Musical Mondays Concert Series - Season Opener!

September 26, 2011 at 8 pm

Christopher Houlihan

In our continuing effort to present young artists, "Houli" is the latest sensation, and we are delighted to open our third season with his extraordinary talents. On Monday, September 26 at 8:00 pm, hear why The American Organist described Houli as a major talent whose star is destined to brightly shine over the horizon for years to come.  Music enthusiasts who attended this summer’s concert at CHUMC for the Organ Historical Society were overheard to say that any performance by Houli was not to be missed.

During concert season 2010-2011, Houli was a featured performer at two regional conventions of the American Guild of Organists.  He also made another European tour and inaugurated the newly installed pipe organ at the Sondheim Performing Arts Center in Iowa.  He studied with the Grammy Award-winning organist Paul Jacob while doing his graduate degree work at The Juilliard School in New York. 

Christopher Houlihan’s performance will be followed by a reception in the parlor where guests can enjoy time with the artist and savory refreshments.  Both concert and repast are free, but donations are gratefully received.  Pledge cards to support CHUMC’s “Musical Mondays” also are available at each concert and through the church office.  Additionally, donations may be made in honor of or in memory of a loved one.

The concert season continues in 2012 with a January 30 performance by the U.S. Army Chorus and a May 7 performance by a master of improvisation, organist Tom Trenney.  Trenney’s program will be accompanied by a silent film.

If taking the subway, use either Capitol South or Eastern Market metro stops; if driving,  use on-street parking.  For more information, contact the church office at 202-546-1000

The “Musical Mondays” concerts have become a favorite community occurrence.  At each concert, new friends discover CHUMC, its music, its people and its hospitality.

We are most fortunate to welcome Timothy Olsen to CHUMC on April 17-18. He will provide the accompaniment for Dubois' The Seven Last Words of Christ during the 11:00 a.m. Palm Sunday service on April 17, which will include harp, tympani, the mighty CHUMC Choir and soloists.

The very next night, April 18 at 8:00, Tim will continue our Musical Monday series with a fantastic organ program which will include Carmen!

Winner of the 2002 National Young Artists Competition in Organ Performance, Timothy Olsen received his Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts from the Eastman School of Music. He has recorded for NAXOS, appeared on Pipedreams, and performed across the country at such venues as St. Thomas Church in New York.

Click here to view the April Musical Mondays flier (PDF). 

Timothy Olsen

Kenan Professor of Organ,

University of North Carolina School of the Arts

Sam Woodhead, Director
Jon Kalbfleisch, Conductor and Organist

Comprised of a dozen or more of the finest trombonists in the area, the Washington Trombone Ensemble will be featured along with the organ for a sonic experience not to be missed. Imagine the rich tapestry of sound with regal trombones combined with our magnificent Möller in the divine acoustic of Capitol Hill UMC, playing the music of Strauss, Wagner, Gabrielli, Stephenson, Bach and more!

 Click here for the February Musical Mondays flier.

Tired of the same old Christmas music? Well, Capitol Hill UMC is the place to be on Sunday, December 5th at the 11 AM service. Christmas Symphonies by Daniel Pinkham will be our musical offering this season. Composed for soloists, chorus, organ, harp, and bass, this seven movement work, in English, progresses from Advent through Christmas with harmonically vibrant urgency and triumphant resolution that sheds new light on the age-old story.

CHUMC’s free concert series, "Musical Mondays," launches its second season at 8:00 pm on Monday, September 20 with Chelsea Chen, a Fulbright Scholar and Juilliard graduate. She will electrify Capitol Hill when she demonstrates why our 1939 Möller ranks as one of the most exquisite pipe organs in the city. Live video allows us to relish her astounding console work.

Enjoy an evening of unique classical and jazz repertoire as some of Washington's finest musicians come together in harmony for a common cause.  "Rhapsody for a Cure" benefits the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and takes place on Thursday, June 10 at 7 PM at CHUMC.

The first half features the violin and double-bass duo of "Bridging the Gap", comprised of Peter Wilson and Aaron Clay. The concert will conclude with the renowned concert pianist AnnaMaria Mottola performing the 1924 original jazz orchestra version of George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, which the Washington Post has hailed as "...exhilarating." Tickets are $20 / adult and free for children. All proceeds support the one million Americans currently battling blood cancer.

For more information and tickets follow this link for Man of the Year Candidate Jordan Rosenblatt.

Philadelphia Orchestra violinist David Kim will appear in concert at 8 pm on Monday, March 29 at Capitol Hill United Methodist Church. Mr. Kim and friends will perform Haydn’s Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross for string quartet with narration. Joining Mr. Kim will be Philadelphia Orchestra colleagues Lisa-Beth Lambert, Rachel Ku and Richard Harlow. This Holy Week performance is the third of the free “Musical Mondays” concert series at the church.

Besides serving as the renowned orchestra’s concertmaster, Mr. Kim performs each season as a soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra and numerous orchestras around the world. In one review, the New York Times said, “the concertmaster’s superb, delicate solos were gold on gold.” He was featured in the documentary, “Music From the Inside Out,” the first major film featuring a symphony orchestra since Disney’s “Fantasia.” In 1986, he was the only American violinist to win a prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.

His instrument is a J.B. Guadagnini from Milan, Italy, ca. 1757 on loan from the Philadelphia Orchestra.

The performance will be followed by a reception of refreshments, conversation and time with the artists. All are free, but donations are welcome.

The National Convention of the American Guild of Organists will be in DC this July, and Isabelle Demers will play a special post-convention concert at CHUMC on Friday, July 9, 2010 at noon.

Make this your New Year’s resolution:

Tonight at 8 pm come hear renowned organist Eric Plutz perform on the historic Whitelegg Möller pipe organ at Capitol Hill United Methodist Church. This performance is part of the free “Musical Mondays” concert series the church launched to share its newly restored pipe organ with the community. The organ is considered to be a tonal masterpiece.

Mr. Plutz, University Organist at Princeton University, will play organ transcriptions of orchestral works, among other selections. He has been described by the Washington Post as “a spirited and virtuosic organist.” At Princeton, he has recorded two solo organ CDs, Poème Héroïque and Carnival; both recordings will be available for sale tonight and also are available through the Pro Organo web site, www.zarex.com.

He is no stranger to Washington. Besides working with the National Symphony Orchestra, the Choral Arts Society, the Washington Ballet and many other organizations, Mr. Plutz was long-time organist and director of music at Church of the Epiphany and served as dean of the DC Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.

The performance will be followed by a sumptuous reception. Both are free, but donations are welcome.

The next Musical Mondays performance will feature David Kim, Concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra, on March 29.

Canadian organist Isabelle Demers performs her arrangement of Mendelssohn's Fifth Symphony on the newly-restored 1939 Moller-Whitelegg at Capitol Hill United Methodist Church.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aHer2_tlFc