Michigan Festival of Sacred Music, Kalamazoo November 10-20, 2011
The Michigan Festival of Sacred Music presents a biennial festival of concerts, workshops and presentations, representing many faiths, in November in odd-numbered years, as well as smaller-scale off-season events. Its objectives are: bring sacred music and associated cultural tenets to Southwestern Michigan; promote mutual understanding and respect among persons of different religious persuasions; accentuate community harmony; encourage individual and group participation in program development and attendance throughout all segments of society.
Schedule of Events
MusicAEterna
Thursday, November 10, 2011, 7:30pm
Aenea Keyes of MusicAEterena
MusicAEterna (Aenea M. Keyes, violin; Michael Graham, cello; Miles Graber, piano), merging spiritual traditions and world philosophies. With projections of Japanese calligraphy reinforcing themes.
First Baptist Church
315 West Michigan Avenue
Kalamazoo, MI
Tickets: $15 Adults; $12 Seniors; $5 Students
Le Bon Vent
Friday, November 11, 2011, 8:00pm
Le Bon Vent
Le Bon Vent (Cristi Catt -vocals, Jeremiah McLane -accordion, piano, Ruthie Dornfeld -violin, James Falzone -clarinet, tin whistle, Adam Larrabee -guitar, mandolin, mandocello, Taki Masuko -percussion), explores Arabic influences in French music dating back to the Arabic occupation of the Iberian peninsula in the Middle Ages.
Holy Family Chapel
Nazareth Center
3427 Gull Road
Kalamazoo, MI 49074
Tickets: $15 Adults; $12 Seniors; $5 Students
AliAkbar Moradi
Saturday, November 12, 2011, 8:00pm
AliAkbar Moradi
Michigan Festival of Sacred Music presents AliAkbar Moradi, foremost performer of Kurdish sacred music, following his performance at the Festival of World Music in LA.
Ali Akbar Moradi is Iran’s greatest living master of the tanbur. Known for his work as a soloist and with Shahram Nazeri and Kayhan Kalhor, he has created new interest for the tanbur – an ancient lute traditionally used in religious ceremonies. His program features meditative improvisations based on the repertoire of the Yarsan people, the followers of a mystical faith associated with Sufism, who live in western Iran.
Moradi was born in 1957 in Guran, near the city of Kermanshah. He began playing the tanbur at the age of seven and studied with various masters, including Sayyed Hachem, Sayyed Mirza Khafashyan, Sayyed Mahmoud Alevi, Darvishi, Allahmouradi Hamedi, and Sayyed Vali Hosseyni. In 1973, he founded the first tanbur ensemble and began his touring career. By the age of 30 he had completed learning the entire 72 maqams (modes) of the Kurdish tanbur repertoire, making him perhaps the< only living artist with this knowledge. His recordings include the acclaimed CD, In the Mirror of the Sky, with kamancheh virtuoso Kayhan Kalhor for World Village/ Harmonia Mundi USA. He has performed as a soloist and with ensembles in festivals throughout the world, and teaches in Kermansheh and Tehran.
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
247 W. Lovell St.
Kalamazoo, MI
Tickets: $15 Adults; $12 Seniors; $5 Students
Tapestry
Workshop: Saturday, November 12, 2011, 2:00pm (FREE)
Concert: Sunday, November 13, 2011, 3:00pm (Ticketed)
Boston-based female vocal quartet Tapestry, popular MFSM guests, presenting a new work based on Tibetan music and folklore.
All singers are welcome for the Saturday workshop in vocal and vocal ensemble techniques. The Saturday Workshop is presented by MFSM in collaboration with the Kalamazoo Bach Festival.
Saturday Workshop:
FREE!
Location:
Dalton Theatre, Fine Arts Building
Kalamazoo College
1200 Academy St.
Kalamazoo, MI
Sunday Concert:
Tickets: $15 Adults; $12 Seniors; $5 Students
Location:
Holy Family Chapel
Nazareth Center
3427 Gull Road
Kalamazoo, MI 49074
[Map and directions]
Yale Strom Lecture/Performance
Yale Strom
listening to his
string quartet
Sunday, November 13, 2011, 11:00am
Yale Strom presents lecture/performance about his recent research in Jewish music, covering his new string quartet in particular.
Congregation of Moses
2501 Stadium Dr.
Kalamazoo, MI
FREE!
Burdick-Thorne String Quartet
Sunday, November 13, 2011, 7:00pm
Burdick-Thorne String Quartet
The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra’s Burdick-Thorne String Quartet performs a new work by Yale Strom, based on music he discovered in an abandoned synagogue in Eastern Europe. Strom talks about the piece, plays and sings originals.
Congregation of Moses
2501 Stadium Dr.
Kalamazoo, MI
Tickets: $15 Adults; $12 Seniors; $5 Students
Birds on a Wire Play Colson and Pärt
Monday, November 14, 2011, 8:15pm
Birds on a Wire
Western Michigan University’s Birds on a Wire premieres a new work commissioned by MFSM from WMU Music School director David Colson. Also on the program Avo Part’s Spiegel im Spiegel and solo cello works by Katia Tiutiunnik and Margarita Zelenaia performed by Elizabeth Start.
Dalton Center Recital Hall
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, MI
Ticketed through WMU School of Music using the Miller Auditorium box office.
Rahim AlHaj
Tuesday, November 15, 2011, 7:30pm
Rahim AlHaj
Iraqi oud player and composer Rahim AlHaj.
First Congregational Church
129 S. Park St.
Kalamazoo, MI
[Map and directions]
Tickets: $15 Adults; $12 Seniors; $5 Students
WMU School of Music Convocation Series featuring Edith Hines and John Chappell Stowe
Wednesday, November 16, 2011, 1:00pm
John Chappell Stowe and Edith Hines
Ensemble SDG, a violin and keyboard duo formed in 2009, performs music spanning the entire Baroque period, with a particular focus on the works of Johann Sebastian Bach. The duo has presented works by German, French, and Italian composers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in recitals from the Midwest to the East Coast. Venues include Fringe Concerts at the Boston Early Music Festival; a recital featuring the historically informed Brombaugh organ at First Presbyterian Church in Springfield, Illinois; the biennial meeting of the American Bach Society and the annual joint conclave of the Midwestern and Southeastern Historical Keyboard Societies; and the Faculty Concert Series at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where the duo performed Bach’s six sonatas for violin and obbligato harpsichord. They are currently recording Bach’s complete works for violin and keyboard—including the six sonatas with obbligato harpsichord, early versions of two of those sonatas with obbligato organ, three pieces with basso continuo, and the seldom-heard Suite in A, BWV 1025, arranged from a lute suite by Silvius Leopold Weiss.
Ensemble SDG takes its name from the epigraph used by Bach to sign many of his sacred works. Soli Deo gloria (“to God alone the glory”) represents its members’ common approach to music and to life, and it is with this grounding that they approach their technique, choice of repertoire, and interpretive decisions.
In addition to being a founding member of Ensemble SDG, violinist Edith Hines performs with the Madison Bach Musicians, Ensemble Musical Offering, and Bach Collegium Fort Wayne and directs an early music ensemble through the University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Continuing Studies. She has been adjunct instructor of violin and viola at Ripon College and currently holds the position of Assistant Editor at A-R Editions as well as Assistant Program Director of the Madison Early Music Festival. Edith has studied modern violin with David Updegraff, Donald Weilerstein, and David Perry and has had coaching in historical performance from Julie Andrijeski, Robert Mealy, and others. She holds degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music, New England Conservatory, Case Western Reserve University, and UW-Madison.
John Chappell Stowe is Professor of Organ and Harpsichord at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he also co-directs the Collegium Musicum. He has served two terms as national Vice President of the American Guild of Organists and has held the separate posts of Associate Director and Director of Graduate Studies of UW-Madison’s School of Music. Dr. Stowe completed degrees in organ performance and business administration from Southern Methodist University, then earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in organ performance from the Eastman School of Music. Dr. Stowe performs as organist and harpsichordist both as soloist and ensemble performer. His recorded performances include Fenster with UW-Madison trumpet professor John Aley and a compact disc of the historic 1863 Wadsworth organ at St. James Church in Madison on the Ethereal label.
Dalton Center Recital Hall
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, MI
[Map and directions]
FREE!
Live and Interactive! Edith Hines with John Chappell Stowe
Wednesday, November 16, 2011, 7:30pm
John Chappell Stowe and Edith Hines
Edith Hines, baroque violin; John Chappell Stowe, organ and harpsichord; Christopher Kantner, flute; and WMU Collegium Musicum, Matthew Steel, Director.
A collaboration with WMU’s Bullock Performance Institute to present Kalamazoo native Edith Hines, violin, with John Chappell Stowe performing Biber “Mystery Sonatas,” Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto #5 and more.
Ensemble SDG, a violin and keyboard duo formed in 2009, performs music spanning the entire Baroque period, with a particular focus on the works of Johann Sebastian Bach. The duo has presented works by German, French, and Italian composers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in recitals from the Midwest to the East Coast. Venues include Fringe Concerts at the Boston Early Music Festival; a recital featuring the historically informed Brombaugh organ at First Presbyterian Church in Springfield, Illinois; the biennial meeting of the American Bach Society and the annual joint conclave of the Midwestern and Southeastern Historical Keyboard Societies; and the Faculty Concert Series at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where the duo performed Bach’s six sonatas for violin and obbligato harpsichord. They are currently recording Bach’s complete works for violin and keyboard—including the six sonatas with obbligato harpsichord, early versions of two of those sonatas with obbligato organ, three pieces with basso continuo, and the seldom-heard Suite in A, BWV 1025, arranged from a lute suite by Silvius Leopold Weiss.
Ensemble SDG takes its name from the epigraph used by Bach to sign many of his sacred works. Soli Deo gloria (“to God alone the glory”) represents its members’ common approach to music and to life, and it is with this grounding that they approach their technique, choice of repertoire, and interpretive decisions.
In addition to being a founding member of Ensemble SDG, violinist Edith Hines performs with the Madison Bach Musicians, Ensemble Musical Offering, and Bach Collegium Fort Wayne and directs an early music ensemble through the University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Continuing Studies. She has been adjunct instructor of violin and viola at Ripon College and currently holds the position of Assistant Editor at A-R Editions as well as Assistant Program Director of the Madison Early Music Festival. Edith has studied modern violin with David Updegraff, Donald Weilerstein, and David Perry and has had coaching in historical performance from Julie Andrijeski, Robert Mealy, and others. She holds degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music, New England Conservatory, Case Western Reserve University, and UW-Madison.
John Chappell Stowe is Professor of Organ and Harpsichord at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he also co-directs the Collegium Musicum. He has served two terms as national Vice President of the American Guild of Organists and has held the separate posts of Associate Director and Director of Graduate Studies of UW-Madison’s School of Music. Dr. Stowe completed degrees in organ performance and business administration from Southern Methodist University, then earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in organ performance from the Eastman School of Music. Dr. Stowe performs as organist and harpsichordist both as soloist and ensemble performer. His recorded performances include Fenster with UW-Madison trumpet professor John Aley and a compact disc of the historic 1863 Wadsworth organ at St. James Church in Madison on the Ethereal label.
7pm Pre-Concert Conversations.
Dalton Center Recital Hall
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, MI
[Map and directions]
Tickets (through WMU School of Music): $15 Adults; $10 Seniors; $5 Students
Edith Hines with John Chappell Stowe with WMU’s Collegium Musicum
Thursday, November 17, 2011, 8:15pm (FREE!)
John Chappell Stowe and Edith Hines
A collaboration with WMU in presenting more works with Edith Hines and John Chappell Stowe with WMU’s Collegium Musicum on a program including vocal and choral works, and premiere of new work for viol consort by Elizabeth Start.
Ensemble SDG, a violin and keyboard duo formed in 2009, performs music spanning the entire Baroque period, with a particular focus on the works of Johann Sebastian Bach. The duo has presented works by German, French, and Italian composers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in recitals from the Midwest to the East Coast. Venues include Fringe Concerts at the Boston Early Music Festival; a recital featuring the historically informed Brombaugh organ at First Presbyterian Church in Springfield, Illinois; the biennial meeting of the American Bach Society and the annual joint conclave of the Midwestern and Southeastern Historical Keyboard Societies; and the Faculty Concert Series at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where the duo performed Bach’s six sonatas for violin and obbligato harpsichord. They are currently recording Bach’s complete works for violin and keyboard—including the six sonatas with obbligato harpsichord, early versions of two of those sonatas with obbligato organ, three pieces with basso continuo, and the seldom-heard Suite in A, BWV 1025, arranged from a lute suite by Silvius Leopold Weiss.
Ensemble SDG takes its name from the epigraph used by Bach to sign many of his sacred works. Soli Deo gloria (“to God alone the glory”) represents its members’ common approach to music and to life, and it is with this grounding that they approach their technique, choice of repertoire, and interpretive decisions.
In addition to being a founding member of Ensemble SDG, violinist Edith Hines performs with the Madison Bach Musicians, Ensemble Musical Offering, and Bach Collegium Fort Wayne and directs an early music ensemble through the University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Continuing Studies. She has been adjunct instructor of violin and viola at Ripon College and currently holds the position of Assistant Editor at A-R Editions as well as Assistant Program Director of the Madison Early Music Festival. Edith has studied modern violin with David Updegraff, Donald Weilerstein, and David Perry and has had coaching in historical performance from Julie Andrijeski, Robert Mealy, and others. She holds degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music, New England Conservatory, Case Western Reserve University, and UW-Madison.
John Chappell Stowe is Professor of Organ and Harpsichord at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he also co-directs the Collegium Musicum. He has served two terms as national Vice President of the American Guild of Organists and has held the separate posts of Associate Director and Director of Graduate Studies of UW-Madison’s School of Music. Dr. Stowe completed degrees in organ performance and business administration from Southern Methodist University, then earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in organ performance from the Eastman School of Music. Dr. Stowe performs as organist and harpsichordist both as soloist and ensemble performer. His recorded performances include Fenster with UW-Madison trumpet professor John Aley and a compact disc of the historic 1863 Wadsworth organ at St. James Church in Madison on the Ethereal label.
Dalton Center Recital Hall
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, MI
[Map and directions]
FREE!
Michael Chikuzen Gould
Friday, November 18, 2011, 2:00pm (FREE!)
Michael Chiuzen Gould
Shakuhachi master Michael Chikuzen Gould performs at WMU Dalton #1110.
Dalton Center Room #1110
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, MI
[Map and directions]
FREE!
Rohan Krishnamurthy and Ravikiran
Rohan Krishnamurthy
Friday, November 18, 2011, 8:00pm
Kalamazoo native Rohan Krishnamurthy performs with South Indian vina and vocalist, Ravikiran, exploring sacred relationships in ragas. The pre-concert program at 7:30 features local Indian dance students.
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
247 W. Lovell St.
Kalamazoo, MI
[Map and directions]
Tickets: $15 Adults; $12 Seniors; $5 Students
Choir Workshop with Richard Webster
Richard Webster
Saturday, November 19, 2011, 9:30am-11:30am (FREE!)
Choral workshop with Richard Webster, co-sponsored by the Southwest Michigan Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. Of special interest to choral directors! Come join in singing or listen.
First United Methodist Church
212 S. Park St.
Kalamazoo, MI
[Map and directions]
FREE!
Choir Workshop with Richard Webster
Richard Webster
Saturday, November 19, 2011, 1:00pm-3:30pm (FREE!)
Rehearsal/workshop for treble voices from area children’s choirs with Richard Webster in preparation for Sunday’s concert. Young treble voices and children’s choir directors: call 269-382-2910 to find out about participating!
First United Methodist Church
212 S. Park St.
Kalamazoo, MI
[Map and directions]
FREE!
Briner Lecture: Emily Saliers and Don Saliers
Don Saliers and Emily Saliers
Saturday, November 19, 2011, 1:00pm (FREE!)
In collaboration with the Briner Lectureship, MFSM presents an afternoon lecture/discussion with Don and Emily (of the Indigo Girls) Saliers about their music and words.
First Presbyterian Church
321 W. South St.
Kalamazoo, MI
[Map and directions]
FREE!
Sacred Flutes: Native American flutist Juan Cruz and Shakuhachi master Michael Chikuzen Gould
Juan Manuel Cruz
Saturday, November 19, 2011, 2:00pm (FREE!)
Michigan Festival of Sacred Music presents, in collaboration with the Kalamazoo Public Library, sacred flutes: Michael Chikuzen Gould, shakuhachi, and Juan Cruz, Native American flute.
Juan Manuel Cruz of the Mixtec tribe of Oxaxac, Oxaxaca Mexico was born in Larado,Texas. He began playing the Native American flute in1994 and was ordained as a flute maker in 1995 by Tunbuot Toki of the Kiowa Nation.With six CDs released, he is planning on three new releases in the coming months. Cruz is presently is traveling the U.S. attending Native American Pow Wows with his crafts and goods.
Kalamazoo Public Library
315 South Rose Street
Kalamazoo, MI 49007-5270
[Map and directions]
FREE!
“Saturday Night and Sunday Morning” with Emily and Don Saliers
Don Saliers and Emily Saliers
Saturday, November 19, 2011, 8:00pm
Emily Saliers (half of the popular duo The Indigo Girls) and her father, noted church musician and theologian Don Saliers, in a program called “Saturday Night and Sunday Morning.”
First Presbyterian Church
321 W. South St.
Kalamazoo, MI
[Map and directions]
Tickets: $15 Adults; $12 Seniors; $5 Students
Hymn Fest with Richard Webster
Richard Webster
Sunday, November 20, 2011, 3:00pm, concert
Michigan Festival of Sacred Music presents a hymn fest, led by noted composer/arranger/clinician/organist Richard Webster, with brass ensemble and members of area children’s choirs. Free-will donation will benefit area charities.
First United Methodist Church
212 S. Park St.
Kalamazoo, MI
[Map and directions]
Free-will donation (benefits area charities)
Deanna Witkowski
Deanna Witkowski
Sunday, November 20, 2011, 6:30pm
Doors open at 5:30pm for dinner and drinks
Vocalist and pianist Deanna Witkowski performs with her trio, performing Deanna’s originals and music of Mary Lou Williams.
Winner of the Great American Jazz Piano Competition, New York-based pianist/composer/vocalist Deanna Witkowski has been heralded for her “consistently thrilling” playing and her “boundless imagination” (All Music Guide). Her 2009 sacred jazz release, From This Place, led to interviews on NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday and Interfaith Voices. An expert on the sacred music of Mary Lou Williams, Witkowski will perform both originals and works by Williams with her trio.
A limited menu will be available through the Union.
Read more about Deanna and her concert schedule on Deanna’s Facebook page.
The Union Cabaret and Grille
125 South Kalamazoo Mall
Kalamazoo, MI 49007
Tickets: $15 Adults; $12 Seniors; $5 Students
Upcoming events subject to change.
