Concerts at St James’s presents music of Felix Mendelssohn March 9

WEST HARTFORD, CONN. (February 12, 2019) — Concerts at St James’s is pleased to present “Hear My Prayer,” a program of choral and orchestral music of Felix Mendelssohn, performed by the Choir of St James’s Episcopal Church with members of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. Vaughn Mauren, organist and choirmaster at St James’s, will conduct. The free concert will be given on Saturday, March 9, 2019, 7:00pm, at St James’s Episcopal Church, 1018 Farmington Avenue, West Hartford.

With this concert, the Choir continues its annual series of performances of great choral-orchestral masterworks. Past programs have included the Requiems of Brahms, Duruflé, Fauré, and Mozart.

The March 9 program includes a selection of Mendelssohn’s choral music, including motets and the anthem “Hear My Prayer,” which includes the well-known aria “Oh, for the Wings of a Dove.”

“Mendelssohn’s music is beautifully composed, with Romantic harmonies and grand sweeps of melody overlaying Classical and Baroque forms,” said Mauren. “His choral works, long treasured by choral singers are perhaps not as well known to many music lovers as is his orchestral music. This program will offer a delightful experience for listeners.”

Orchestral selections include the String Symphony No. 1 in C Major and the “Canzonetta” from the String Quartet Opus 12.

The program concludes with choral-orchestral excerpts from Mendelssohn’s grand oratorio Elijah, including the favorite chorus “He watching over Israel.”

“The acoustic of the sanctuary of St James’s Episcopal Church is beautifully suited for choral and orchestral music,” added Mauren. “Even when every seat is full, the sound is glorious.”

The event is part of a new music series, Concerts at St James’s, recently established at St James’s Episcopal Church.

No tickets are required; admission is free.

Free parking is available on surrounding streets, with accessible parking in the church lot. The church is fully accessible.

Also coming up from Concerts at St James’s:

Sunday, February 24, 2019, 4:00pm – Cellist Owen Young (member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra) and pianist Alan Murchie in recital. Works by Brahms, Mendelssohn, Ravel, and Saint-Saëns. Tickets: $20 adults, $10 seniors and students, available at the door.

Tuesday, April 2, 2019, 7:00pm – The Vienna Boys Choir in concert – a rare Hartford-area appearance! Tickets are on sale now at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/vienna-boys-choir-in-concert-tickets-51362481565?aff=eac2

Friday, May 31, 2019, 7:00pm – Vaughn Mauren, organist, in recital to re-dedicate the recently rebuilt and enlarged Austin Organ, with a program of “Grand Organ Music of Great Britain.” No tickets are required.

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Interviews: For more information, or to schedule an interview with Vaughn Mauren, Artistic Director of Concerts at St James’s, please contact Sarah Hager Johnston at concerts@stjameswh.org or 860-676-2228.

The Choir of St James's Episcopal Church is a multi-generational ensemble of women, men, girls, and boys with members drawn from within the parish and from the surrounding communities. Under the direction of Organist and Choirmaster Vaughn Mauren, the choir offers choral music each Sunday at the 9.30am Eucharist, sings Evensong throughout the year, leads Compline on Sunday evenings during Lent, and performs for other special liturgies, concerts, events. In its annual concert series, the Choir has performed the Requiems of Duruflé, Brahms, Mozart, and Fauré, and other masterworks. In 2016, on a tour to England, the Choir sang daily Evensong at Hereford Cathedral and Sunday services at Bristol Cathedral. The choir returns to England in July of 2019 for a one-week residency at Worcester Cathedral.

Vaughn Mauren – Born in New York City and raised in Albany, New York, Vaughn began his musical career as a chorister in the Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys, Albany, and later at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Albany. He continued his organ studies with John Rose at Trinity College (Hartford), earning a B. A. with Honors in Music in 2007, and at the Yale School of Music and Institute of Sacred Music, earning a M. M. in Organ Performance in 2009 under Martin Jean, Thomas Murray and Jeffrey Brillhart. He has performed solo organ recitals at the American Cathedral in Paris, Washington National Cathedral, St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, and as a collaborative organist with Sigur Rós at Lincoln Center’s White Light Festival. As a choral director, Vaughn has conducted major works including Ein Deutsches Requiem (Brahms), chamber operas by Britten and Menotti, and several musical theater productions. He served as Chorusmaster for Connecticut Concert Opera’s 2015 production of Tosca and Opera Connecticut’s 2016 production of Hansel and Gretel. Vaughn was appointed Organist and Choirmaster at St. James’s Episcopal Church, West Hartford in 2014, having previously served as Director of Music for Young at Arts and Associate Organist at Christ Church, Bronxville, New York. In 2016, the Choir of St. James’s traveled to England for a one-week residency at Hereford Cathedral. Vaughn also serves as Artistic Director of the Albert Schweitzer Organ Festival, Hartford, an annual national performance competition for young organists. He is also Sub-Dean of the Greater Hartford Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.

Concerts at St James’s presents musical performances of the highest caliber for the refreshment and enrichment of the West Hartford community. Highlights of recent seasons include performances by violinist Colin Jacobsen and concert organist Greg Zelek. The generous acoustic of the sanctuary, a Steinway A grand piano that has been called “the new best piano in town,” and a newly restored and re-voiced three-manual 1962/2018 Austin Organ make St James’s an in-demand performance space for local ensembles. Annual concerts by the combined choirs of St James’s Episcopal Church have included the Requiems of Brahms, Duruflé, and Fauré, with musicians of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. In spring 2019, Concerts at St James’s will present the Vienna Boys Choir (April 2), a recital by cellist Owen Young and pianist Alan Murchie in recital (February 24) a program of choral music of Felix Mendelssohn, performed by the Choir of St James’s Episcopal Church with members of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra (March 9); and a recital by Vaughn Mauren to re-dedicate the recently rebuilt and enlarged Austin Organ (May 31).