From March 15 onward,

all music events and services

have been moved to online formats.

The 2019-2020 Music Series at St David's

It is our pleasure to invite you to the 2019-2020 musical season at St. David’s, a welcoming Episcopal community in the Roland Park neighborhood of Baltimore. We are delighted to offer a wide range of music, from choral concerts to chamber music to afternoon-length marathons.

The Music Series has three types of events during the Program Year (September-May): six Evensongs and Recitals, which occur mid-month; six First Friday Concerts occuring on the first Friday of the month; and Special Events, including our Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, the Baltimore Bach Marathon, and Music for Good Friday.

All events are free and open to the public. A suggested donation of $15 ($10 students/retirees, no obligation for children 12 and under) directly supports the musicians and the music series.

Click Here to see the 2019-20 Season Brochure

Please find a detailed outline of the season listed below. You are invited to click on the event title to view the Facebook event, where you may find further information and media as the concert approaches. We look forward to sharing a year of moving, meaningful, and inspirational music with you!

Fifth Annual Labor Day Hymn Sing • Sunday, September 1, 9:00 am

A St. David's tradition for the past five years, we "warm up" for the Program Year the Sunday before Labor Day with a Hymn Sing, with music chosen entirely by you!

Recital and Evensong for the Feast of Hildegard von Bingen • Sunday, September 15, 2019, 4:30 pm

A festival evening of music celebrating Hildegard von Bingen opens the 2019-2020 Recital and Evensong Series. The recital begins at 4:30 pm, with a performance by the chamber duo Whistling Hens, an ensemble specialzing in music by women, featuring Cherise Leiter's American Folk Suite, Iris Szeghy's Meadow Song, and the world premeire of Leiter's Eve's Diary, commissioned by the ensemble.Following this half-hour recital is the Service of Evensong, including the world premiere of 2019-2020 Composer-in-Residence Natalie Draper's setting of the Preces and Responses, performed by the Choir of St. David's.

Third Practice • Friday, October 4, 2019, 7:30 pm

To begin their year-long residency at St. David's, virtuosic vocal consort Third Practice digs into Monteverdi’s rich Sixth Book of Madrigals. His cycle La Sestina and Benjamin Britten’s much-loved Hymn to St. Cecilia bookend an exploration of madrigals and part-songs old and new with works by Martinů, Rorem, Ligeti and the U.S. premiere of Tawnie Olson’s Child’s Play.

Recital and Evensong for the Commemoration of Indigenous People's Day • Sunday, October 20, 2019, 4:30 pm

The chamber ensemble Words & Music opens the October Recital and Evensong with a performance of Found Again, commissioned by the ensemble in 2016. In this work, Chickasaw composer Jerod Tate sets new and traditional texts, written and adapted by Mvskoke poet Joy Harjo, recently named Poet Laureate of the United States. The Choir of St. David's leads a contemplative Evensong following the recital.

The Fortunata Trio • Friday, November 1, 2019, 7:30 pm

On November 1, the Fortunata Trio presents a unique concert of chamber music, featuring local and women composers. Comprised of Alicia Kosack, flute, Laura Armstrong, clarinet, and Kimberly Buchar Nolet, bassoon, the Fortunata Trio celebrates the joy and good fortune of performing chamber music and particularly sharing the unique music of their unusual instrumentation. Their performances have included recitals at Dickinson and York Colleges, and they have also performed at the National Flute Association’s convention in New Orleans in August of 2013.

Recital and Evensong in Commemoration of Veterans Day • Sunday, November 10, 2019, 4:30 pm

Our November Recital and Evensong begins with a piano recital by Lior Willinger, including selections from his recent commissioning project "Active Listening." The works address issues of justice and injustice, as well as the pursuit and defense of freedoms in a 21st-century context. The recital is followed by a reflective Evensong, led by the Choir of St. David's.

The Canticle Singers of Baltimore • Friday, December 6, 2019 7:30 pm

An annual favorite, the Canticle Singers of Baltimore present a rousing holiday concert, filled with classic carols, beloved works, and new settings. This year, their program features music of the stars, including Carrillo's "Videntes Stellam Magi" and Oliver Tarney's "The Waiting Sky." These works join contemporary arrangements of old favorite, including "The Wexford Carol" and "The First Noel," as well as music from South America.

A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols • Sunday, December 15, 2019, 10:00 am

The Choir of St. David's leads the annual celebration of A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, including favorite settings made popular by Kings College, hymns fo the season, and Herbert Howells mystical A Spotless Rose, which celebrates its centenary this year.

Recital and Evensong Honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr • Sunday, January 26, 2020, 4:30 pm

St. David's commemorates the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., with a recital and festival Evensong service. The annual event begins with a pre-service recital, featuring tenor Devin Mercer. Following the recital is the Service of Evensong, a musical liturgy offering anthems, hymns, and spirituals which reflect on the ongoing struggle for justice and peace throughout the world.

Third Practice presents Clothed in Sun • Friday, February 7, 2020, 7:30 pm

Third Practice returns for the second concert of their residency, Clothed in Sun, which presents 500 years of Marian music, from Josquin to Purcell to Poulenc to Arvo Pärt and features works by Baltimore composers Allison Clendaniel and James Young.

Recital and Evensong for the Feast of Frederick Douglass, Orator of Truth and Justice • Sunday, February 16, 2020, 4:30 pm

The February Recital and Evensong features Phoon Yu, organist, performing a world premiere by composer Chen Zhangyi. This recital is followed by an evensong celebrating Maryland Frederick Douglass, Orator of Truth and Justice.

Ann Street Trio • Friday, March 6, 2020, 7:30 pm

Ann Street Trio – Hui-Chan Chen, piano; Katlyn DeGraw, 'cello; Erik Franklin, clarinet – presents an evening of chamber music of works spanning from the Classical era to the present day.

The Baltimore Bach Marathon • Sunday, March 15, 2020, 1-6 pm

Now in its 44th year, the Baltimore Bach Marathon presents an evening of music by the great contrapuntal master. This year we welcome organists Julie Evans, Mary Hamlin Spencer, and Henry Lowe; Director of Music Ministries Dr. Douglas Buchanan performs the "Goldberg" Variations; 'cellist Lavena Johanson continues her journey through the suites for solo 'cello; and members of Third Practice and the Choir of St. David's perform vocal and choral works to end the evening.

Music for Good Friday: Sing, My Tongue, the Glorious Battle • Friday, April 10, 2020, 7:30 pm

Good Friday is commemorated with a concert-liturgy featuring Marcel Dupré's "Crucifixion" from Passion-Symphony, John Stainer's beloved God so loved the World, Douglas Buchanan's setting of The Heart that Loveth Me, and Josquin des Prez's Missa Pange lingua.

In place of  this event, a stream of our 2018 performance of the Johannes-Passion took place, and is archived at this link.

Megan Ihnen & Alan Thiesen present Black Meridian • Friday, May 1, 2020, 7:30 pm

Mezzo-Soprano Megan Ihnen and saxophonist Alan Thiesen present Black Meridian, a theatrical recital of new music for voice, saxophone, and electronics centered upon black holes and the relativity of spacetime. The performers explore these interrelated literally and metaphorically, weaving a narrative of loss, boundaries, forbidden knowledge, and transgression through video projections, spoken word, stage motion, and six newly commissioned pieces by diverse composers.

In place of  this event, we will present a stream of last year's May First Friday concert, featuring the Washington Cornett and Sackbutt Ensemble and the Choir of St. David's via our YouTube and Facebook pages.

Recital and Evensong, Featuring the Baltimore Guitar Duo and Third Practice • Sunday, May 10, 2020, 4:30 pm

The Baltimore Guitar Duo opens the final Recital of the year with a concert by Baltimore area composers. The Choir of St. David's is joined by members of Third Practice, as the concert season and Third Practice's residency comes to a rousing finale.

In place of  this event, we will present a stream a past Evensong via our YouTube and Facebook pages.