Past Events
Fifth MICHIGAN FESTIVAL of SACRED MUSIC
November 12-22, 2009
Special Festival Event: Gospel Concert by LaMont McCoy and Kevin P. Myles
LaMont McCoy
Sunday, November 1, 2009, 7:00pm
Kevin P. Myles, Detroit-area gospel singer; Lamont McCoy and Kalamazoo
gospel singers/groups present a concert at Galilee Baptist Church. A benefit
for area shelters and food banks. Donations of food and personal care items
will be accepted.
Galilee Baptist Church
1216 N. Westnedge Ave.
Kalamazoo, MI
[Map and directions]
For more information, go to www.gbckazoo.org
Free will offering.
Techung
Techung
Thursday, November 12, 2009, 8:00pm
Techung, a Tibetan folk and freedom
singer/songwriter presents a contemporary performance of original and
traditional music including some traditional Tibetan instruments. Techung,
who grew up in exile in India, currently resides in the San Francisco Bay
area.
First United Methodist Church
212 S. Park St.
Kalamazoo, MI
[Map and directions]
Tickets: $15 Adults; $12 Seniors; $5 Students
Sweet Honey in the Rock®
Sweet Honey in the Rock®
Friday, November 13, 2009, 8:00pm
Miller Auditorium presents Grammy® award-winning Sweet
Honey in the Rock®, an a
capella sextet of African- American women who bring the message of the southern
black church, the civil rights movement and the conscience of justice through
musical expression. The NAEA GospelFest Choir opens the show. In conjunction
with the Michigan Festival of Sacred Music.
Miller Auditorium
Western Michigan University
[Map and directions]
Tickets: $10-$35, group discounts available
Order tickets online at www.millerauditorium.com
or by phone: 269.383.2300 or 800.228.9853
Rohan Krishnamurthy and Prasant Radhakrishnan
Rohan Krishnamurthy
Prasant Radhakrishnan
Saturday, November 14, 2009, 4:00pm
Internationally known player of the Mridangam, the South
Indian pitched drum, and Kalamazoo College graduate
Rohan Krishnamurthy performs South
Indian Carnatic
music with saxophonist Prasant Radhakrishnan.
Dalton Theater
Kalamazoo College
[Map and directions]
Tickets: $15 Adults; $12 Seniors; $5 Students
Golosá, the University of Chicago Russian Folk Choir
Golosá Russian Folk Choir
Saturday, November 14, 2009, 8:00pm
Golosá, the University of
Chicago Russian
Folk Choir, sings sacred and secular Russian folk songs in a mixed voice a capella
ensemble. This concert presented
in collaboration with the Kalamazoo
Russian Festival.
First Congregational Church
129 S. Park St.
Kalamazoo, MI
[Map and directions]
Tickets: $15 Adults; $12 Seniors; $5 Students
**The University of Pushkin Choir was unable to attend.
CUBE: Sounding the Sacred
CUBE
Sunday, November 15, 2009, 3:00pm
Chicago’s CUBE Contemporary
Chamber Ensemble specializes in chamber music for winds, piano, and
percussion, often including voice, poetry, theatre,
dance, strings, and brass. The highly innovative programming of CUBE explores
music from around the world and new works by esteemed Illinois artists
and composers. Concert includes the premiere of a new work by Kalamazoo
composer Elizabeth Start.
First Baptist Church
315 W. Michigan Ave.
Kalamazoo, MI
[Map and directions]
Tickets: $15 Adults; $12 Seniors; $5 Students
Bob Rowe & Co.
Bob Rowe
Sunday, November 15, 2009, 7:30pm
Singer/songwriter Bob Rowe will
present a program of original, traditional, and contemporary sacred and
liturgical music from his recordings. He will be accompanied by Rendal
Wall.
St. Catherine of Siena Parish
1150 W. Centre Ave.
Portage, MI
[Map and directions]
Free will offering
The Afro-Semitic Experience
The Afro-Semitic Experience
Monday, November 16, 2009, 8:00pm
The Afro-Semitic Experience is a cross-cultural band that delivers a positive
and meaningful musical message in jazz about Black-Jewish relations. The
group is dedicated to preserving, promoting and expanding the rich cultural
and musical heritage of the Jewish and African diaspora. Through their
concerts, recordings and workshops, they are actively creating an artistic
response to anti-Semitism and Racism of all forms. Premiere of a new work
commissioned by Chamber Music America.
First Baptist Church
315 W. Michigan Ave.
Kalamazoo, MI
[Map and directions]
Tickets: $15 Adults; $12 Seniors; $5 Students
David Briggs
David Briggs
Monday, November 16, 2009, 8:00pm
David Briggs clinic with Grand
Rapids American Guild of Organists in Grand Rapids.
First (Park) Congregational Church
10 E. Park St. NE
Grand Rapids, MI
[Map and directions]
For more information, go to: www.grago.org or www.parkchurch.org
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Morning: David Briggs choral workshop with four high school honor choirs.
Noon: Concert featuring David Briggs and singers from area high school honor choirs.
First Baptist Church
315 W. Michigan Ave.
Kalamazoo, MI
[Map and directions]
FREE Concert
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
Ben Hur, 1925
Wednesday, November 18, 2009, 7:30pm
Screening of the 1925 silent film with organ improvisation by David Briggs.
First United Methodist Church
212 S. Park St.
Kalamazoo, MI
[Map and directions]
Tickets: $15 Adults; $12 Seniors; $5 Students
Live from Jacob’s Ladder
Ted Swartz
Ken Medema
Thursday, November 19, 2009, 8:00pm
Concert version of “Live from Jacob’s Ladder,” a music theater comedy drama about the power of forgiveness, based on the Genesis account of twins Jacob and Esau, and their paths of deception, estrangement, and reconciliation; starring Ted Swartz and Ken Medema.
Galilee Baptist Church
1216 N. Westnedge Ave.
Kalamazoo, MI
[Map and directions]
Tickets: $15 Adults; $12 Seniors; $5 Students
Yale Strom
Yale Strom
Friday, November 20, 2009, Noon
Lunch/lecture: Yale Strom on the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra "Sacred Seasons" program.
The Park Club
219 W. South St.
Kalamazoo, MI
[Map and directions]
Cost: $15, includes tax and gratuity.
To reserve a seat, call 269.381.0876 by November 13, 2009.
A Great Day on Eldridge Street
Eldridge Street
Friday, November 20, 2009, 3:00pm
"A Great Day on Eldridge Street," Yale Strom’s documentary
film is a musical and photographic celebration of the opening of the Eldridge
Street Museum and the re-opening of the Eldridge Street Synagogue on Manhattan’s
Lower East Side in October 2007. More than 100 Klezmer musicians participated
in the celebration.
Kalamazoo Valley Museum
230 N. Rose St.
Kalamazoo, MI
[Map and directions]
FREE!
Sacred Seasons, Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra
Raymond Harvey and the KSO
Friday, November 20, 2009, 8:00pm
This program, sponsored in part by MFSM, includes Four Seasons by Vivaldi, and works by Bloch and Prokofiev on Jewish themes.
Miller Auditorium
Western Michigan Unviersity
[Map and directions]
To order tickets online: www.kalamazoosymphony.com
Phone: 269.387.2300
Reserved seats: $19-$49, Harvey’s Hideaway: $5 in advance, $7 at
the door.
Group discounts available.
David Briggs Organ Master Class
David Briggs
Saturday, November 21, 2009, 10:00am
David Briggs organ master class with Southwest Michigan Chapter, American Guild of Organists at First United Methodist Church.
First United Methodist Church
212 S. Park St.
Kalamazoo, MI
[Map and directions]
FREE!
Briner Lecture: David Briggs
Saturday, November 21, 2009, 1:00pm
2009 Briner Lecture: David Briggs lecture on transcription and improvisation will be supplemented with organ playing to illustrate his points.
First Presbyterian Church
321 W. South St.
Kalamazoo, MI
[Map and directions]
FREE!
Southern Straight Singers
Southern Straight Singers
Saturday, November 21, 2009, 2:30 and 3:30pm
Southern Straight Singers present Native American Pow Wow music and dance representing sacred and social traditions of the Three Fires Tribes, known as the Bode’wadmi, Ojibwe & Odawa (Potawatomi, Ottawa and Chippewa). Program includes informative commentary and dancers in regalia. Presented by MFSM with sponsorship by Kalamazoo Public Library.
Kalamazoo Public Library
315 S. Rose St.
Kalamazoo, MI
[Map and directions]
FREE!
David Briggs Organ Master Class with Choir
David Briggs
Saturday, November 21, 2009, 3:00-4:30pm
David Briggs master class with mass community choir culminating in Evensong at 5 p.m.
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
247 W. Lovell St.
Kalamazoo, MI
[Map and directions]
FREE!
Evensong with Community Choir and Organist David Briggs
Saturday, November 21, 2009, 5:00pm
Evensong with mass community choir and organist David Briggs.
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
247 W. Lovell
Kalamazoo, MI
[Map and directions]
FREE!
Klezmer Concert: Yale Strom and Hot Pstromi
Yale Strom and Hot Pstromi
Saturday, November 21, 2009, 8:00pm
Klezmer Concert: Yale Strom and his band, Hot Pstromi. Sponsored by Arts Midwest.
Congregation of Moses
2501 Stadium Dr.
Kalamazoo, MI
[Map and directions]
Tickets: $15 Adults; $12 Seniors; $5 Students
Common Chords Workshop with The Muslim Youth Choir
Common Chords
Sunday, November 22, 2009, 10:30am
COMMON CHORDS was created by Queens College’s “Bridging the Divide” program, which fosters dialogue and cooperation between Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Christians. Common Chords promotes global peace and interethnic understanding the best way we know how: through music and activism. Their first single, “What Time Will It Be?” is now up on YouTube:
Part one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJ1KqHet2wk
Part two: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S05ozJQjQpc&feature=related
Common Chords will appear at the festival and play at Congregation of Moses. Sponsored by Arts Midwest.
Congregation of Moses
2501 Stadium Dr.
Kalamazoo, MI
[Map and directions]
FREE!
David Briggs Organ Recital
David Briggs
Sunday, November 22, 2009, 2:00pm
David Briggs organ recital, including premiere of new Briggs work for organ, trumpet and soprano commissioned by MFSM. Performers include soprano Susan B. Anthony and trumpeter Scott Thornburg. Text written by Kalamazoo poet Conrad Hilberry. Sponsored by Arts Midwest.
First Baptist Church
315 W. Michigan Ave.
Kalamazoo, MI
[Map and directions]
Tickets: $15 Adults; $12 Seniors; $5 Students
Common Chords: Celebrating the Common Roots of Muslim and Jewish Music
Common Chords
Sunday, November 22, 2009, 4:30pm
Common Chords: concert celebrating the common roots of Muslim and Jewish music, featuring Pakistani rock star Salman Ahmad, virtuoso tabla player Samir Chatterjee with Yale Strom and members of his band Hot Pstromi. Sponsored by Arts Midwest.
First Presbyterian Church
321 W. South St.
Kalamazoo, MI
[Map and directions]
Tickets: $15 Adults; $12 Seniors; $5 Students
Messiah Sing
Sunday, November 29, 2009, 4:00pm
George Frederic Handel
14th Annual Messiah Sing, MFSM collaboration with First Congregational Church. More information.
First Congregational Church
129 S. Park St.
Kalamazoo, MI
[Map and directions]
Free will offering
2008 Off-Season Events
The Sound and Spirit of Kalamazoo
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Ellen Kushner presented "The Sound and Spirit of Kalamazoo" featuring local musicians representing diverse faiths of the Kalamazoo area. 3 pm Sunday, November 9, 2008. First Presbyterian Church, 321 W. South Street in downtown Kalamazoo. Presentations included: Sikh Youth Musicians, mantras and kirtan from Hindu tradition, Buddhist chant by Jimyo Lisa Ferworn, Aspire vocal quartet performing a Bach cantata & a spiritual, Sacred Harp (Shapenote) Singers, Jewish cantor Larry Charson, Gospel artist Myron Cobb, recitation from Koran by Kalamazoo Islamic Center imam Nauman and Islamic nasheed. Intermission featured snacks and music by Dunuya Drum and Dance. Ellen Kushner also appeared at 11:30 am as part of the Kalamazoo Jewish Community Book Fair held from 11 am until 4 pm at the Ladies’ Library Association, 333 South Park Avenue in downtown Kalamazoo.
Messiah Sing
Sunday, November 30, 2008
TATTERED AND WORN: An Eccentric Look at the Good Book
Saturday, March 14, 2009, 8 pm
TATTERED AND WORN weaved monologue, song and sketches into an entertaining look at the way God interacts with God’s people, from Genesis to Revelation. Starring Ted Swartz and Jeff Raught. Finding the humor and humanity in biblical stories has long been a hallmark of Ted & Lee TheaterWorks. In Tattered & Worn, Ted and Jeff explore what it means to worship a God who searches for connections with us, even sending His Son to live among us. Ted and Jeff have created a new show that explores what it means to lose your faith – and to find it again. First United Methodist Church, 212 S. Park in downtown Kalamazoo. Tickets ($15 adult, $12 senior, $5 student and child) available at the door, or in advance by calling 269.382.2910 or emailing director@mfsm.us. A Ted & Company TheaterWorks Production. 50 people from Ministry with Community attended this event free of charge.
2007 Michigan Festival of Sacred Music
Dr. Richard Snyder
MFSM 2007 in Memoriam
MFSM 2007 was dedicated to the memory of Dr. Richard Snyder, MFSM Executive Director from its inception through March 2004. MFSM is accepting donations in his memory.
Tibetan Monks
Tibetan Buddhist Monks
Tibetan Buddhist Monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastery constructed a Mandala Sand Painting at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum, with opening ceremony on Thursday and closing ceremony and sand dispersal on Sunday (Nov. 8 and 11, 2007).
The Tibetan Buddhist monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastery performed a public program of music and dance on Saturday, November 10 at Chenery Auditorium. www.mysticalartsoftibet.org
David Shrader
David Schrader
David Schrader, who has appeared on the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival in many roles, is equally at home in front of a harpsichord, organ, piano, or fortepiano. He is organist of the Church of the Ascension in Chicago, has performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, and the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, and performs regularly with Music of the Baroque, the Newberry Consort, and Bach Week in Evanston. www.davidschrader.com
Kalamazoo Singers
Kalamazoo Singers
The Kalamazoo Singers, Thomas Kasdorf, Director www.kalamazoosingers.org, and the Kalamazoo Children’s Chorus, Fred Sang, Director www.kalamazoochildrenschorus.org, presented a Sunday afternoon concert at First Presbyterian Church.
Dawud Wharnsby and Mohamad Aburatib
Dawud Wharnsby
Mohamad Aburatib
Internationally known Muslim singer-songwriter Dawud Wharnsby returned by popular demand for a Saturday afternoon (Nov. 10, 2007) performance of English-language nasheed and original works. www.enterintopeace.com
Mohamad Aburatib, internationally known singer, performed Arabic- language nasheed.
Take 6
Take 6
Take 6, award-winning a capella gospel sextet, performed at Miller Auditorium Also on the program Kalamazoo’s NAEA GospelFest Choir directed by Roland Sunkins. (Patrons who also purchased an MFSM ticket package received a $5 discount on this event.)
Ellen Kushner
Elizabeth Schwartz
Yale Strom
Ellen Kushner
Public Radio's Ellen Kushner www.ellenkushner.com returned to the MFSM. She moderated a multi-faith discussion on Thursday evening, as well as premiered a new radio drama created in collaboration with Yale Strom www.yalestrom.com and Elizabeth Schwartz www.voiceofklezmer.com on Saturday. The three artists participated in other activities during the weekend.
Quartet for the End of Time
David Peshlakai
Benjamin Seltzer
Raymond Harvey
Julia Neckermann
Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra's Maestro Raymond Harvey, piano, joined KSO Artists-in-Residence to present Olivier Messiaen's "Quartet for the End of Time" Thursday night, Nov. 8, 2007. www.kalamazoosymphony.com
Multi-faith discussion moderated by Ellen Kushner followed.
Greg Secor
Also on the Thursday night program, KSO percussionist Greg Secor performed "A Robe of Orange Flame" by Christopher Deane.
Donna Milanovich and Stephen Hartman
Capriccio
Chicago-based Capriccio Donna Milanovich, flute, and Stephen Hartman, harp, and guests Emily Lodine, vocalist (featured in the award-winning documentary film “Mystery of Love”), and Elizabeth Start, cellist, presented a program of music based on Hebraic themes on Thursday afternoon, Nov. 8, 2007. www.flute-harp.com
Rohan Krishnamurthy
Rohan Krishnamurthy
Shruti Iyer
Kirnavali Narasimhan
Shoba Narayanan
Rohan Krishnamurthy, mridangam S. Indian drum, www.rohanrhythm.com, led a youthful quartet in South Indian music and dance on Sunday, November 11, 2007.
To view cable access TV interview with artist Rohan Krishnamurthy and Executive Director Elizabeth Start, follow this link: http://www.archive.org/details/MNLMichFestSacMusic11-05-07.mpg
Michael Gould
Michael Gould
Sacred flute program at noon on Friday, Nov.9, 2007 featured Michael Gould, shakuhachi. www.chikuzenstudios.com
Sacred Harp Shapenote Singers
Kalamazoo's Sacred Harp Shapenote Singers presented a one-hour video, discussion, and workshop session, as a fringe event on Wednesday night, Nov.7, 2007.
*This presentation was supported by the Performing Arts Fund, a program of Arts Midwest funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes a great nation deserves great art, with additional contributions from General Mills Foundation, Land O'Lakes Foundation, and Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural Affairs.
2006 Off-Season Events
Shadow Puppetry and Gamelan
Shadow Puppetry
On June 27, 2006, the Michigan Festival of Sacred Music collaborated with a large consortium of Kalamazoo arts organizations to present a program of Javanese Shadow Puppetry and Gamelan. For details on this program and the U.S. tour of this group, visit www.purboasmoro.com
Tapestry
Tapestry
Tapestry The Michigan Festival of Sacred Music brought back the critically-acclaimed Boston-based vocal chamber ensemble Tapestry for the Festival's fall 2006 "Off-Season" event. Tapestry did a choral residency with Cantus Femina, Western Michigan University's women's choir, and performed their own inimitable chamber music, with voices and percussion, as well as works in collaboration with Cantus Femina. Repertoire included works by Hildegard von Bingen, including excerpts from her Ordu Virtutem. There also were works by living composers Patricia Van Ness and Robert Kyr, some specifically written for Tapestry combined antiphonally with women's chorus.
This presentation is supported by the Performing Arts Fund, a program of Arts Midwest funded by the National Endowment for the Arts with additional contributions from General Mills Foundation, Land O'Lakes Foundation, and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs.
2005 Michigan Festival of Sacred Music
Burdick-Thorne String Quartet
Burdick-Thorne String Quartet
Friday night, November 11, 2005, in collaboration with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, the Burdick-Thorne String Quartet, KSO Artists-in-Residence, performed F.J Haydn's string quartet based on the Seven Last Words of Christ. Speakers representing Muslim, Christian, Jewish and Buddhist perspectives presented brief reflections/meditations between movements. The program was followed by a lively and meaningful discussion. Speakers were Jeffrey A. Summit, Mary Ellen Ashcroft, Mynti Hossain, and Paula Jamison, with Marty Newman providing an introduction and serving as discussion moderator.
Kalapriya Dance
Kalapriya Dance
Kalapriya Dance, Pranita Jain, Artistic Director, performs selections from the Bharata Natyam repertory at the First Methodist Church of Kalamazoo, Saturday, November 12th, 2005, 1 pm. They will also provide a workshop in Indian dance at the Epic Theatre at 11 that morning. (photo by Michael Filler)
Chicago Children's Choir
Chicago Children's Choir
The Chicago Children's Choir performed a diverse multi-faith program on Saturday, November 12, 2005 at 8:00 pm. at First Presbyterian Church in Kalamazoo. They were led by Associate Director Judy Hanson, who also presented a wonderful day of clinics for Kalamazoo area middle school students on Monday, November 14th.
Dawud Wharnsby
Dawud Wharnsby
Dawud Wharnsby performed Saturday afternoon, November 12, 2005. A third generation Canadian with Scottish and British roots, Dawud Wharnsby's recordings and reputation have established him as an institution in the realm of English language Nasheed (spiritual songs of a world-beat/folk style, drawn from Islamic cultural and musical tradition). Merging the Celtic/folk styles of his upbringing with sounds and embellishments of the Middle and Far East, Wharnsby's unique lyrical style, warm voice and knack for penning catchy melodies have yielded a rich reception from his listeners world-wide. Wharnsby also presented two workshops at Lincoln Elementary School on November 14th.
Jeffrey A. Summit
Jeffrey A. Summit
Rabbi and Ethnomusicologist Jeffrey A. Summit participated as a speaker, in discussion, and presenting programs sharing his insights into melody choice and how it defines us, Jewish music in America, and the Abayudaya music of Ugandan Jews. Summit is the Executive Director of the Hillel Foundation at Tufts University, as well as Chaplain and Associate Professor in the Department of Music. He holds Rabbinic ordination from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and a Ph.D. from Tufts University where he studied ethnomusicology in Tufts interdisciplinary doctoral program. An accomplished musician, he has performed Jewish and traditional American music throughout the United States, as well as in England and Israel.
Felix Hell
Felix Hell
Back by popular demand, young virtouso organist Felix Hell, who wowed MFSM audiences in 2003, returned to do the same for our festival finale concert, Sunday November 13, 2005, on the Létourneau organ at First Baptist Church. He also performed a free noon-time concert at the First Congregational Church in Battle Creek, presented a masterclass for Western Michigan University and other area AGO organists at First United Methodist Church in Kalamazoo, and presented an educational workshop for youth as part of the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival's Keys Club at the First Congregational Church in Battle Creek.
The 2005 presentations of Felix Hell and the Chicago Children's Choir were supported by the Heartland Arts Fund, a program of Arts Midwest funded by the National Endowment for the Arts with additional contributions from General Mills Foundation, Land O'Lakes Foundation, Sprint Corporation, and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs.