St. John Concert Series
2024-2025
concerts for the upcoming season: 2024-2025
We are thrilled to announce the return of the Concert Series for the 2023-2024 season! The Concert Series Committee has been hard at work to present another diverse selection of stirring music in a sacred space. We hope that you will be able to join us.
All events are free and open to the public. Concerts are often followed by a gracious reception hosted by St. John’s “Encore” hospitality committee. Free-will donations offset a portion of our costs, however if you are interested in providing additional support or would like to receive email notification of upcoming concerts, please contact Rodney Barnett.
We offer heartfelt thanks to the artists, concert series patrons, and you, our audience members. Our former rector David Lovelace’s vision of providing a space for the community to gather and hear wonderful music continues to grow and thrive. We look forward to seeing you at this year’s concerts.
The St. John’s Concert Series Committee
Rodney Barnett, Gretchen Dekker, Brian Moul, and Brian Wood
Fourth of July Service and Concert
FRiday, July 4th at 10 am
Come celebrate our Nation's birthday on Friday, July 4. We are pleased to be able to offer this service & concert to the greater York community. First Capital Brass will participate in our liturgical service as well as present a short concert following the service. This liturgy will be officiated by Fr. W. L. Barnes, III, STS. There will be a chance to ring the Liberty Bell after the service. Following the service and concert, there will be a reception held in the Lovelace Commons. Hope to see you there!
Andrew Sords trio
Sunday, April 13, 2025 at 4 pm
Violinist Andrew Sords, cellist John Walz, and pianist Elizabeth DeMio unite for an afternoon featuring Dvorak's cinematic "Dumky" Trio, based on Ukranian folk tunes, in addition to works by Vivaldi, Handel-Halvorsen, and others. Sords has been soloist on four continents; Walz is the principal cellist of the Los Angeles Opera; DeMio appears in nearly 100 recitals and performances each year.
Lebanon Valley Concert Choir
Sunday, March 16, 2025 at 4 pm
Join the Lebanon Valley College Concert Choir, the institution's premier mixed ensemble of 50 voices, as they present a captivating program spanning centuries of choral masterworks. From the brilliance of Mozart to compelling contemporary compositions, experience aspects of Elements, of our environment and the heart, through the artistry of these accomplished performers.
Junwen Liang, Classical Pianist
Sunday, February 2, 2025 at 4 pm
“…an extremely gifted and promising young artist” --- Rorianne Sharade, New York Concert Review. Inc.
Originally from Nanning, China, Junwen began his piano studies at the age of nine and made his solo debut at thirteen. During his years as a student, he performed at distinguished venues across the United States, including Stockton University Performing Arts Center, The Jay and Linda Grunin Center for the Arts in New Jersey, Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State, Barnes Hall at Cornell University, Cohen Family Studio Theater, Robert J. Werner Recital Hall in Cincinnati, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, and the Academy of Music at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia.
In addition to his solo career, Junwen extends his musical talents engaging as a collaborative pianist with professional instrumentalists and singers in the thriving music scenes of Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore County, Maryland.
Most recently, Junwen graduated with a Graduate Performance Diploma from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, under the tutelage of Richard Goode. His past mentors include Christopher Guzman (Penn State), Roberto Plano, Edward Auer (Indiana University), and Charis Dimaras (Ithaca College).
Seasonal Jazz with Jeff Stabley
Sunday, December 15, 2024 at 4:00PM
Dred (Perky) Scott – vocals
Steve Rudolph – piano
Hassan Shakur – bass
Jeff Stabley – drums
“This is a chance for music fans to see world-class musicians playing the highest quality music” says percussionist Jeff Stabley, adjunct faculty and instructor of Jazz Studies, Percussion, and Improvisation at York College who leads this ensemble of talented local and regional, and at times national and international musicians.
Following the concert, there will be a reception held in the Lovelace Commons. Parking is free in the lot across the street from the church.
Choral EVensong with Christyan Seay
Friday, November 1, 2024 at 6:30PM
The choir of St. John Episcopal, will present a service of Choral Evensong for All Saints’ Day. This service has been the principal evening liturgy of the Anglican and Episcopal tradition since the year 1549, when Thomas Cranmer combined the two monastic services of Vespers and Compline. It has become one of the most cherished of all Anglican traditions.
Following Evensong, A short concert will be presented by Christyan Seay, graduate of the Pennsylvania State University and a resident of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. As a trained vocalist, he studied voice with the late Dr. Thomas Houser and Dr. Anthony Leach (Pennsylvania State University). Active in recital, oratorio and opera, Mr. Seay has performed extensively throughout central Pennsylvania and abroad, including performances with the Harrisburg, Lancaster and West Shore Symphonies, The Pennsylvania Consort, the Harrisburg Opera Association, Opera Lancaster, Opera North and Concert Operetta of Philadelphia. He has performed at Weill Recital Hall in New York City as well as Smetana Hall in Prague (Czech Republic). In June 2024, Christyan traveled to Paris, France to take part in a performance of The Tribulation Suite (a suite of negro spirituals composed by Roger Holland and conducted by Dr. Anthony Leach).
Parking Lot Services will be enforcing the parking lot on the evening of the Evensong. They have provided St. John attendees with a code to use for the evening (A2JY3) free of charge.
Ensemble Chaconne
Ensemble Chaconne
Sunday, September 29, 2024 AT 4:00 pM
Ensemble Chaconne (Peter H. Bloom, baroque flute; Carol Lewis, viola da gamba; and Olav Chris Henriksen, baroque lute) transports the audience to the salons and palaces of 18th century Europe with The Glorious Ones – Treasures by the Late Baroque Masters. Praised by Classical Voice of North Carolina as “a powerhouse of great playing,” the ensemble performs gems by J.S. Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Telemann and other leading composers of the baroque era. Now celebrating its 39th season, the ensemble tours widely in the U.S. and abroad. They’ve been praised for “vitality and character, style and verve.” (MusicWeb International)
Ensemble Chaconne’s extensive career includes performances for The National Gallery in London, The Bach Festival Society of Winter Park Florida, The National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, The Edison Theatre in St Louis, The Yale Center for British Art, Jordan Hall in Boston, Spivey Hall in Atlanta, Connecticut Early Music Festival, King’s Chapel Boston, The Morton Arboretum Chamber Series in Chicago, The Nielsen Series in Des Moines, and the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Residency at Davidson College, to name a few.
“One of the most intimately acoustic venues in the region.”
“The St John’s Concert Series is a community gem that gives both regional and world-renowned artists a venue in a very intimate setting.”
“As a member of the Hershey Handbell Ensemble, I have had the privilege of participating in this wonderful concert series. The acoustics of the venue are great. The audiences have been large and very appreciative. The ensemble looks forward to participating in this concert series.”
“The York Community is very fortunate to have a concert series that features outstanding local and regional artists in a vibrant and beautiful setting. The organizers at St. John have done an outstanding job bringing a wide variety of quality live music to York area residents, helping to make our city a real destination for the arts. First Capital Brass is happy to bring patriotic music to the 4th of July service each year and look forward to being back again next year!”
“The Concert Series at St John’s Episcopal Church has become our way to wind down one week and refresh for next. Most months, on a late Sunday afternoon, we go to the church to enjoy and appreciate a variety of musical performances. This experience is greatly enhanced by the surrounding beauty of St. John’s, which, by the way, has the best acoustics any performer could hope for! Try it!”