[frame_left][/frame_left]Sunday, May 13, 2012, at 7:00 p.m

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.