Thursday Noonday Concert Series
Begins at Noon on July 3
The Unitarian Church will once again hold their Thursday Noonday Concert Series this summer, presenting a variety of musical styles by a number of performers. The concerts are 30 minutes long and are from 12 noon to 12:30 p.m. every Thursday, in the historic Unitarian Church on Orange Street. Suggested donation is $5.
The series began more than 25 years ago, in 1981, when then Music Director Susan Jarrell and organist Rene LaPierre imagined mid-day concerts where people could bring their lunches and listen to music. Since then, the series has been an important venue for musicians living on Nantucket, both year-round and summer residents. Musicians from off-island have made guest appearances, including internationally-known organists who have played in the series on the church's historic 1831 Goodrich organ, a rare example of the organ builder's skill.
This year the Unitarian Church Choir, directed by Marcia Hempel, will begin the series with a program of "Love Songs on July 3, and will be followed on July 10 by the folk trio of Erik Wendelken on bass, Chris Westerlund on mandolin, and Chuck Colley on guitar. Then on Thursday, July 17, the dynamic men's acapella chorus the "Nantucket Cobbletones" will sing doo-wop, and on July 24, cellist Mollie Glazer and harpist Mary Keller will play for the audience. On July 31, jazz pianist Matthew Hutchinson will perform, and on August concerts start on the 7th, with well-known Nantucket soprano Greta Feeney singing, accompanied on piano by Robbie Behrman. On August 14, the series will once again offer a concert entitled "Young Artists On Nantucket" which will feature some of the best of Nantucket high school age talent. This season’s Noonday Concert Series will conclude on August 21, when organist Marcia Hempel will play pieces by Buxtehude and Pachelbel. The series highlights some of the best of Nantucket's talent. For more information, call the church at 508-228-5466.
