1607 Grace Church Road, Silver Spring, MD 301-585-3515
March 29: Armonia Nova
A Lenten Concert, 4pm May 3: Grace Church Choirs Celebration:
The Works of Richard Wayne Dirksen, 4pm
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 Music of Grace 2007 -2008 Music of Grace Celebrating 25 Years In 1857, the Diocese of Washington commissioned the founding of Grace Church, Silver Spring parish. During the ensuing years, Grace grew from a small rural church to a large, urban, multicultural parish. Twenty-five years ago, Organist and Choirmaster, David Judge Wilson, presented the first “Music of Grace” Concert Series described “as a series of musical events to give glory to God for his blessings and share our talents with our parishioners, friends, and neighbors in the community through vocal, instrumental and dramatic presentations.” As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of “Music of Grace” we recognize the vast number of lives touched by the ministry of music. A large number of boys and girls were trained in it’s youth choirs, and several professional musicians came up through the choirs of Treble Boys, Junior Girls and Senior High. A mainstay over the years, the Adult Choir has had the opportunity to learn a large repertoire of music, ranging from requiems to anthems, operettas to musicals. The music ministry has also been blessed by the gifts of numerous instrumentalists, both from our own parish as well as the larger Silver Spring community. Singing at the large festivals of the church year, or at quiet evensongs at the close of the day, the choirs of Grace Church have been faithful witnesses to the adage that “when one sings, one prays twice.” Now under the direction of Danny Catalanotto, we are delighted to present this exciting program celebrating the 25th anniversary of the “Music of Grace.” As in years past, this program continues to present a wide range of musical offerings, from the religious to the secular, classical to contemporary and solemn to joyous. We hope that you will be able to join us in celebrating the rich tradition of music at Grace Church by attending the events described in this brochure. As always, your financial support of “Music of Grace” is vitally important and we hope you will make a gift in honor of this special anniversary year. Information about supporting “Music of Grace” is included with this brochure. Sunday, September 30, 2007 St. Augustine Roman Catholic Church has the unique distinction of being considered the "Mother Church of Black Roman Catholics in the Nation's Capital." The church can trace its history back to 1858, when with the help of President Abraham Lincoln, a group of emancipated Black Catholics set up a school to educate their children. It is out of this heritage that the St. Augustine Gospel Choir has established a legacy of African American based liturgical music. This special concert of African American spirituals, hymns and contemporary gospel music will honor the tenth anniversary of Janice Robinson as Rector of Grace Church. A festive reception will follow the program. Sunday, November 4 The Music of Grace Series has long included an annual service commemorating All Saints Day. Past programs included performances of requiems by such famous composers as John Rutter and Malcolm Archer. This year’s program will once again feature the hauntingly beautiful requiem by Gabriel Faure. Following another tradition of the Music of Grace program, this concert will especially commemorate departed parishioners and friends of Grace Church. Sunday, December 2 Another long-standing favorite of the Music of Grace Series is the Service of Lessons & Carols. Originated at King’s College, Cambridge, England, the first Service of Lessons and Carols was held on Christmas Eve in 1918. Created by Eric Milner-White, this beautiful service is unique to the Anglican Church. The service of Advent Lessons & Carols, a variation of the traditional Christmas service, will include anthems, readings from the Old Testament prophets and hymns as we move from the darkness into the promised light of the nativity of Christ. Sunday, January 27, 2008 Grace Episcopal Church presents the renowned Gospel quartet, The Sensational Nightingales, in a special concert celebrating Black History Month. Speakers from several generations will share experiences followed by music covering over 100 years of Gospel Music. Sunday, March 2 The Armonia Nova ensemble of instruments and voices perform medieval and Renaissance music of Europe on period instruments. The Ensemble is noted for its ability to achieve an historically authentic performance so that listeners may hear the music as it might have sounded when it was newly created. Armonia Nova is also known for capturing the emotional content of the music and for bringing an intensity and immediacy to the performance while maintaining the purity and clarity of tone so essential to music of these early periods...qualities which will no doubt enhance the special program of music appropriate to the season of Lent. Saturday, April 12 Grace Church is blessed by a richly diverse parish family. That diversity will be celebrated by The World Children’s Choir concert as their music embraces the interests of all children, as it promotes cultural diversity and positive international relations by asking all people to work together to create a peaceful, healthy world for children. The World Children’s Choir believes “that working together to produce beautiful music...enables children to create friendships based on mutual understanding and respect. By bringing together children from many cultures and nations in song today, we can sow the seeds of a more peaceful world tomorrow.” Admission to this concert is by ticket only ($10.00 unreserved/$5.00 students and seniors) Sunday, May 18 The final concert of the 25th anniversary of Music of Grace will be a gala celebration of music and memories. Be sure to mark your calendars for this very special concert. Grace Episcopal Church Music of Grace is entirely self-supporting, and receives no financial assistance from Grace Church. The series relies on the generosity of those who support it through donations. Please consider whether you can support this important part of the life and outreach of Grace Church. All donations are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law. Gifts in the following categories are acknowledged in the program of every concert throughout the season. Other gifts will be gratefully received. Checks should be made payable to ‘Grace Church’, with ‘Music of Grace’ written on the memo line. Summer 2008 - Early Childhood Music Classes Introductory Classes for parents and kids are held throughout the summer months—the schedule is below. All are welcome—class sizes are limited, so please call ahead and let us know you are coming. Saturdays:
Call today! 301.585.3515 between 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, or 301.661.9294: after 4:00 p.m. on weekdays or on weekends.
Early Childhood Music Classes at Grace Church Mr. Catalanotto, Minister of Music at Grace Church, is a gifted teacher, but also a concert level pianist who believes that young children can learn music on a high level with little stress in a fun and nurturing environment.
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