Summer 2023 Concert Series
Family-friendly programs of light classics and popular music
All concerts begin at 7:30 pm
Freewill donations taken at the door (Suggested Donation of $10-20)
For more details about the concert series and the groups performing, please head to the Music for Summer Evenings Facebook page
Grace Memorial Chapel is accessible for persons with disabilities.
Saturday July 1
The Storm Windows
Featuring original songs and reworked cover songs in a blend of folk, rock and jazz-laced sonics
The Storm Windows Spotify
The Storm Windows YouTube
The Storm Windows are brothers Rob (guitar, piano, vocal) and Don (upright bass, vocals) Mathews. Back when the internet was young, they played many shows in and around New York City; most often at the Back Fence, a now-shuttered music bar on the corner of Bleecker and Thompson in Greenwich Village. Then they stopped for a while but re-emerged in 2022 with The Storm Windows project.
The Storm Windows play original songs and reworked cover songs that they admire – some well-known, some less so. Critics have labeled their music “New Americana” – a blend of folk, rock and even jazz-laced sonics that the duo describe as a “survey of the American landscape, with a few love (or love gone wrong) songs thrown in.” The group put out their first album in February 2022, featuring the single “Life is a Railroad.” Their second album was released to critical acclaim in March 2023. They say: “Our music is like a travelogue: part road trip, part nostalgia for something lost, part optimism for something coming. Not in any order. We hope people tune into that.”
Saturday July 15
Silver Bay String Quartet
Featuring a mix of classical and popular pieces for the beautiful acoustics of Grace Chapel
Saturday July 29
Hohenfels Trombone Quartet
“A Night in Old Vienna”, featuring music ranging from Renaissance dances to traditional folk tunes and arrangements of popular opera melodies, including a new work written for this concert
Hohenfels Trombone Quartet Facebook
Hohenfels Trombone Quartet Website
Based in Rochester, NY, the Hohenfels Trombone Quartet was founded in 2011 and performs extensively throughout the Northeastern United States. Recent recital appearances include St. Joseph’s Cathedral Music Series in Columbus, OH with (organist Amanda R. Mole) and a week-long summer concert tour in the Adirondack Region of Upstate New York. In 2021, HTQ served as the core ensemble for a special outdoor presentation of R. Murray Schafer’s Music for Wilderness Lake, featuring several nature-inspired works for large trombone ensemble and presented by the Society for New Music in Syracuse, NY. The quartet also presents recitals & master classes at colleges and schools, enriching young audiences with their versatile presentations. In 2016, they hosted SLIDEFEST! at Mansfield State University, presenting a weekend of masterclasses and joint performances with faculty and students. Other recital appearances have included the Performing Arts Series at Hamilton College and the Lighthouse Series in Sodus Point, NY. In 2014 they traveled as cultural ambassadors to Würzburg, Germany, under the auspices of International Sister Cities of Rochester. In celebration of 50 years of cultural partnership with between the two cities, their tour featured collaborations with local organists and composers, culminating in performances at the Würzburg and Schweinfurth cathedrals and a special appearance in Berchtesgaden.
They have also appeared on the Rochester Philharmonic’s RPO To The Max concert/lecture series. The members of HTQ are graduates the Eastman School of Music and hold positions with symphony orchestras and educational institutions in western and central New York. The group is featured prominently on the album Sound & Resound, a solo recording by quartet member Lisa Albrecht. As their alter ego, Oktoberbones, they enjoy entertaining audiences with their perennially festive Volkmusik programs, performing numerous seasonal and holiday concerts throughout the year.
Saturday August 5
Threeds
Featuring a mix of light classics and arrangements of popular rock and jazz standards, including works from Mozart and Verdi to their own arrangements of The Beatles, Bjork and Radiohead.
Threeds Website
Threeds Spotify
THREEDS is a New York City based oboe trio that includes oboists Kathy Halvorson, Katie Scheele and Mark Snyder. Formed in 2008, the trio enjoys creating new paths for the oboe and English horn, playing their own arrangements of pop, rock, jazz, folk and world music while using improvisational techniques. The members of Threeds have also arranged music to accompany several local singer- songwriters, including Paul Brill, Amber Rubarth, Andrew Vladeck and Jamie Leonhart. The trio aims to make the oboe an instrument that is more accessible to all, bringing their music “out of the concert hall” to bars, rock venues, galleries and public places. Having played over 50 shows throughout the city, the trio has earned a respectful following in the NYC area and often plays at venues including Joe’s Pub, the Living Room, Rockwood Music Hall, Caffe Vivaldi and public outdoor spaces as part of Make Music NY.
Threeds has also played at various venues throughout the country, including the First Baptist Church in Providence, RI, Grace Chapel on Lake George, NY, Wood and Vine restaurant in Los Angeles, and at the 2011 International Double Reed Society conference in Tempe, Arizona. THREEDS have recorded two albums, Unraveled (2011) and Palette (2014), which are available on CD Baby, iTunes, Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp, and through their website.
