After three sold-out performances at St. Mark’s Anglican Church in late August/early September, Jenny Vincent says she’s finally getting her wish for a new organ at her church, Knox United in Parksville.
The Knox Organ Project started about four weeks ago after a committee was set up in May to see how viable an organ would be to the church. As it turns out, Vincent said, the outcome of the three-part concert series was the realization that a good concert organ was needed in the area.
Fundraising through the church has already begun. The Knox Organ project committee is also presenting The 12th Day of Christmas on Jan. 5, 2017 at 2 p.m. St. Mark’s Anglican Church (138 W. Hoylake Rd., Qualicum Beach).
The Jan. 5 concert is by donation to support the organ project. The committee is hoping to raise at least $80,000 over the next few months.
The concert is featuring Vincent on organ once again, as well as mezzo-soprano Pamela Brown and Nicolas Casillas on flute.
Brown started with piano lessons as a young child, but she graduated to voice once in high school. At the age of 16, Brown joined the Cantata Singers and from there she continued to sing with several choirs in the Ottawa area.
Brown began studying the baroque technique and was one of the founding members of the Ottawa Bach Choir, led by Dr. Lisette Canton. The Ottawa Bach Choir is one of the few choirs in the world invited to be the house choir for Thomaskirche in Leipzig, Austria which was the home church of Johannes Sebastian Bach.
Casillas is an international student from Spain. He has studied flute along with music theory for six years at the Municipal School of Music and Dance in Hellin, Spain. He is currently attending Ballenas Secondary School where he plays both flute and piccolo in the school’s band.
For more information on the 12th Day of Christmas concert, visit www.kucparksville.ca or www.stmarksqualicum.bc.ca.
Vincent said traditionally, Christmas celebrations didn’t start until Christmas Day, so the 12th day of Christmas would be Jan. 5.
“We’re going to do some carols and a lot of carols that aren’t always heard,” Vincent said. “They’re very lively and nice to listen to. There will be some different arrangements. I’m doing some jazz, four jazz arrangements of different carols.”
Vincent said Brown will be singing some spirituals along with some contemporary flute and organ pieces. She said this concert will be a good start to let the community know about the organ project.
The organ project has a goal of raising $80,000 to $100,000 to buy a new digital organ, not just for Knox United Church, but for all of Parksville Qualicum Beach.
Vincent said the organ would be used for a new concert series Plugged In, which is a reference to “plugging in” the digital organ, but also being plugged into the community at large.
The Plugged In concert series will consist of three recitals held throughout the year at Knox. One concert will feature an international organist, a second concert would feature an organ with a choir and the third concert will feature the organ with another instrument such as a saxophone, harp or trump, Vincent said.
Plugged In will be under the artistic direction of Vincent. She said she will be working a year in advance to organize the concert series. A minimum number of tickets will be sold in advance by subscription at a discount for a season series, but there will also be tickets available at the door for each performance.
Vincent said she also has plans for a lunch-time program, a monthly performance series that will let other local organists perform at Knox United Church.
In addition to the performance series, Vincent said she is exploring with other organ manufacturers and the Royal Canadian College of Organists the idea for an annual master class for other church organists. The master class would focus on topics such as the modern church organ and its place in today’s worship, and the organ’s usage within the church service and the evolution of church organ music from classical to contemporary.
On March 3, there will be another concert in support of the Knox Organ Project. Irish-Newfoundland ballad singer Fergus O’Byrne of Ryan’s Fancy will be playing at Knox United Church. There will be more information on the concert closer to the date.
For more information about the Knox Organ Project, or how to donate, contact George Pearson of the Knox Organ committee at 250-951-2353.
