On  Friday, January 29th at 8PM, Heinrich Christensen will perform works by composers Graham Gordon Ramsay and Robert Sirota. 

The recital will be offered at Saint Cecilia Parish Church at 18 Belvedere Street. Admission is free.

Graham Gordon Ramsay and Robert Sirota first met during the summer of 1980, when Ramsay, a 17-year-old who had just completed high school, attended the Boston University Tanglewood Institute in Lenox, Massachusetts. Sirota, then 30, was leading the fledgling composition program, then only in its second year. At a time when Ramsay was just beginning to get his footing as a musician and acquiring an identity as a composer, Sirota provided vital instruction and mentorship. Following that Tanglewood summer, Ramsay enrolled at Boston University, and continued his studies with Sirota in his first college year.

After their time at BU, Sirota and Ramsay lost touch for nearly three decades. Then in June 2013, Heinrich Christensen, who had been assigned to premiere a new Sirota composition commissioned for the American Guild of Organist's national convention in Boston, arranged a reunion between the two composers. Christensen and Ramsay had been collaborators on several musical projects, and Christensen had often heard Ramsay speak fondly of his time studying with Sirota.

This concert is the byproduct of that happy reunion. A recital by Christensen featuring Sirota and Ramsay compositions seemed inevitable; indeed, two of the works on tonight's program were written specifically for Christensen, including a world premiere of Sirota's Chorale Variations on Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten. The program presents works by two composers who began as teacher and student and have evolved into collaborative colleagues-a rare leap in the musical world. In a way, this concert is a map of the composers' relationship, tracing common musical influences, aesthetic sensibilities, and philosophies. For more information about the musicians, click here!

Remember when candidate Barack Obama's minister was seen on YouTube shouting, in a sermon, "God bless America? No, I say, God damn America!"  The outrage many Americans felt may be like the fury the people of Nazareth felt, when Jesus preached his debut sermon there. Jesus implies to the people of his hometown that God has favored their enemies - helped them, instead of the Hebrews. If we hear suggestions that God might "damn" us for our injustices, or shower love on a military enemy  - how do we react?  And where do the familiar words from First Corinthians 13 fit in:  "Love is patient, love is kind.  Love is not jealous or boastful or arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way.... Love rejoices in the right, not in the wrong..." 

 

The lessons appointed for Sunday seem timely for this electoral season. They're timely for ordinary tough times, too.

Once again, the very talented Emanuel Genovese, the Mosaic Maestro, will be guiding our children as they create another masterpiece to add to the Little Chapel in the Parish House. Our first session will be  Sunday, January 31st at 10AM !

Who can say No to the aroma of pancakes and waffles wafting through the Parish House on a cold February Sunday morning? We welcome you to stop by the Parish House at  10AM  for a savory breakfast treat before attending the  11AM  Morning Prayer at King's Chapel. Your pancake and waffle options include blueberries, chocolate chips, and cinnamon and brown sugar. Your chefs and servers will be none other than the Church School Staff and participants.

Dean Lynch lives in Milton, Massachusetts. Dean is married and has three wonderful children. He is retired from working in Culinary Arts, but does not stray too far from trying new things in the kitchen.