Arts at St. John’s
Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 May
Sacred Sites Open House: Architecture, Horticulture, Music
On Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 St John’s in the Village opens its doors to the public as part of the Landmark Conservancy’s annual Sacred Sites initiative. St John’s offers three concerts and one Choral Eucharist to showcase its musical heritage. Details of these below. Details of the Sacred Sites initiative 2025 here.
Saturday 17 May at 8pm
Journeys by Tapestry (Sacred Sites 2025)
This program will explore many of the ways that journeys can be experienced, whether they are real, fanciful, imposed, or longed for.
Our musical journeys include a whimsical look at destinations, modes of transportation, an immigrant’s gentle longing for home, the joy of swift motion, a transition from wakefulness into sleep, the pressing need for sanctuary, a displaced population’s search for community in a chaotic world, and more.
Tickets: $30 in advance here or pay-what-you-like on the door.
The concert is a repeat of the performance on Thursday 17 May.
Sunday 18 May at 11am
Choral Eucharist with music by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
(Sacred Sites 2025)
followed by lunch in St Benedict’s Courtyard
The professional choir of St John’s in the Village sings Palestrina’s Missa Brevis in its liturgical context, as part of the Sacred Sites initiative 2025.
The Eucharist is followed by a buffet lunch in St Benedict’s Courtyard.
There is no need to register in advance.
Following the Eucharist and lunch the church and the courtyard remain open to the public until the 3pm chamber music concert.
Sunday 18 May at 3pm
David Oei Classical Salon Series (Sacred Sites 2025)
This concert will feature the boisterous Dohnanyi Sextet for piano, winds, and string trio. Also on the program will be the Gliere Duo for violin and cello and the Schnittke Suite in the Old Style for violin and piano.
Suggested donations at the door: $30. Any amount is welcome and appreciated.
Monday 19 May at 7pm
Sixth Degree Sextet
Join Sixth Degree Sextet, featuring Andrea Abel (flute), Gabe Henkin (clarinet), Madeline Hocking (violin), Clara Cho (cello), Jonathan Collazo (percussion), and Nacho Ojeda (piano), for an evening of dynamic contemporary music.
Based in New York City, Sixth Degree Sextet is dedicated to sharing bold, boundary-pushing works that reflect the diversity and innovation of today’s musical landscape. This program features a wide range of voices and styles, offering audiences fresh perspectives and new sonic experiences.
Tickets: General admission $20, Student tickets $15
You can buy tickets in advance here: https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/clarxclxra/sixthdegreesextet
Tuesday 20 May at 6.30pm
Graduation Piano Recital
We welcome pianists Nicholas Thorpe and William Woodruff for a 6.30pm Graduation Piano Recital, followed by a soft-drinks reception in the garden. Music by Scriabin, Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, and Prokofiev. The recital is free and no advance ticketing is required.
Thursday 22 May at 7pm
Muses on the Hudson: Ilya Itin
Muses on the Hudson presents pianist Ilya Itin.
Music by Scriabin and Rachmaninoff.
Tickets here.
Saturday 24 May at 2pm
There is Nothing to Explain
A portrait concert featuring the works of composer James Warner Duquette, performed by a selection of outstanding interpreters/performers of contemporary music in New York.
This concert is free to attend and no prior registration is required.
Saturday 24 May at 7pm
Exalt Chamber Music
Exalt is an ensemble of the finest classical musicians dedicated to performing Western classical chamber music as a reflection of the pinnacle of human achievement. We are united by the commitment to beauty, objective truth, the flourishing of the human spirit, respect for tradition, and artistic independence.
Exalt was founded to revive a profound appreciation for the Western artistic tradition. We combine performances of iconic chamber works with engaging intellectual discussions and fellowship. Through these efforts, we aim to deepen understanding, celebrate beauty, and ensure the high arts remain a vibrant, living legacy.
Sunday 25 May at 3pm in St Benedict’s Courtyard
Ocean Music Garden Concert
Experience a one-of-a-kind concert featuring the Katarina String Quartet, the current Juilliard Graduate Resident Quartet, and pianist Yang Liu. This magical performance will showcase Joseph Haydn's String Quartet Op. 50, No. 2, Judith's Weir String Quartet No. 2 "The Spaniard", and Robert Schumann's Piano Quintet, set against the backdrop of spring blossoms.
Friday 30 May at 7pm
Contrast in Colors
Music by Ravel and Beethoven for voice, strings, and piano. No advance ticketing: on the door only. $20 ($15 students and seniors).
Sunday 8 June at 3pm
Arielle Kaplan - Recorder
Arielle Kaplan plays unaccompanied descant recorder renditions of songs by Indigo Girls, Alanis Morisette, James Taylor, Paul Simon, Norah Jones, Elton John, Lionel Ritchie, Phil Collins, and others.
Admission $20 on the door (no advance ticketing).
Friday 13 June at 7pm
Duo Majcherczyk & Casal
Music for violin and viola by Lew, Jacob, Martinu, Mozart, and Penderecki. Pay on the door only (no advance ticketing): $25 (students $15).
Friday 20 June at 7pm in St Benedict’s Courtyard
4th FireFLAG/EMS Pride Celebration: music, photo-booth, food and more
Please join us for the 4th Annual FireFLAG/EMS Pride Celebration. This annual event brings together our FireFLAG/EMS members, family, and friends to celebrate Pride month while also taking a moment to recognize and honor individuals or organizations that have worked tirelessly to uplift or support the LGBTQ+ community. This evening is full of great music, food, fun, and friends, and is open to everyone in our community. All current FireFLAG/EMS members will receive a 20% reimbursement for a single ticket purchase. Email us at Fireflagnyc@gmail.com to learn more. Tickets ($65) here.
Friday 27 June at 8pm
The Moon and the Stars
The Moon and the Stars is an outdoor evening concert with music by Dvořák, Debussy, Price, Barber, Symanovska, Tessier, Sturk, Cuello Piraquibis, de Falla, Boulanger, and Fauré along with several cabaret standards. Pianist Nelson Ojeda Valdés will be joined by soprano Sarah Ittoop and cellist David Newtown.
Tickets: $25 on Eventbrite and $30 on the door. An Eventbrite link will follow soon.
Sunday 21 September at 3pm
David Oei Salon Series Concert with The Village Trip
This David Oei Salon Series concert is part of The Village Trip 2025. The concert features composers associated with Greenwich Village: Elliott Carter, Steven Christopher Sacco, and Antonín Dvořák
PREVIOUS EVENTS AT ST JOHN’S
still available on-line
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:
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.
An Afternoon of Synthesis: Bex Yurivna, minus32heartbeat
Bex Yurivna and minus32heartbeat presented an intimate afternoon concert showcasing two very distinct yet complementary musical styles. Bex Yurivna is a synthesist and composer in the realm of experimental electronic music. As a one-woman orchestra, Bex harnesses the power of analog synthesizers, drum machines, pedals, and her voice to breathe new life into the music of antiquity through technology. Her compositions are a fusion of ambient textures, nature sounds, and historical echoes, reflecting her deep-rooted fascination with early recorded sound and music. minus32heartbeat is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, and composer whose debut album DHRICMV was released in September. Combining guitar-driven alternative rock with modern electronic and ambient production, the album has been heralded as “a soul-searching exploration of love and life.” This concert showcased these original recordings through a re-imagined minimalist performance along with interpretations of other contemporary works.
The concert can still be viewed (free) here.
For Many Reasons - Beautiful You
XINSHENG（心声）Chinese Chamber Choir
XINSHENG（心声 Chinese Chamber Choir was founded in New York in 2023 by Chenchen Li, a Columbia University and Central Conservatory of China alumnus. This dynamic choir, comprising diverse professionals, which performs a mix of Mandarin and English songs.
The performance featured five choral pieces and two a cappella songs, including: Reflections on our hometown and sense of belonging ("Falling Leaves Return to Roots"), Harmony in our unique talents ("The Song of Voice Parts"), Deep love in a small mountain town ("Kangding Love Song"), Everything is a confession of our love ("Beautiful You"), and The reasons behind our singing (" For Many a Reason|Sing").
You can still enjoy the concert live-stream here.
Dialogue of the Times
Daniel Beliavsky, piano
Nuné Melik, violin
An evening of piano and violin explorations featuring music by Schubert, Enescu, Foss, Del Tredici, and Harris.
The concert can still be viewed here.
Eternal Sound: Jazz Meets Spirituality
Eternal Sound
Dennis Mueller – The Jazz Pastor
I combine spirituality with modern music – especially jazz. What excites me about jazz is improvisation. Moments of immediate creativity, whether in a concert or in a church service. What is crucial is that I as a musician and my listeners are touched. That we are together in flow.
Spirituality meets jazz – we explore the depths of art and religion, ultimately culminating in the momentum, the moment when you feel: Everything is there, everything is one, the sound, the space, the music, and me.
The concert can still be viewed here:
Hear My Voice: A Pride Concert by TRANScend and Guests
TRANScend, the vocal ensemble of Odd Voices NYC, under the direction of Felix Graham, presented this concert of new and old choral music for Pride Month. Whether evoking delight in spring, the transcendent joy of love or the agony of loss, choral music has beautifully illustrated the human experience for centuries. New music from composer in residence, Hannah Cai Sobel, as well as contemporary and traditional pieces from the Western choral canon, including John Michael Trotta, Alice Parker, Dietrich Buxtehude and others.
This concert was both in-person and also live-streamed. Tickets for the stream (from $5) here.
Operatic Delights
Indulge and let the soaring soprano Julia Garcia, accompanied by the brilliant pianist Juan Lazaro, transport you to some of Opera's most dramatic moments with captivating arias and duets. Featuring tenors Nicholas Farrauto and Vincenzo Fiorito. Unforgettable musical moments await!
Enjoy this performance here.
For the full program see here.
Sonic Architectures - The Orange Road String Quartet
The Orange Road String Quartet presented a program of quartets that build elaborate and interweaving structures at the intersection of the secular and the spiritual. Featuring music by Caroline Shaw, inti figgis-vizueta, and Iannis Xenakis, each piece served as a unique meditation on architecture and its various forms.
Caroline Shaw: Ritornello (2015)
inti figgis-vizueta: mayu (the great river) (2021)
Iannis Xenakis: Tetras (1983)
You can still view this concert (free) here.
Hevreh Ensemble
NYC-based Hevreh Ensemble performed compositions by group member Jeff Adler.
Audiophile Audition:
“A new sort of aesthetic that defies description... Clean, Tight, Creative — moments that are a kind of Jazz-meets-World; Jazz-meets-Classical; World-influenced-Classical.
Their concerts have delighted audiences and critics alike with appearances throughout the US and Europe and Iceland with concerts in Vienna, Berlin, Bonn, Amsterdam, Prague, and Krakow.
This concert is still available (free) here.
Learn more about Hevreh Ensemble here.
The Western Wind Vocal Ensemble: Ke Keresh di Mi
Join Western Wind for a captivating evening of music and emotions at Ke Keresh de Mi - What Do You Want from Me? Songs of Love and Relationship.
Be enchanted by soul-stirring melodies and heartfelt lyrics that explore the intricacies of love and relationships. From heartbreak to blissful romance, our talented performers will take you on a musical journey that will resonate with your own experiences.
Experience the power of music to connect, heal, and inspire with Sephardic Songs and music from the Renaissance to today by Monteverdi, Marenzio, Brahms, Gershwin. Bernstein, Ellington, McCartney and more. Whether you're a fan of soulful ballads or lively tunes, this event delivered an unforgettable evening filled with emotions and beautiful melodies.
Tickets ($35, but concessions from $10) still available and full information here.
Invisible Spirits
An evening of classical music for flute, soprano, and piano inspired by sounds and songs from the realm of the unseen. This concert was both in-person and also live-streamed. View the concert ($5) here.
Elizabeth Pope in Concert
Season of Light: TRANScend Winter Concert
Named one of Timeout Magazine's 50 Things to Do in NYC for a Magical Christmas, TRANScend presents SEASON OF LIGHT, a winter holiday choral concert. The winter solstice, with its dark chill, has produced festivals and holidays centered on light and warmth around the world. Different cultures celebrate in different ways, but they share a common theme: music warms the soul and offers hope for the cold days ahead. Join TRANScend for a holiday concert celebrating the solstice, with music from sacred and secular choral traditions for this season of light!
The concert was both in-person and also live-streamed. View the concert (live-stream from $5) here.
Four Sonatas in Baroque Style by Timothy Serignese
Wester Wind Concert for Hannakah and Christmas
Holiday Light was a unique concert presenting inspiring music for Chanukah and Christmas. The program included works by Astor Piazzolla, Elliot Z. Levine, Matthew Harris, Robert Dennis, and arrangements by Yumiko Matsuoka & Natasha Hirschhorn. Also Renaissance music & Spirituals, Lullabies & Early American songs; Sephardic, Yiddish & Hebrew Chanukah songs.
Still viewable (from $15) here.
Knox Oakey in Concert
Knox Oakey, piano, gave a concert of music for solo piano by Bach, Beethoven, and Bartók: Bach (French Overture), Beethoven (Sonata op.2 #3), Barber (Excursions) and Bartók (Romanian Dance, Op.8a). This concert was free to attend, but a suggested donations of $20 on the door went to St John’s Music Fund (for the commissioning of new piano music). Click here to view the live-stream (free). Click here to donate to the St John’s Music Fund (write Music Fund Commission in the comments box).
The Strathmere Ensemble with Mary Ellen Callahan:
Bach Cantatas
The Strathmere Ensemble with Mary Ellen Callahan and guest artists performed this concert of two solo cantatas, BWV 82A (Ich habe genug) and BWV 202 (Wedding Cantata)
Mitsuru Tsubota and Karl Kawahara, violins
Louise Schulman, viola
Daire FitzGerald, 'cello
Jack Kulowitsch, bass
Bob Wolinsky, harpsichord
with guest artists
Mary Ellen Callahan, soprano
Deborah Booth, baroque flute
Emily Ostrom, baroque oboe
The concert can still be viewed (free) here.
In Nomine in Concert
In Nomine Ensemble performed 18th-century European music by Italian, German, and Moravarian composers. They demonstrated these works on historical instruments with their unique combination of Baroque violin, flute, bassoon, and harpsichord. This concert can still be views (free) here.
Amir Farid, piano, in concert
Amir Farid presented a concert of works for solo piano: Franz Schubert, Anawim Avila, and Robert Schumann. You can still view the concert here.
Western Wind: The 5 Elements - Fire, Earth, Water, Air, Nothingness
‘… a church filled with hundreds of flickering candle lights to experience a kaleidoscopic tapestry of a cappella sensations by the Western Wind vocal ensemble. This concert can still be viewed on-line (from $15) here.
The Music of Antonio Soler
Hayk Arsenyan is a NYC-based pianist and composer, as well as a scholar of 18th century Spanish music. He recently published a book in Barcelona on the works of Antonio Soler, and toured a one-hour long beautiful program of Soler's sonatas and Fandango. This concert was both in-person and also live-streamed. Tickets (from $15) for the stream can still be purchased here.
Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater
Stabat Mater is a 13th-century hymn set to music by Pergolesi in the 18th century. It is a poignant portrayal of the Virgin Mary's grief during the Crucifixion, with expressive vocal lines and beautiful harmonies for two female voices. This was a free devotional concert for Good Friday. Alissa Grimaldi (soprano), Margo Andrea (mezzo), and Michael Eisenberg (harpsichord). You can still view this concert here.
Back to Bach: Cantatas BWV209 and BWV51
The Strathmere Ensemble with Mary Ellen Callaghan and guest artists performed this concert of two solo cantatas. You can still view it here.
Fantasy Duo: a cello and piano duo
With music from both the Romantic and Modern eras, this duo recital includes works by Schumann, Dvorak, Ligeti, Shostakovich, and Albinez. With more than a decade of chemistry and experience together, the Fantasy Duo combines mature musicianship with passionate livelihood to reach audiences far and wide with classical music. Tickets (from $25) here.
Nico Muhly’s O Antiphon Preludes is a suite for organ based on the melodies and ideas of the Great “O Antiphons”, the antiphons to the Magnificat in late Advent. The work was presented liturgically, with the scripture-sources of each antiphon read, the antiphon sung (in English), and the corresponding Muhly movement played, forming a sequence culminating in the singing of Magnificat.
Buck Mc Daniel (organ) with Brian Wehrle (voice).
The Sequence can still be viewed on the parish YouTube channel here.
Stations of the Lost: A Trans Requiem is a ‘secular’ requiem with a blend of liturgical and poetical texts, a theatre piece written by Dr. Felix Graham in collaboration with TRANScend, New York's trans/gender-expansive vocal ensemble, and Randy Polumbo, visual artist. The requiem, in oratorio form, was performed alongside an installation of 14 panels, replacing the traditional stations of the cross with commemorative art pieces honoring the lives of trans artists (both past and present). This concert was both in-person and also live-streamed. Tickets (virtual from $5) and full information here.
TRANScend, New York's premier trans and gender-inclusive choir. At this Choral Eucharist on Pride Sunday TRANScend sang Richard Burchard's Missa Brevis, Richard DeLong's Immortal Love and a new setting of Tantum Ergo written specially for this occasion by Dr Felix Graham, director of TRANScend.
You can still view the Choral Eucharist here.