Choral Evensong

Christ Episcopal Church, 870 Diamond Park, Meadville, will host a service of Choral Evensong on Sunday, Oct. 31 at 4 PM. The choir of Christ Church, directed by William Witherup, will be joined for this event by the choir of Meadville First Presbyterian Church, directed by Kevin Dill.

Choral Evensong is a service of scripture, music and prayer that has been sung at Anglican churches since the 16th century. The service will feature music by the English composers C.V. Stanford and Adrian Batten, along with Witherup’s own setting of the Preces and Responses. Both choirs warmly invite the community to join them in this gesture of inter-church cooperation.

Piping Hot

For the second time in as many years, the First Presbyterian Church of Meadville will host an evening of “piping hot” music for brass and organ. This free concert, taking place on Tuesday, October 19 at 7:30 PM, is being organized by Dr. Jennifer Dearden of Allegheny College and Kevin Dill, the church’s Director of Music. Ten players from the college’s department of music will perform on trumpet, trombone, horn, and tuba.

The program features solos, duets, quartets, and quintets for brass and organ by composers from the 16th to the 21st centuries. In addition to coaching the student ensembles, Dearden will take the stage with music for solo trumpet. Dill accompanies the brass on the church’s 2500-pipe Schlicker organ.

For more information contact First Presbyterian at 333-2161. Last year's concert nearly drew a full house, so come early to get a good seat!

October music list posted

Music list for choral services (11:00 unless otherwise noted)

Oct. 3 – 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time; World Communion Sunday
Chancel Choir
Introit: Bread of the World (tune: Louis Bourgeois, c.1510-1560)
Motet: O Sacrum Convivium (Ludovico da Viadana, 1564-1645)
Communion: Selections from 1er Livre d’Orgue (J.Boyvin, 1650-1706)
Postlude: Toccata in b minor (Eugène Gigout, 1844-1925)

Oct. 10 – 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Juanita Shutsa, flute
Prelude: Improvisation, from Suite Médiévale (Jean Langlais, 1907-1991)
Offertory: Allegro, from Flute Sonata in g minor (J.S. Bach, 1685-1750)
Postlude: Finale, from Concerto in a minor (Giuseppe Torelli, 1658-1709)

Oct. 17 – 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Liberty Bells & Chancel Choir
Introit: I Will Arise and Go To Jesus (arr. Robert Shaw & Alice Parker)
Offertory: Fantasy on ‘Hyfrydol’ (Hal Hopson, b.1933)
Postlude: Fugue in g minor (Nicolaus Bruhns, 1665-1697)

Oct. 24 – 30h Sunday in Ordinary Time
Chancel Choir
Introit: I Will Worship the Lord (John Rutter, b.1945)
Anthem: Come Away to the Skies (Alice Parker, b. 1925)
Postlude: Allegro from Sonata I (Felix Mendelssohn, 1809-1847)

Oct. 31 – Reformation Sunday (11:00 AM)
Junior Choir & Liberty Bell quartet
Prelude: Intercession (Kevin Dill)
Anthem: Hear My Words (Stephen Paulus, b.1949)
Postlude: Psalm XIX (Benedetto Marcello, 1686-1739)
Choral Evensong at Christ Episcopal Church (4:00 PM)
The combined choirs of First Presbyterian Church
and Christ Episcopal Church (William Witherup, choirmaster)
Preces and Responses: in G (William Witherup, b.1944)
Canticles: Evening Service in C (Charles Villiers Stanford, 1852-1924)
Anthem: O Sing Joyfully (Adrian Batten, 1591-1637)