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ALL are welcome!  If you have a question about accessibility, you can contact the organizers at least 48 hours prior to the event by email to Events@FriendsoftheStoneChurch.org.

2024-2025 Subscription Concerts

3 pm Saturday September 28, 2024
Ron Wiliams, baritone and Olga Rogach, piano
"Crossing Over Into Campground"
African American Spirituals and piano compositions by Margaret Bonds, Florence Beatrice Price and Betty Jackson King, three powerfully gifted women composers who contributed significantly to the musical renaissance in Chicago during the early 20th century.

7 pm Saturday October 5, 2024
Silents are Golden: Peter Krasinski, organist
"Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," (1920 silent film) starring John Barrymore
with original accompaniment on the historic Johnson & Son organ

3 pm Sunday November 17, 2024
Maria Ferrante, soprano and Ivan Gusev, piano
"Music for A While"  Henry Purcell, Ernest Chausson and Franz Schubert

3 pm Sunday March 9, 2025
Cicilia Yudha, piano
"Old, New, Borrowed and Blue"
 J.S. Bach. Robert Schumann, Emilie Mayer, Margaret Bonds, Trisutji Kamal, and Maurice Ravel

3 pm Sunday April 6, 2025
Michael Poll, guitarist and Emi Ferguson, flute
Program TBA

7 pm Saturday May 3, 2025
Silents are Golden: Peter Krasinski, organist
"The Last Command" (1928 silent film) starring Emil Jannings, directed by Josef von Sternberg
with original accompaniment


Community Concerts, free to the public, will be presented at 2 pm at the Stone Church Cultural Center, 283 Main Street, Gilbertville, MA on the following dates:

Weir River Jazz Ensemble
Frosty's Favorites, Sunday, December 1, 2024    Jazz Concert on the Lawn, Sunday, June 8, 2025

Weir River Concert Band
A Tinsel and Tunes Gala, Sunday, December 15, 2024  Band Concert on the Lawn, Sunday, June 22, 2025

Youth under 18 are admitted free to all concerts presented by Friends of the Stone Church.

Holders of the Massachusetts Card to Culture, a program of the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency, are entitled to request one or two free tickets at the box office. Reservations are not required to use the Card to Culture. If you are planning to obtain a free ticket and wish to make a reservation, you may contact us by email to Events@FriendsoftheStoneChurch.org at least 48 hours prior to the start of the event. Thank you.

About the Artists and Programs

3 pm Saturday September 28, 2024
Ron Wiliams, baritone and Olga Rogach, piano

Crossing Over Into Campground

This moving concert features African American Spirituals and piano works by African-American composers Margaret Bonds, Florence Beatrice Price and Betty Jackson King. According to Olga Rogach, you will be informed, entertained, and touched by Ron's personal life stories, and you will leave the performance moved and spiritually uplifted."

Olga Rogach, pianist and Ron Williams, baritone

"Crossing over into Campground, beautifully captures the significance and emotional resonance of these spirituals in the context of the enslaved African American experience. The symbolism of “Crossing over the Jordan River”, whether as a metaphor for physical escape or spiritual liberation, adds a profound layer of meaning to these songs.

The work of composers and arrangers like Mark Hayes in adapting and arranging these melodies further emphasizes their enduring impact and contribution to American musical heritage. It's a testament to the ability of music to convey deep emotions, tell stories, and connect people across time and space.

Margaret Bonds' musical settings of Langston Hughes' poetry not only showcase her skill as a composer but also serve as a testament to the rich cultural contributions of African American artists during their time.

Three powerfully gifted women composers who contributed significantly to the musical renaissance in Chicago during the early twentieth century. Florence Beatrice Price, Margaret Bonds, and Betty Jackson King each had their unique backgrounds and contributions to the world of music.

It is inspiring to learn about these remarkable women and their significant contributions to the world of music, particularly in the context of the Chicago Black Renaissance. Their dedication and talent continue to be celebrated and appreciated in the history of music.

OLGA ROGACH received a Master of Music in piano performance from the St. Petersburg Conservatory in Russia. She was a featured pianist for the Literary Association of St. Petersburg and the all-Russian Theatrical Society. Since emigrating to the U.S. in 1991, she has made her home in Worcester, where she is a leading regional piano teacher, privately and through Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Many of her students are prize-winners, including her former student Mackenzie Melemed, who appears in this series in 2023 and 2024. Ms. Rogach performs extensively in New England and is acclaimed for her recitals and collaborations with instrumentalists and vocalists.

RON WILLIAMS has sung leading roles with the San Francisco Spring Opera, Detroit Opera and Opera San Jose, where he performed the world premiere of Alva Henderson's The Last Leaf. Last summer he performed in a new recording of The Life and Times of Malcolm X by Anthony David with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project. The recording has been nominated for a Grammy for best opera recording.

7 pm Saturday October 5, 2024
Silents are Golden: Peter Krasinski, organ
"Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" (1920 silent film) with original accompaniment. 

The Gothic novella, the "Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" by Robert Louis Stevenson is realized in this classic silent film about the "good" doctor who researched dual aspects of human nature -- and became a victim of his own drug, unable to control his inner, evil self. This tale of dual identity comes alive in a notable performance by John Barrymore.  With original accompaniment by organist Peter Krasinski, the tale unfolds of a man who never wanted his double identity, but became captive to it  as he transformed into one of the most memorable villains of all time.

A scene from "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" starring John Barrymore

Organist PETER KRASINSKI is a conductor, organist and music educator who has become known for his imaginative interpretations in creating improvised accompaniments to silent films. He has received many performance prizes, including the First Prize in Improvisation from the American Guild of Organists' National Competition.

3 pm Sunday November 17, 2024
Maria Ferrante, soprano and Ivan Gusev, piano "Music for A While"

Franz Schubert Four Impromptus D 935

Henry Purcell Music for A While

Ernest Chausson Poème de l'amour et de la mer

Soprano Maria Ferrante with pianist Ivan Gusev in Gilbertville

A student of the great tenor Franco Corelli and his wife, in Florence and Vienna, MARIA FERRANTE has sung many leading operatic roles, soloed in oratorios and on public television with the Boston Ballet. A key collaborator with other musicians and composers, Ms. Ferrante has premiered many new vocal works.  She was recognized by Don Boothman and performed in his "Friends of the Gilbertville Organ" series, which ran from 1990 - 2011. Ms. Ferrante was the first musician from Worcester invited to perform on the International Artists' Series stage. She is widely known and loved as an inspiring performer and voice teacher. This will be her fourth appearance at the Stone Church Cultural Center.

IVAN GUSEV has become known for his bold, passionate playing of music of all genres and keyboards of multiple periods and types. A international piano performance prize-winner since childhood, Mr. Gusev continued to shine in the heat of competition as his career developed, taking many coveted prizes as he blazed an international following from Russia to America. A graduate of the Moscow Conservatory, where he received Bachelor's and Master's degrees with highest honors, he continued his studies in the U.S., obtaining a Master of Music degree at the Mannes School in New York City before moving to the Boston area. Mr. Gusev has become a favored performer at the Stone Church Cultural Center because of the gravitas of his solo performances and his imaginative competence in accompanying Maria Ferrante.  His music evolves to convey the essence of his chosen composers' meanings. His repertoire for this concert will include more late works by Franz Schubert.

3 pm Sunday March 9, 2025
Cicilia Yudha, piano  "Old, New, Borrowed and Blue"

J.S. Bach English Suite No. 2 in A minor, BWV 807
Robert Schumann Piano Sonata No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22 (1838)
Emilie Mayer Impromptu, Op. 44
Margaret Bonds Troubled Waters based in the spiritual "Wade in the Water"
Trisutji Kamal Sunda Seascapes (excerpts)
Maurice Ravel Oiseaux tristes and Alborada del Gracioso

Cicilia Yudha, pianist

A versatile solo pianist, avid chamber musician, and dedicated educator Cicilia Yudha has given performances, presentations, and master classes in the US, Europe, and Southeast Asia. She is a frequent soloist with the Duke University Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Harry Davidson. Navona Records released her debut CD Selected Piano Works by Robert Casadesus and Henri Dutilleux in September 2016. Her second CD, featuring two Piano trios by Emilie Mayer, was released in August.

As a creative artist, she has enjoyed collaborations with musicologist Ewelina Boczkowska, tap dancer Claudia Rahardjanoto, and Polish Folk Dance specialists Christine Cobb and Staś Kmieć. She has presented lecture recitals at National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy, Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy “From the Artist Bench” webinar series, TEDx Talks, the Ohio Music Teachers Association Conferences, the College Music Society (CMS) National Conferences, and CMS Regional Conferences. She regularly presents Preview Concert Lectures for the renowned Cleveland Orchestra at the Severance Center.

Passionate about music education and community service, Yudha is a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music and is a recipient of the Steinway Top Teacher Award. She holds degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music, New England Conservatory, and the University of North Carolina Greensboro. She served as faculty at the Dana School of Music Youngstown State University for over a decade. Currently, she teaches in Hudson, OH, where she lives with her husband and their two young children. She is also on faculty at Akron Music Institute and the University of Mount Union.

-- www.ciciliayudha.com

3 pm Sunday April 6, 2025
Michael Poll, guitar and Emi Ferguson, flute

This concert will be a new collaborative program of unexpected delights. Program to be announced.

Emi Ferguson, flutist, singer and composer

Hailed by critics for her "tonal bloom" and "hauntingly beautiful performances, English-American performer and composer EMI FERGUSON stretches the boundaries of what is expected of modern-day musicians. Emi's unique approach to the flute can be heard in performances that alternate between the Silver Flute, Historical Flute, and Auxiliary Flute, playing repertoire that stretches from the Renaissance to today. Emi is very proud to be a 2023 recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant.

She can be heard live in concerts and festivals around the world as a soloists and with groups including AMOC, Ruckus, the New York New Music Ensemble, the Handel and Haydn Society for whom she is Principal Flute, and the Manhattan Chamber Players. Emi has been named the new music director of Camerata Pacifica Baroque in Southern California, dreaming up programs of and inspired by Baroque music. Emi was a featured performer, alongside Yo-Yo Ma, Paul Simon, and James Taylor at the 10th Anniversary Memorial Ceremony of 9/11 at Ground Zero, where her performance of Amazing Grace was televised worldwide. Her performance that day is now part of the permanent collection at the 911 museum.

Emi has recorded two solo albums: Amour Cruel as a flutist, composer, singer and arranger; and Fly the Coop: Bach Sonatas and Preludes, which has topped several charts. This will be her second appearance, with Michael Poll at the Stone Church Cultural Center.

Michael Poll, classical guitarist and conductor

As a guitarist, MICHAEL POLL has performed across North and South America and in Europe. He is known for sensitive and 'masterful' performances' of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, heard on his album 7-Strong Bach. In 2022,  he conducted the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Lancaster House in London, England. A 2010 Fullbright and a 2012 Marshall Scholar, he holds a BA in music summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania, where he was concurrently a visiting student at the Curtis Institute of Music. In 2012 Poll received the Graduate Performance Diploma from the Pederewski Academy of Music in Poland, in 2014 the MPerf degree from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London, where he was awarded a doctorate in 2022. He is a founder of SoundingLab, a charity that uses music to inspire young people to engage with mentorship and improve their educational outcomes. This will be Michael's second appearance with Emi Ferguson at the Stone Church Cultural Center.

7 pm Saturday May 3, 2025 
Peter Krasinski, organ
Silents are Golden: "The Last Command" (1928 silent film) with original accompaniment

Directed by Austrian-American director Josef von Sternberg, this film stars Emil Jannings. Jannings won an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role at the 1929 ceremony for his performances in this film and in The Way of All Flesh. 1929 was the only year multiple roles were considered. Evelyn Brent and William Powell co-star. This film was also nominated for 'best original story.' 

Organist Peter Krasinski

PETER KRASINSKI delights in uncovering the nuances and important messages in works made before sound tracks, His performances behind 'the Big Screen,' provide intriguing windows into history. narrated through his jovial personality and piercing insight into human nature.