Concerts & Recitals from Saint Mark's Cathedral
As part of our cathedral’s music program, the Music Series is called to offer its musical riches to the wider community so that all can experience the unique acoustical environment, superb pipe organs, and talented musicians dedicated to making music in a sacred space. Concerts have both in-person and livestreamed ticket options.
Please note: the spaces of the cathedral building are frequently made available to community and touring groups as a performance venue. Such events are not listed on this page—the Saint Mark's Music Series is an annual series of concerts organized and presented by the cathedral itself. Public performances by outside groups can often be found on the cathedral Events Calendar.
TO ATTEND OR WATCH A CONCERT:
Links to purchase either an in-person or livestreamed concert ticket are available through Eventbrite below. Tickets may be purchased at the door as well. After you purchase your ticket, the link to watch the livestream will be emailed to you as the time of the concert approaches, or sometimes included in your confirmation email.
COVID-19 vaccination or proof of recent negative PCR test (within 72 hours) is required to attend concerts in person, and will be checked at the door.
At this time, face masks are REQUIRED for all while in the cathedral buildings.
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DONATE:
Make a one-time donation by donating here, via Venmo (@SaintMarksCathedralSeattle), or by mailing a check (memo: Music Series). Become a Friend of the Music Series and give annually to sustain the series, making it possible for Saint Mark’s to share its musical riches with the wider community at very modest ticket prices. If you wish to sponsor upcoming events please contact Canon Michael Kleinschmidt. Thank you for your support!
The Complete Organ Works of César Franck
Adam Pajan & Joseph Arndt, organists
co-sponsored by the Seattle Chapter of the American Guild of Organists
part 1: Friday, October 21, 7:30 p.m.
part 2: Saturday, October 22, 7:30 p.m.
workshops: Saturday, October 22, 9 a.m.–noon
In celebration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of César Franck (1822–1890), organists Adam Pajan and Joseph Arndt will offer his complete works for organ over the course of two consecutive evenings. Rich in soaring melodies and soul-satisfying harmonies, Franck’s organ works are as important in the history and development of organ literature as those by Bach and Messiaen. Adam Pajan and Joseph Arndt are two of the world’s leading young organists. In addition to Seattle, their “Franck Bicentennial Tour” will take them to Houston, Dallas, New York City, Denver, and Tulsa.
On Saturday, October 22, from 9 a.m. to noon, Pajan and Arndt will offer two workshops (with a coffee & pastry break in between). The first workshop, on “Franck’s Life and Times,” is offered 9 to 10:15 a.m. The second workshop, which runs from 10:45 a.m. to 12 p.m., will address adapting Franck’s published choices of organ stops (intended for 19th-century French organs) to organs in 20th-century American churches. All are welcome. One ticket gives you admission to both concerts and the workshops. (Members of the Seattle Chapter of the American Guild of Organists receive complimentary admission to all.)
James Falzone’s Sighs Too Deep for Words
Friday, January 27, 2023, 7:30 p.m.
Join acclaimed clarinetist, penny whistle player, composer and improvisor (and Saint Mark’s parishioner) James Falzone for a night of original music composed specifically for the distinct acoustical environment of Saint Mark’s Cathedral. Joining James will be vocalist and sound artist Johnaye Kendrick; pianist, vocalist, and sound artist Kaley Lane Eaton; and Palestinian/American oud player and vocalist Ronnie Malley.
Biber’s Mystery Sonatas in Thomsen Chapel
Tekla Cunningham, baroque violin
Saturday, March 18, 2023, 7:30 p.m.,
& Sunday, March 19, 2023, 2:30 p.m.
(two identical performances)
The Mystery Sonatas (also known as Rosary Sonatas) by Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber (1644–1704) are incredibly virtuosic meditations for violin on Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection. They comprise three sets: The “Joyful,” “Sorrowful,” and “Glorious” Mysteries. Baroque violinist Tekla Cunningham will perform the whole cycle in various area venues this season, offering Set Two—the intensely expressive “Sorrowful Mysteries”—in the intimacy of Saint Mark’s Thomsen Chapel during the season of Lent. Joining her are Henry Lebedinsky on organ and harpsichord, and David Morris on viola da gamba and lirone.
All Bach on the Flentrop Organ
Nathan Laube, organ
Friday, May 5, 2023, 7:30 p.m.
Nathan Laube is a leading performer and pedagogue who is beloved around the world. He is Associate Professor of Organ at the Eastman School of Music, as well as International Consultant in Organ Studies at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in the United Kingdom. Known for his brilliant playing, gracious demeanor, and creative programming, Mr. Laube has earned high praise from critics and peers alike. Saint Mark’s is delighted to welcome him for 2023’s annual all-Bach concert on the Flentrop.
The "O" Antiphons: Advent Procession with Lessons and Carols
Sunday, November 27, 2022, 7 p.m.
This beloved annual liturgy of music and pageantry celebrates the beginning of Advent—the season of longing, vigilance, and expectation in preparation for Christmas. Sung by the Cathedral Choir, Compline Choir, and Senior Choristers of Saint Mark’s Choir School. Offered in person in the cathedral nave and livestreamed.
The Pageant of the Nativity
Tuesday, December 20, 7 p.m.
Choir School choristers, Evensong Choir and young children of Saint Mark’s join forces in this dramatic telling of the Nativity story.
Since its inception in 2015, Saint Mark’s Pageant of the Nativity has brought together the choirs and children of the community with costumes of cathedral finery, visual art displayed within cathedral architecture, and special instrumental accompaniment to reflect upon the Nativity of Christ as told in Holy Scripture. Hymns, carols, and choir anthems range from medieval chant to 21st-century world premieres. The 2021 version of the Pageant will be informed by current pandemic-era protocols.
All-Bach on the Flentrop Organ
ALEXANDER WEIMANN, ORGANIST
co-sponsored by Early Music Seattle and the Seattle Chapter of the American Guild of Organists
Alexander Weimann, Music Director of the Seattle Baroque Orchestra, will finally journey from his home in Canada to play the mighty Flentrop organ in a much-awaited performance delayed twice by the pandemic. The German-born musician will perform much-beloved works from the vast repertoire of Bach’s compositions for organ, and will also offer brief improvisations much like Bach himself.
The Program
Praeludium, BWV 552/1
Kyrie, Gott Vater, BWV 669
Christe, aller Welt Trost, BWV 670
Kyrie, Gott heiliger Geist, BWV 671
Allein Gott in der Höh, BWV 676
Wir glauben all an einen Gott, BWV 680
Vater unser im Himmelreich, BWV 682
Jesus Christus, unser Heiland, BWV 688
Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam, BWV 684
Improvisation on the plainchant melody for Dona nobis pacem (Grant us peace) from the Agnus Dei in the Cunctipotens Genitor Deus setting of the Mass
Fuga, BWV 552/2
National Lutheran Choir and Orchestra,
“The Earth Sings Beauty”
The National Lutheran Choir's performances in Seattle and Tacoma of "The Earth Sings Beauty," scheduled for April of 2022, have been canceled. Instead, the program featuring the world premiere of Lament of the Earth by composer Steven Heitzeg and poet Susan Palo Cherwien will be live-streamed on Sunday May 1, at 4:00 p.m. central time at www.nlca.com.
Organizers in Washington and Minnesota expressed regret that ongoing waves of Covid activity have prevented the development of a strong foundation for a successful tour. Although the public health environment may be greatly improved by spring, the decision was made to put the safety of audiences and performers first given the severity of today's conditions and uncertainty about the future.
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The National Lutheran Choir celebrates spring in the Pacific Northwest with “The Earth Sings Beauty,” their season’s culminating concert. Anchoring the program is the world premiere of Lament of the Earth, their commissioned work by Emmy Award-winning composer Steve Heitzeg and celebrated poet Susan Palo Cherwien.
The multi-movement Lament is rooted in the premise that people of many different faiths share a common reverence for creation. Cherwien drew inspiration for the work’s texts from Christian, Jewish, and Native American sources, and Heitzeg designed the music with multi-generational impact in mind, including not just adult vocalists and instrumentalists, but children’s choirs as well.
“The Earth Sings Beauty” will also include other renowned choral works such as Ērik Ešenvalds’ “Stars” and Eric Whitacre’s “i thank you God for most this amazing day,” transforming this world premiere event into a remarkable celebration of the earth.
For more information, visit the National Lutheran Choir's website.
Northwest Art Song, "Heaven and Earth"
Northwest Art Song presents a program of music by Arwen Myers, soprano, and Susan McDaniel, piano, on secular themes by Herbert Howells & Ralph Vaughan Williams, both giants in the Anglican church music repertoire, and music on sacred themes by the secular composers Louis Vierne, Florence Price, Harriet Cohen, and Leonard Bernstein—culminating in Samuel Barber's transcendent Hermit Songs. Complete program is below.
Pandemic-related circumstances necessitated the change from the originally planned program—music by Pacific NW composers Emerson Eads and William White, among others—to this new program. Saint Mark’s Music Series hopes to offer the formerly planned program in a future season.
The Program:
Herbert Howells – Four Songs, Op. 22 (1919)
Ralph Vaughan Williams – from Suite of Six Short Pieces (1921)
Louis Vierne – Les Angélus, Op. 57 (1931)
J.S. Bach, arr. Harriet Cohen – Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier (BWV 731)
Florence Price – Adoration (1951)
Samuel Barber — Hermit Songs, Op. 29 (1953)
Leonard Bernstein – Simple Song (from Mass, 1971)
In-person and livestream ticketing options are available. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination will be required at the door.
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Tapestry presents "Starry Night"
Tapestry, a Boston-based ensemble of women’s voices, programs a unique blend of medieval traditions and contemporary idioms. Starry Night – a program that resonates deeply in the season of advent - weaves together meditations on the star-lit sky and human longing into a rich tapestry of poetry and music. Originally commissioned by the Da Camera Society in Los Angeles and performed at the Wilson Observatory, the program will ring beautifully in Saint Mark’s ‘holy box’ high atop Capitol Hill. Local clarinetist and frequent collaborator James Falzone joins Tapestry as a guest artist for this performance.
Learn more about Tapestry here.
Flentrop Organ Concert
MICHAEL KLEINSCHMIDT AND JOHN STUNTEBECK, ORGANISTS
Cathedral organists, John Stuntebeck and Michael Kleinschmidt, will share the playing in this program of organ compositions inspired by two great songs of praise: the Magnificat (the Song of Mary) and the Te Deum laudamus (“We praise you, O God.”) The program will include works by Dieterich Buxtehude, Nicolas de Grigny, Rachel Laurin, David Hurd, and the world premiere of a newly commissioned work by Oklahoma-based composer, Rebecca Groom Te Velde.
Organ Plus in Thomsen Chapel
UNA HWANG, ORGAN; SVEND RØNNING, VIOLIN
February’s “Organ Plus” invites strings to accompany the Fritts Organ in Thomsen Chapel for an intimate performance. Local Pacific Northwestern musicians Una Hwang, organ, and Svend Rønning, violin, play a continental mix of Italian, French, and German music – a Vitali chaconne for violin, “Mélodie” from Gluck’s Orfeo, Bruhns’ Preludium in e minor, and chorale preludes for organ by J.S. Bach and French organist Jeanne Demessieux. The program will begin with “Winter” from Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons.