Christ Church Easton opens its 2017-18 concert series on Friday, September 22 at 7:00 pm. Inaugurating the new season is a superb, young organist recognized by Diapason magazine as one of America’s top twenty organists under thirty, Weston Jennings.
Having first encountered the pipe organ at the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp in Michigan at the age of sixteen, Mr. Jennings later graduated from the Interlochen Arts Academy. He then entered the Eastman School of Music earning a Bachelor of Music Degree and also the prestigious Performer’s Certificate.
Later, he completed two years in England as the Organ Scholar of Canterbury Cathedral and Chelmsford Cathedral. During that time, he was also appointed the first Organ Scholar to the Royal Festival Hall in London.
In the spring of this year, Weston Jennings graduated with a Master’s degree in organ performance from the Yale School of Music and the Yale Institute of Sacred Music where he studied under Thomas Murray. Previous organ teachers include Michel Bouvard, Hans Davidson, David Higgs and Thomas Bara.
Following his recital debut at The Kennedy Center in 2009, Mr. Jennings performed across the United States and Europe, including Westminster Abbey, Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels (Los Angeles), The Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (Denver), the Chapel of the Queen’s College (Oxford), Royaumont Abbey (France), and the Berliner Dom (Germany). Additionally, he has performed with The Philharmonia Orchestra of Yale, The Yale Concert Band, the Yale Symphony Orchestra and has collaborated with the Apollo Baroque Consort in a concert of Handel organ concertos from Mayfair’s Grosvenor Chapel as part of the London Handel Festival. Forthcoming recital engagements include St. Paul’s Cathedral (London), St. George’s Chapel of Windsor Castle, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Moscow), Hildesheim Cathedral (Germany), Kelvingrove Art Gallery (Glasgow), and Christ Church, Easton.
An enthusiastic advocate for new music, Weston Jennings has premiered compositions by Molly Joyce, Soosan Lolavar, Mark Carroll, and Allison Willis. His performances and interviews have been broadcast live on BBC Radio 3. Also committed to the education of new organists, Mr. Jennings presently serves as Instructor of undergraduate and secondary organ at Yale College. He has served on the faculty of the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp, the Department of Music at The King’s School, Canterbury, and taught and performed at several Pipe Organ Encounters across America.
While there is no charge for the Weston Jennings performance, a freewill offering will be received. Doors open at 6:30 pm, and the performance begins at 7:00 p.m. The Christ Church concert series is supported in part by a grant from the Talbot County and Maryland State Arts Councils. The church is located at 111 S. Harrison Street in downtown Easton. For more information call 410-822-2677.
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