A Season of Music brochure 2022-2023

A Season of Music

First Presbyterian Church of Naples

I hope that the return of the A Season of Music concerts will bring you a sense of normalcy. We have all been through so much in the last few years and it is my fervent prayer that you have come through the pandemic and our visit by Hurricane Ian with minimal scarring. Our live performances will continue this season to try and bring some light to our world. We welcome our congregation and community back to the sanctuary for afternoons of beautiful music and a respite from the intensity of daily life. Please mark your calendars for all these amazing events. I know you will find something that appeals to you and I encourage you to bring a friend. Concerts are a great way to introduce people to our church!

This will be a phenomenal concert year and I invite you to help continue the legacy of great music at First Presbyterian Church. Inside this brochure you will find an envelope to return with your support for A Season of Music. Please consider sending a donation today. If you are interested in underwriting one of our concerts, please contact me at the church. Through these concerts we will reach out to our community and beckon people into our beautiful church. Thank you in advance for your support and generosity.

Dr. Brice Gerlach Director of Music Ministries briceg@fpcnaples.org

Kateri Andress,

Bachelor of the Arts degree in Music with a double concentration in organ performance and sacred music, summa cum laude, from Ave Maria University, where she studied with Dr. Brice Gerlach. She has been awarded several scholarships over the years to fund her organ studies, including the 2017 American Guild of Organists’ Pogorzelski Yankee Memorial Scholarship and the 2021 National Association of Pastoral Musicians’ Dr. James Kosnik and OCP Scholarships. Kateri’s musical interests have always centered around sacred music and she has been serving as a church organist since she first began organ studies at age 16. While studying for her undergraduate degree, she held the position of Assistant Director of Music at Ave Maria Catholic Church. Kateri is currently the Organist at the United Church of Canandaigua in Canandaigua, New York. Her program will include pieces by Bach, Boëly, Mendelssohn and Hakim.

Chancel Choir Christmas Concert Dr. Brice Gerlach, conductor Sunday, December 4, 2022 4:00 p.m.

Experience the hope and joy of rediscovering the miracle and wonder of Christmas as told through beautiful and cherished music of the season. Christmas time is filled with great traditions and many of them center on the music of the season. Our annual concert showcases the incredible talent of First Presbyterian Church. The program will feature the soloists and choir singing Christmas favorites as well as an audience sing-a-long of well known carols accompanied by a professional chamber orchestra. The Chancel Choir will sing several Christmas anthems including the CandlelightCarolby John Rutter, CradleHymnby Kim André Arnesen, and a beautiful arrangement of SilentNightby Dan Forrest.

Sing some of your favorite traditional carols such as OCome,AllYeFaithful,GodRestYou Merry,Gentlemenand Hark!theHeraldAngels Sing.Come enjoy a beautiful concert with some of the most traditional and well loved Christmas songs ever composed.

Astralis Ensemble

Angela Massey, flute

Paul Aguilar, violin

Megan Chartier, cello

Alexandra Dunbar, harpsichord Sunday, January 15, 2023 4:00 p.m.

Anton’s Ensemble

Anton Sikuta, violin Susan Sikuta, violin Brice Gerlach, piano

Michele Byrd, soprano Sunday, February 5, 2023 4:00 p.m.

Founded in Europe as a group of internationally acclaimed concert musicians, Anton’s Ensemble offers a wonderful selection of exquisite music generally known as “salon music” spanning centuries of musical style from Viennese melodies, light classical and operetta to Broadway musicals and jazz standards. This captivating music encompasses the lighter side of melody and it flourished in the elegant coffee houses and private residences frequented by European society throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.

The award winning musicians of the Astralis Chamber Ensemble; Angela Massey (flute), Paul Aguilar (violin), Megan Chartier (cello), and Alexandra Dunbar (harpsichord); will present an enchanting concert of Baroque music. These musicians have received international recognition and some are traveling across the country to share this concert with the Naples community. “A Musical Offering,” will include one of the most notable works from this time period, the Trio Sonata from J.S. Bach’s masterpiece of the same title. The concert will also include solos to feature each performer by the French Baroque composer, Élisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre, and Italian Baroque composer, Luigi Boccherini. Join us for an unforgettable afternoon of music with the Astralis Chamber Ensemble.

Led by violinist Anton Sikuta, former concertmaster of the State Opera Orchestra, Darmstadt, Germany and of the Johann Strauss Orchestra, Wiesbaden, Anton’s Ensemble is dedicated to preserving this wonderful salon music tradition.

FGCU Chamber Choir

Dr. Trent Brown, director Sunday, February 26, 2023

The Chamber Choir is a mixed, auditioned ensemble open to all students regardless of major at Florida Gulf Coast University. Recognized for their remarkable versatility, the ensemble performs choral music from the Renaissance to newly commissioned works. The choir was featured at Kaunas Kantat, an international choral festival held in Lithuania, during their 2017 tour of the Baltic States. In 2014 the choir sang as the featured ensemble on a Saturday evening performance at St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna as part of the Kunst& Kulturseries. They collaborate regularly with community ensembles including Elijahwith Opera Naples (2013), Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra (2015), Bach’s St.MatthewPassion with Gulfshore Opera (2016) and in 2017 with the Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra in an all Baroque program. They were invited to perform in festivals and concerts in Rome and Naples, Italy in March 2020.

Adam Brakel, organ Sunday, March 5, 2023 4:00 p.m.

Hailed as “an absolute organ prodigy” by National Public Radio and “one of the most talented organists in the world” by the Chicago Tribune, concert organist Adam J. Brakel is a preeminent artist “with the technique and virtuosity that most concert pianists could only dream of.” (NPR) Adam’s celebrated performances span the globe from coast to coast in the United States to across Europe and Asia. Brakel has one of the largest and most diverse performing repertoires in the world. His expansive list includes the entire spectrum of styles featuring the complete organ works of Bach, Bruhns, Buxtehude, Couperin, Liszt, de Grigny, Franck, Mozart, Mendelssohn, and Duruflé. Brakel’s performance highlights include the complete works of César Franck, and, most notably, the fiendishly difficult Six Etudes of Jeanne Demessieux, of which Adam is one of the few organists in the world to have performed and recorded in its entirety. A graduate of the Peabody Conservatory and Duquesne University, Adam has a rich and decorated musical pedigree, having studied with Donald Sutherland and Dame Gillian Weir. Adam was most recently appointed Director of Music for St. James Cathedral and the Diocese of Orlando, Florida.

The Combined Choirs of First Presbyterian Church of Naples and Moorings Presbyterian Church Sunday, March 26, 2023 4:00 p.m.

** This concert will be presented at Mooring Presbyterian Church 791 Harbour Drive, Naples, FL 34103 **

Drs. Brice Gerlach and Christopher Dekker will direct the 70 member combined choirs of Moorings and First Presbyterian Churches in a performance of Gabriel Fauré’s Requiemas well as several complimentary choral anthems. The singing will also be accompanied by organ and a professional orchestra.

Fauré’s Requiemwas a tribute to his father who died three years before the composer started the composition. A requiem is traditionally a prayerful lament for the dead based on the Christian faith. Fauré was known to have no clear religious beliefs so his requiem is quite different from many others. Instead of having a somber nature, this requiem is noted for its calm, serene and peaceful outlook. Listeners will find musical solace in the peaceful freedom of death. The entire piece is filled with rich, soulful melodies. It was performed at Fauré’s own funeral in 1924.

Dr. Christopher Dekker

Dr. Brice Gerlach

Lenten Organ Concerts

Wednesdays

March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, April 5, 2023

12:00 - 12:30 p.m.

The spectacular Ruffatti pipe organ is featured in six Lenten organ recitals offered by our Director of Music, Dr. Brice Gerlach. In these informal concerts Brice takes the time to explain some of the mechanical workings of the organ and offers some musical insights about the pieces on the program. Each concert opens with a piece that highlights the magnificent horizontal trumpets protruding from the front of the organ case. A work by J. S. Bach is always featured and arrangements of Lenten hymn tunes are presented, allowing for some of the diverse solo stops and softer sounds of the organ to be heard. The concerts will end with a rousing toccata, allowing the audience to hear the full power of the organ. After the recital, the audience is invited up to the console to ask questions and to see the beautiful woodwork and craftsmanship of the Ruffatti. Tours of the pipe chambers are also offered each week. Don't miss these special opportunities for personal reflection, meditation, and celebration of this holy season.

Special Events

Kirkin’ O’ the Tartan

Sunday, October 30, 2022 at 9:30 a.m.

This service celebrates the Scottish heritage of the Presbyterian Church. We will be joined by the Saint Andrew’s Society of Southwest Florida and The Harp and Thistle Pipe Band.

Thanksgiving Service

Thursday, November 24, 2022 at 11:30 a.m.

A service of thanks and praise.

Blue Christmas

Wednesday, December 21, 2022 at 5:30 p.m.

There is a growing attentiveness to the needs of people who are “blue” at Christmas. Join us for a service of comfort, hope, wholeness and renewal.

Christmas Eve

Saturday, December 24, 2022 at 5:00 & 7:00 p.m.

Our Family Service at 5:00 p.m. is an interactive service for families with young children.

The service at 7:00 p.m. is a traditional Candlelight Service with readings and carols. Special music begins 30 minutes prior to worship.

Ash Wednesday

Wednesday, February 22, 2023 at 12:00 p.m.

A service to begin the season of Lent with the imposition of ashes.

Maundy Thursday

Thursday, April 6, 2023 at 7:00 p.m.

A communion service to commemorate the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles.

Good Friday

Friday, April 7, 2023 at 12:00 p.m.

A noon time service recognizing the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary.

Easter Sunday

Sunday, April 9, 2023

7:30 a.m. Courtyard Service

8:30 a.m. & 10:15 a.m.

We will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus with special music provided by the Naples Chamber Brass Quintet at all of our services.

Musical Year at a Glance at First Presbyterian Church of Naples All concerts held at FPCN will be livestreamed on our website, Facebook page, and YouTube channel.

Kirkin’ O’ the Tartan Sunday, October 30, 2022 9:30 a.m.

Kateri Andress, organ Sunday, November 6, 2022 4:00 p.m.

Chancel Choir Christmas Concert Sunday, December 4, 2022 4:00 p.m.

Astralis Ensemble Sunday, January 15, 2023 4 p.m.

Anton’s Ensemble Sunday, February 5, 2023 4:00 p.m.

FGCU Chamber Choir Sunday, February 26, 2023 4:00 p.m.

Adam Brakel, organ Sunday, March 5, 2023 4:00 p.m.

The Combined Choirs of First Presbyterian Church of Naples and Moorings Presbyterian Church Sunday, March 26, 2023 4:00 p.m.

Lenten Organ Concerts:

Wednesdays March 1, March 8, March 15, March 22, March 29, April 5, 2023 12:00 p.m.