Please join us at National City Christian Church this Friday, February 3, at 12:15 p.m., for our first Music at Midday recital of 2023. This week we are delighted to be welcoming back organist John A. Wolfe.
As we begin Black History Month, Dr. Wolfe has included three works by African American composer Roy Belfield. The concert also features works by recently deceased composer Ned Rorem, along with a celebrated organ work of Felix Mendelssohn:
- Organbook II (I Rex Tremendae; II. Magnificat; III. Pie Jesu; IV. Stabat Mater; V. “Eli, Eli, Lama Sabachthani?”; VI. In Nomine Domini) – Ned Rorem
- Three Spirituals for Organ (I. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot; II. Lord, I Want to Be a Christian; III. Let Us Break Bread Together) – Roy Belfield
- Organ Sonata No. 4 in B-flat Major (I. Allegro con brio; II. Andante religious; III. Allegretto; IV. Allegro maestros) – Felix Mendelssohn
John A. Wolfe is a New York City-based organist, choral conductor and music educator who currently serves as Organist and Music Director at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, and as Adjunct Professor of Fine Arts at St. Francis College, both in Brooklyn, New York. His 2022 organ recital venues included Princeton University Chapel, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC, and the Church of the Transfiguration in Manhattan. Wolfe holds the degrees of Doctor of Musical Arts from Rutgers University, Master of Arts from the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College, and Bachelor of Arts from Vassar College.
For those who are not able to join us in person, we will be recording the concert and will post it on the church’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.