Third Thursdays @ Twelve (Noon) Concert Series
On the third Thursday of each month at 12 Noon from September through May (excluding Thanksgiving and the Thursday during Holy Week), Grace Church offers a series of 45-minute concerts for the benefit of the downtown Providence community and any visitors that stop by. These programs are informal and feature our resident musicians as well as guests from around the country. There is a free-will offering to help defray the costs of the series. Feel free to stay for a portion or the entire concert as your schedule allows. Upcoming concerts are posted in the church calendar at the bottom of the website as well as on the Grace Church Facebook page.
Scroll down to see the line-up of performers for the
2023-2024 Concert Season!
Subscribe your email to the Music Mailing List to keep up with the Third Thursdays @ Twelve (Noon) Concert Series and all of our musical events at Grace Church, please contact Vince Edwards at vedwards@gracechurchprovidence.org
2023-2024 Concert Season
September 21
Baltic Transit Jazz Trio
Ilona Kudiņa, flute, alto flute, & melodica
Daniela Schächter, piano
Keala Kaumeheiwa, bass
The Baltic Transit Trio, is a Boston-based jazz-focused musical collaboration led by Latvian-American flautist Ilona Kudiņa with her accomplished colleagues: pianist Daniela Schächter and bassist Keala Kaumeheiwa. Ms. Kudiņa is a versatile musician, equally at home in the classical and improvisational music spheres. She received her formal education at Berklee College of Music and the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music. A professor of music at Berklee College and Brown University, pianist Daniela Schächter is a winner of multiple jazz competitions and has performed at several jazz festivals including the Sarasota and Ravina Jazz Festivals. Freelance musician Keala Kaumeheiwa teaches at M.I.T. and has performed with the likes of Jimmy Heath, Herbie Hancock, and Wynton Marsalis. He was part of the first graduating class of the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance.
October 19
Hope Collective for Early Music
Samuel Breene, violin
Bodie Pfost, sackbut
Brian Bartling, archlute
Todd Borgerdin, continuo organ
The Hope Collective for Early Music was formed in 2017 by Rhode Island College faculty members Todd Borgerding, Sam Breene, and Jacob Stott to explore the musical repertory of the 16th-18th centuries. An important part of the group’s mission is collaborating with musicians in the early stages of their careers. This concert is titled Canzoni da sonar: Chamber Music from the Early Baroque and will feature pieces by Giovanni Picchi, Adam Jarzębski, Girolamo Frescobaldi, and other early 17th century Italianate composers.
November 16
What’s a Salterio? 200 Golden Strings
Marc Armitano Domingo, salterio
Fred Jodry, continuo organ/harpsichord
Discover the psaltery sounds of a unique psaltery, the salterio! This interesting instrument is a type of dulcimer and usually has 24 sets of 4 strings. It will be played by early stringed-instrument musician Marc Armitano Domingo, an accomplished Viola da gamba and Pardessus de Viole player who was educated at Peabody Conservatory. In addition to his musical talents, Marc is an accomplished ceramics artist, crafting by hand all manner of art using porcelain. He will be accompanied by one of New England’s most expressive and wide-ranging musicians, Fred Jodry, who is equally at home on stage as conductor, singer, or keyboard artist. Fred is among the leaders of the early music community in Boston and Providence and has conducted the Brown University Choir for the past 30 years, having led this acclaimed group in concert on five continents. He also serves as Co-Music Director at the historic Trinity Church in Newport, RI.
December 21
Bach, Mozart, & Sibelius:
Music for Violin & Viola
Aija Rēķe, violin
Taisiya Sokolova, viola
Dāvids Heinze, piano
Aija Rēķe, Violin; Taisiya Sokolova, Viola; David Heinze, Piano
Boston-based string duo, Aija Rēķe, and Taisiya Sokolova will offer solo and collaborative works for Violin and Viola by Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Jean Sibelius.
January 18
Music of Nico Muhly and Buck McDaniel
Buck McDaniel, piano
with David Heinze, organ
Buck McDaniel, born in 1994, is an American conductor, organist, pianist, and composer who writes orchestral music, works for the stage, chamber music, and sacred music. His varied career includes work with recording artists Sam Smith, Nico Muhly, Elvis Depressedly, and Mourning [A] BLKstar. His work has been performed internationally in venues ranging from the Belfast Pipeworks Festival (Ireland), the Tanglewood Music Festival (USA), and Lincoln Cathedral (UK). As a conductor, McDaniel has appeared on NBC’s Saturday Night Live, WRUW’s Live from Cleveland, and his evening length multi-media collaboration Fire on the Water, ran at Cleveland Public Theatre. He serves as Director of Music at both the Roman Catholic Church of Our Saviour and Chapel of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus & Mary in New York City.
February 15
Oboe d’Amour: Songs of Love & Romance
Cheryl Bishkoff, oboe
Vince Edwards, piano/organ
Our favorite musical duo makes their annual return to this lunchtime concert series, playing works by J.S. Bach, Robert Schumann, and others. Oboist Cheryl Priebe Bishkoff, described as “a musician of incredible artistry” (Richmond News Leader), is universally recognized for her inspiring musicality, uniquely glorious sound and charismatic performing style. She is principal oboe of the Rhode Island Philharmonic and is Adjunct Artist in Music in Brown University’s Department of Music. Ms. Bishkoff will be accompanied by Vince Edwards, Organist & Director of Music at Grace Church since 2015.
March 21
Benjamin Britten’s Canticle II
Eliana Barwinski, mezzo-soprano
Sam Denler, tenor
Dāvids Heinze, piano/ continuo organ
Rising star vocalists Eliana Barwinski and Sam Denler will offer a unique concert centered around Benjamin Britten’s Canticle II: Abraham and Isaac, Op. 51, composed for alto and tenor duet with piano accompaniment. Other works by George Frederic Händel, Herbert Howells, Claude Debussy, and Johann Sebastian Bach will fill out the recital program. Ms. Barwinski is a versatile mezzo-soprano whose repertoire spans from early sacred music to Chinese folk and art songs. She is currently pursuing a graduate degree at Yale University. Mr. Denler is an alumnus of Westminster Choir College and is currently a Voces8 US Scholar based in Hamilton, New Jersey. He was recently filmed in Netflix’s upcoming biopic on Leonard Bernstein, starring Bradley Cooper.
April 18
Chamber Music from Brown University
Student Chamber Music Ensembles
from Brown University’s Department of Music
This concert will feature students participating in Chamber Music Ensembles in the Music Department at Brown University. These groups generally consist of 3-5 members and are coached by highly-trained professional musicians, some of whom are Teaching Associates in the Applied Music Program at Brown.
May 16
Dueling Organs: A Virtual vs. Pipe Showdown!
Graham Schultz, organ
Dāvids Heinze, organ
Organists Graham Schultz (Organist & Choirmaster of St. Stephen’s Church on College Hill) and Dāvids Heinze (Associate Organist of Grace Church) will explore repertoire and arrangements for two separate organs that spans multiple centuries. This concert will feature the 2005 Giuttari Continuo Organ that is owned by Brown University and makes its home at Grace Church when not used by the University’s Music Department. This three-stop, mechanical-action organ will be used in tandem with the Hauptwerk Virtual Organ of Grace Church for music by George Frederic Händel, Antonio Soler, Claude Balbastre, and others.
