2020 Covenant Public Concert Season
Download the Brochure for the 2020 Covenant Public Concert Season
Wargo & Steveskey – Flute & Guitar – Sunday, January 26, 2020 at 3:00 P.M.
The Wargo-Steveskey Flute and Guitar Duo was formed to bring together a shared passion for these highly expressive instruments and to explore the beautiful and diverse repertoire for flute and guitar.
Flutist Edward Wargo is an active performer and teacher who is currently on the faculty of Marywood University. His solo and chamber music performances have been broadcast on WVIA-TV and WVIA-FM. He is a graduate of Temple University and the Manhattan School of Music.
Classical Guitarist Jay Steveskey keeps a busy performance and teaching schedule. He has been featured on WVIA-FM and Scranton Today TV, is founder and president of the Classical Guitar Society of Northeastern Pennsylvania, and runs the Fiddle Lake Classical Guitar School in Susquehanna County, PA. This recital is a long-awaited return to Covenant – don’t miss it! www.jaysteveskey.com
Poor Man’s Gambit – Sunday, February 23, 2020 at 3:00 P.M.
Poor Man’s Gambit is a trio of traditional artists comprised of Corey Purcell (button accordion, cittern, vocals, bodhran, dance), Federico Betti (guitar, fiddle), and Deirdre Lockman (fiddle, vocals, dance).
Initially formed as a pickup band in 2015, PMG quickly realized that their combination of musical styles was worth pursuing as a more permanent venture, as they are set apart by not only offering a varied array of instrumental combinations, but also by including the visual (and audial) element of dance.
Building on their roots as traditional Irish musicians, the trio’s repertoire is also influenced by traditional music of other cultures including France, Scotland, England, and America, some of which can be heard on their latest release ‘Kind Providence’. Several original tunes have also been included on the album including a waltz ‘The Second Goodnight, and a jig ‘The Nickel Plated Shoe’.
Come and experience this wonderful expression of joy through music & dance – just before the Lenten Season begins.
Sophie Till, Violin – Sunday, March 29, 2020 at 3:00 P.M.
Sophie Till is Clinical Assistant Professor of Violin and Viola at Marywood University and Director of the Marywood University String Project, a program designed to train student teachers and provide affordable string education for children ages 4-18. As a result of her leadership, Marywood’s String Project won the American String Teachers’ Association National String Project of the Year Award in 2010 and was recently featured in a short documentary by WVIA TV.
In addition to her work at Marywood, Sophie’s search to find musical and technical answers led her to work with Edna Golandsky and the development of the Taubman/Golandsky Approach for Strings. She was the first violinist to be appointed Associate Faculty at the Golandsky Institute, New York. In 2013 she gave the first European symposium on the Taubman/Golandsky Approach at St. John’s College, Cambridge and the following year gave the first series of string workshops in Australia and Singapore, in addition to playing recitals. For the last three years, Sophie has worked with orchestras in the U.K. teaching members of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, BBC Scottish Orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and In Harmony, Liverpool. We are thrilled to welcome Sophie to Covenant for her first solo recital in the series! Pianist Ron Stabinsky joins Sophie for this program.
Timothy Smith, Organ – Sunday, October 6, 2019 at 3:00 P.M.
Timothy Smith has served as Director of Music & Organist of New York’s famed Riverside Church from July 1992 until December 2008. Prior to that appointment, he served on the music staff of Trinity Church, Wall Street, and Christ Episcopal Church, Greenwich, Connecticut. A graduate of Yale University, Smith holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from The Manhattan School of Music. He has performed with numerous orchestras throughout the New York City area including the Fairfield Chamber Orchestra; the Manhattan Chamber Orchestra; the Yale Philharmonia; and The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. For twenty years, from 1999 through 2019, Smith served as University Organist of Columbia University in New York City. He was appointed Director of Music & Organist at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Scranton, Pennsylvania in September of 2010.
Smith has recorded for the Pro Organo, Philips Classic, JAV and Gothic labels. His performances have received critical acclaim in The American Organist, The American Record Guide and Choir and Organ (U.K.) publications. As a recitalist, he has performed in some of the most beautiful and historic houses of worship in this country and abroad, including the cathedrals of Chartres, Beauvais, Notre-Dame, and the Church of St. Germain-des-Prez in France, as well as Lincoln and Wells Cathedrals in Great Britain. He has also performed as a featured soloist at the Cardiff Organ Festival in Wales.
All concerts begin at 3:00 P.M. in the sanctuary.
All concerts are FREE with a free-will offering to support the series.
Non-Perishable Food Items collected for Safety Net at all concerts.
Everyone is invited to a “meet the artists” reception following each concert.
Concerts are partially supported by grants from The Lackawanna County Council on the Arts.
View our event calendar for all Covenant Public Concerts.
