pieces in this program highlighted the struggle of being a woman in a world still largely governed by patriarchy. Others inspires us to envision women as individuals unencumbered by this constraint. Still others dared us to see the world, the planet itself, or a higher power, as a feminine being: an essential force with which we can commune, in a reality free of hierarchy and oppression.

These pieces ask questions and claim space: “What happens when a woman takes power?” demands Alexandra Olsavsky’s driving anthem. “Where was I the day I finally found my place?” echoes Sarah Kirkland Snider in a haunting setting of a Nathaniel Bellows poem. Celebrated NYC composer Stefania de Kenessey sets challenging lyrics by Annie Finch, in a world premiere: “He who hides a woman’s spirit/ loses his own birth within it,” calls one verse. Hear these works along with pieces by Joan Szymko, Zanaida Robles, Libby Larsen, Chen Yi, Katerina Gimon, Eva Ugalde, and others. Audiences are welcome to a reception following the concert.
The concert can still be viewed *here*.

Spring Winds

Four Wind Quintets by Robert Martin. Learn more about Robert Martin *here*. The concert can still be enjoyed here:
https://youtu.be/3QYJmtMAKes

The Turbulent Life and Times of Nicholas Lanier

Nicholas Lanier was the first Master of the King's Music in the reign of Charles I (1625 - 1649). Internationally renowned as a lutenist, song writer and art expert he joined the dots between politics, poetry and art at one of the most culturally ambitious courts of the seventeenth century. His songs were collected and published for decades after his heyday. But as Lanier and his fellow court musicians experienced tumultuous times, their music reflects both the languid serenity of a Golden Age and sorrow at its destruction.
Alan Fellows, Ryland Angel, Eric Brenner, Tommy Wazelle, Rod Gomez, and Alison Cheesman: voice, viols, theorbo, and chamber organ.
The concert is available *here*.

Queer Voices Sung: Songs of Love

Monthly Tuesday evening concert series exploring repertoire by LGBTQ+ composers.
You can still view this concert on YouTube *here*.

Queer Voices Sung: Handel

Exploring the music of George Frideric Handel (1685-1759). This concert was the first of a series of monthly Tuesday evening concerts exploring the music of LGBTQ+ composers.
View the concert *here*.

Christmas at St John’s - Áine Cassidy in Concert

Áine Cassidy, the golden voiced soprano from the Emerald Isle, presented a seasonal mix of Christmas classics and operatic favorites. Cassidy is one of Ireland's finest young singers, whose operatic and concert performances have taken her all over the world. Áine was joined by Derrick Goff, an incredible pianist and conductor who has worked at the Metropolitan Opera, Teatro Nuovo and the Florida Grand Opera studio to name but a few. You can still view this concert (free) *here*.

Comfort and Joy: A Musical Solstice Celebration

For millennia, people all over the world have recognized the winter solstice as an important astronomical occurrence and celebrated through rituals to ward off the dark and cold, until the return of the sun. Centuries-old solstice traditions continue to influence the holidays we celebrate now. Join TRANScend on the Winter solstice as they present contemplative and joyous music and poetry from solemn and celebratory rituals from around the world. This concert was both in-person and also live-streamed.
Tickets (from $5) for the stream are still available here.