God of our weary years

God of our silent tears

Thou who hast brought us thus far on the way

These powerful words, penned by James Weldon Johnson in 1921 and spoken at the 2009 inauguration of President Obama, are part of the sacred heritage of the African American musical canon. We owe a great debt to both the known and unknown bards who fought back oppressive cruelty and systematic degradation by composing incredible songs of resistance and joy. In this service filled with engaging congregational singing there will be both familiar and new works, many by composer Mark Miller, which seek to capture the love of God and demand for justice found in the best African American hymnody. Organ, piano, and percussion will energetically demonstrate how the music can be most effectively supported within this genre.

Jonathan Wessler serves as the Assistant Organist at St. Paul’s Church and Choir School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His duties include accompanying the famous Choir of Boys and Men at Mass, teaching music theory and handbells in the Choir School, and directing the St. Paul Parish Choir and the Schola Cantorum. In 2011 he received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in organ performance from the Eastman School of Music. He previously earned the Bachelor of Music degree in organ performance from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the Master of Sacred Music degree from the University of Notre Dame. He has studied with Sherry Seckler, Christiaan Teeuwsen, David Boe, Craig Cramer, and William Porter. In addition, he has performed in master classes for Marie-Louise Langlais, Daniel Roth, Olivier Latry, Michel Bouvard, Hans Fagius, and Jon Laukvik. Jonathan holds the Colleague certificate from the American Guild of Organists and was a finalist in the 2007 Arthur Poister Organ Competition. He has served as the principal continuo player for the Peoria Bach Festival in Peoria, Illinois, where he also has been a featured performer on the organ and the harpsichord. Jonathan is a six-year alumnus of the acclaimed Lutheran Summer Music Academy and Festival. He lives in Quincy with his wife, Joy, and their children, Julia and Matthew.

John Robinson is the Director of Music at St Paul’s Church, Harvard Square. There, he is responsible for the training and direction of The Choir of St. Paul’s in daily sung Mass, and oversees thriving Church and School Music departments. In serving the liturgy at St Paul’s Church, this renowned choir of boys and men performs music ranging from Gregorian Chant, to Modern and Contemporary repertoire. Through liturgies, concerts and special events, the Choir maintains a presence both in Harvard Square and further afield. St. Paul’s Choir School, where the boys are educated is the only Roman Catholic boys Choir School in the USA, and therefore a National treasure. The daily round of sung liturgy provides the perfect training ground for young singers. Prior to his work at St. Paul’s, Mr. Robinson worked and received his education in England. Having initially been a chorister and organ pupil of Dr. Roy Massey at Hereford Cathedral, John became Organ Scholar at Canterbury Cathedral and subsequently at St John’s College Cambridge, where he worked with both Dr. Christopher Robinson and Dr. David Hill. Whilst at Cambridge, he accompanied the world famous choir of St John’s College on tours, broadcasts and recordings as well as in the daily round of sung services in the College Chapel. At Cambridge he won first prize in the Brian Runnett Organ competition, and in the Plymouth National Young Organists’ Competition. On graduating he was appointed Assistant Organist of Carlisle Cathedral, and subsequently Assistant Organist of Canterbury Cathedral. Since taking up the position, Mr. Robinson has played an active role in directing Catholic Youth Music festivals both at St. Paul’s and further afield, and has acted as advisor to a number of Church music appointments. As an Organist, Mr. Robinson’s recordings are available on the Priory, Hyperion, Herald, York Ambisonic and Syrinx labels.

The Choir of St. Paul’s | Harvard Square is one of very few traditional choirs of boys and men in the USA. The Choir is supported by the only Roman Catholic Boys Choir School in America, while the professional men are drawn from local music colleges including the Longy School of Music, NEC and Boston Conservatory. As a primarily liturgical Choir, the principal focus of music-making is the Mass, in celebration of which the boys and men sing music from the great history of the Church, in the fine acoustics of St. Paul’s Church Harvard Square. Plainsong, Polyphony, Romantic and Contemporary composition are all represented in our repertoire. The boys sing at daily services, with the result that our boys have a large repertoire of boys-voice music. The Choir is fed by a training choir of 4th and 5th grade boys known as ‘The Trebles,’ they sing three times each week. We also maintain a busy schedule of concerts in Massachusetts, tour nationally and internationally, and record frequently for television and radio. We have collaborated with renowned ensembles such as the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Peter Krasinski

Peter Edwin Krasinski currently serves as organist of First Church of Christ, Scientist in Providence and as accompanist at Beth El Temple Center, Belmont, Massachusetts. He is on the faculty of the Boston Archdiocesan Choir School, Cambridge and serves as organ consultant on a number of high-profile projects. He holds both a Bachelor of Music in music education and organ performance and a Master of Sacred Music from Boston University. A winner of the first prize in improvisation in the American Guild of Organists National Competition, he has played in concert at many of the world’s most important organ venues. He has premiered the art of silent film accompaniment at many distinguished venues, including Saint Paul Church, Cambridge; National City Christian Church, Washington, D.C.; Cathedral of St. Joseph, Hartford; Saint Joseph’s Oratory, Montreal; Second Congregational Church, Holyoke; and major halls in Yokohama, Fukui, Miyazaki, and Kanazawa, Japan.

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“March to Glory” – Organ Solo

Carol Barnett’s MARCH TO GLORY: ”Draw Me Nearer” was inspired by the chorus of that wonderful old hymn by Fanny J. Crosby and William H. Doane.  The work progresses from the first faint glimmerings of hope to a full-fledged triumphant procession.  The chorus itself is a short musical journey that expresses both longing and jubilation.  March to Glory looks at both these emotions, moving from one to the other in a spirited, joyful journey.   Carol Barnett’s March to Glory is available through Beady Eyes Publishing.

Carol Barnett

 Carol Barnett’s music has been called audacious and engaging. Her varied catalog includes works for solo voice, piano, chorus, diverse chamber ensembles, orchestra, and wind ensemble. She was awarded the 2003 Nancy Van de Vate International Prize for Opera for her chamber opera, Snow, and Meeting at Seneca Falls was featured at the 2006 Diversity Festival in Red Wing, MN. Other recent works include The World Beloved: A Bluegrass Mass for VocalEssence and Monroe Crossing, Song of Perfect Propriety for the Cornell University Women’s Chorus, Prelude and Romp for the Medalist Concert Band, and Praise, for organ and steel drum.

A longtime presence on the Minnesota music scene, Barnett is a charter member of the American Composers Forum and a graduate of the University of Minnesota, where she studied composition with Dominick Argento and Paul Fetler.  She was composer-in-residence with the Dale Warland Singers from 1992 to 2001, and currently teaches at Augsburg College in Minneapolis.