Concerts & Recitals
Past Concerts & Recitals
Haunted Halloween Concert
Undead Organist Gregory Eaton on the Landmark E.M. Skinner organ
Join us on Halloween night for St. Ann & the Holy Trinity’s annual concert by the Undead Organist Gregory Eaton. Ghostly music will include works of Bach, Duruflé, Elfman and Rowley. Wear a costume and join the fun. Prizes will be awarded for the best Halloween attire.
There is no charge for admission. Free-will offerings will be accepted. There will be light refreshments in the Parish Hall after the concert.
All ages welcome.
Heroic Flourishes 2: Music for Organ & Brass
Heroic Flourishes 2: Music for Organ & Brass
Gregory Eaton on the Landmark E.M. Skinner organ, with
Seven Brass Players & Percussion
Suggested donation: $25.00. Students/Seniors $20.00.
All proceeds will benefit the restoration of the church tower and organ.
A reception will follow the concert.
St. Ann’s Organist Gregory Eaton, seven brass players and a percussionist will join forces to present a benefit concert featuring a varied and heroically resounding program of music by Bonelli, Dupré, Gigout, Hurd, Phillips, Strauss, and others.
Concert proceeds will help the parish move to the next phase in the preservation of the historic landmark building — the restoration of the church’s tower and organ, which is housed in the tower. Since 1848, the National Historic Landmark church building has stood as an important example of American Gothic Revival architecture and is world famous for its set of figural stained glass windows, the first ever made in America. In recent years, St. Ann’s has restored many of the windows and the side roofs after decades of neglect in the last century and has brought non-functioning parts of the organ back to life. The present challenge is to assess the consequences of deferred maintenance of the 112-foot tower. Any restoration work on the structure will require removal of the 4,718 organ pipes, which in turn will facilitate continued restoration of the 1925 instrument.
The goal of the parish’s restoration efforts is to preserve this Brooklyn treasure and community resource for years to come. St. Ann’s is the performance space for a number of musical organizations and other artists and welcomes visitors from around the world who have heard about the church or simply wish to enjoy its beauty and peace.
In addition to Mr. Eaton at the landmark E.M. Skinner organ, there will be musicians playing three trumpets, a French horn, two trombones, a tuba and timpani. The program will include:
Toccata ‘Atalantha’ – Aurelio Bonelli
Poème Héroique – Marcel Dupré
Grand Choeur Dialogué – Eugène Gigout
Three Fanfares – David Hurd
‘I Will Love Thee’ – Dan Locklair
Suite for Organ, Brass Quintet & Percussion – Craig Phillips
Feierlicher Einzug – Richard Strauss
Mr. Eaton has been a major supporter of the church’s restoration efforts through his benefit concerts and music programs since 1993, when he came to St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church as Director of Music and Organist. He is well known to the general public who attend his concerts and the free Wednesday recitals held weekly from September to June at 1:10 p.m.
Listen to a few excerpts from the first Heroic Flourishes concert:
Carillon Sortie by Henri Mulet
Poeme Heroique by Marcel Dupre
Spooky, Eerie, Scary Pipes, a Halloween Concert
Plus Black Cat Walk Costume Competition
Sunday, October 30, 2011, at 7:00 pm
Spooky, Eerie, Scary Pipes, a Halloween Concert, is this year’s haunting Halloween event at St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church. The program will feature scary, Halloween-themed music played by St. Ann’s Undead Organist, Gregory Eaton, as well as a chance for costumed guests to parade their ghoulish get-ups on a “black cat walk” before a panel of frighteningly fashion-forward judges. Prizes will be awarded at the end of the evening.
Among the scary musical works will be the ubiquitous Toccata & Fugue in d minor of Bach and Gounod’s amusingly spooky Funeral March of a Marionette.
Everyone—in costume or not—is welcome. A reception will follow. The suggested donation is $20, or $10 for those in costume. Children 12 and under will be admitted free of charge.
For further information, contact church office at 718-875-6960 or saht157@gmail.com
March, Dance & Symphony: Music for Organ
March, Dance & Symphony: Music for Organ
Gregory Eaton on the Landmark E.M. Skinner Organ
Suggested donation: $25.00 Students/Seniors $20.00
Proceeds will benefit the Organ Restoration Project.
A reception will follow the concert.
The concert’s varied program of music will make full use of the instrument’s 4,718 pipes, five keyboards, instrumental sounds, and versatility. The program will include:
Crown Imperial March – William Walton
Prelude on an Old Air – Amy Beach
Retrospection – Helen Searles Westbrook
Organ, Timbrel & Dance – Johannes Matthias Michel
Psalm Prelude – John Huston
Symphonie VI in G Minor – Charles-Marie Widor
St. Ann’s is the largest and most complete of the Skinner organs in New York City that have not been significantly altered or transformed over the years. Mr. Eaton has spearheaded restoration of the instrument since coming to St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church as Director of Music and Organist in 1993. Recent stages of restoration have recaptured the originally intended character of three reed stops which strongly affect the overall sound of the instrument. It is now possible to make available musically authentic recordings of the organ. Previous restorations have given voice to many formerly silent pipes, but much work still needs to be done.
Mr. Eaton’s artistry and the organ itself are well known to the members of the public who attend his concerts and the free lunchtime recitals held every Wednesday at 1:10 p.m., as well as to worshipers at Sunday services. Prior to his appointment to St. Ann & the Holy Trinity, Mr. Eaton served at Trinity, Wall Street, and the Church of the Epiphany (Manhattan). He was also Lecturer in Church Music at the General Theological Seminary for 22 years. Mr. Eaton is a graduate of the University of Redlands, California. He is Dean of the Brooklyn Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.
The Organ As Orchestra Concert
The program included music of Edward Elgar; Scott Joplin; Samuel Barber; William Walton; Charles Gounod; Gioachino Rossini; Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; and David Hurd. (Mr. Hurd, American Guild of Organists Distinguished Composer of the Year for 2010, was present.)
The Skinner Peabody Memorial Organ is a famous example of the work of Ernest Skinner. Mr. Eaton has spearheaded restoration of the instrument since coming to St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church as Director of Music and Organist in 1993. Recent restoration has recaptured the originally intended character of three reed stops which strongly affect the overall sound of the instrument. For the first time, it will now be possible to make musically authentic recordings of the organ available. Previous restorations have given voice to many formerly silent pipes. Needed additional restoration is planned.
Mr. Eaton’s musical artistry and the organ itself are well known to those who attend his concerts and the free lunchtime recitals held every Wednesday at 1:10 p.m., as well as to worshipers at Sunday services. Prior to his appointment to St. Ann & the Holy Trinity, Mr. Eaton served both Trinity, Wall Street, and the Church of the Epiphany (Manhattan), and was also Lecturer in Church Music at the General Theological Seminary for 22 years. Mr. Eaton is a graduate of the University of Redlands, California. He is Dean of the Brooklyn Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.
Listen to The Organ as Orchestra Concert
April 10, 2010 – St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church
