All Saints’ Episcopal Church
Culture Close to Home
Concert Series
The Culture Close to Home concert series is a seasonal public music series open to ensembles, professional artists, and performance students that features a wide range of musical styles and genres in November and March concerts, with a special concert featuring organ in May. Our concert space features an Allen-Faucher Digital/Pipe Combination Organ, Opus 50, a 1968 Steinway Model B grand piano, seating for 225 guests, and livestreaming. We welcome all concertgoers and interested artists for intimate afternoons of musical exchange and post-concert receptions!
PAST CONCERTS
HISTORY
The CCtH music series began in 2017 as a result of a $5,000 donation to highlight and utilize the new Allen-Faucher Digital Pipe Combination Organ and to make use of the sanctuary space to celebrate music in our community. The voluneer founders planned to offer three concerts per season, with the May concert being performed on the organ, which was originally dedicated in May.
CCtH founding members include Jane Sullivan (co-chair), Elaine Cunningham (co-chair), Mark Collins (ex officio), Gary Grimes (ex officio), Eileen Murphy, Eric Blomstrom, Joe Nassar.
PRESENT
The CCtH music series continues vibrantly today with its current volunteer group of All Saints’ committee members who passionately offer their time, talent, and treasure to run the series each season. The concert series now has an established local audience following and has attracted many talented professional artist in the Tri-state region over the years. Our festive post-concert receptions have become well known as well!
Current CCtH committee members include Stephanie Leotsakos (co-chair), Laurie Geiger (co-chair), Mark Collins (ex officio), Gary Grimes (ex officio), Vivian Chan, Kurt Reiman, Michael Anderson.
WANT TO GET INVOLVED?
WATCH OUR MINISTRY SPOTLIGHT:
For Artists
Our seasonal concerts typically offer audiences a 90-minute program on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon around 3 PM in November, March, and May. We traditionally ask that guest artists prepare 70 to 75-minutes of music, allowing for a 10-15 minute intermission.
The music series offers our guest artists:
Instruments & Music Stands: We maintain a 1968 Steinway Model B grand piano and an Allen-Faucher Digital/Pipe Combination Organ, Opus 50 for music ministry and performing artist use. We have four in-house music stands.
Great acoustics: Our venue has an attractive, live acoustic space with high wooden ceilings and carpeting that carries sound with ease but without great reverberance. Past artists have told us they love performing in our space!
Seating: Our venue seats around 225 people and offers wheelchair accessible seating.
Facilities: Performing artists have the option of using the sanctuary space or the floor space in front of the sanctuary as their ‘stage’, with the removal of a few front pews. The hallway space through ‘stage right/left’ doors behind the sanctuary is reserved as a “backstage” area for guest artists. Additionally, artists may use either seating areas in the ‘wings’ adjacent to the stage area for seating between numbers. Our concerts usually feel intimate and comfortable for all.
Accessibility & Parking: Our church is fully wheelchair accessible, and is equipped with an accessible bathroom and elevator. Free parking is available in our small parking lot as well as on surrounding local streets.
Live-streaming and archival footage: All concerts are publicly live-streamed on our YouTube and Facebook channels by our volunteer Audio/Video (A./V.) committee with two camera installations and house microphones. The livestreams remain archived online for future sharing.
Publicity & Programming: The concert committee prepares publicity materials for upcoming concerts including flyers, email announcements, and social media advertising on both Culture Close to Home and All Saints’ Episcopal Church Instagram channels and Facebook pages. The committee also prepares and prints concert programs in-house.
Rehearsal time & Set Up: If requested in advance, we can usually arrange rehearsal time in the space the day prior to the concert or between 1:15 - 2:30 PM on concert day (for a 3 PM concert start time). Church volunteers help arrange the concert space, such as the removing of front pews, etc. also by communication in advance. Just let us know what you need!
Payment: The CCtH music series offers our performing artists an honorarium negotiated during the contracting process. We are not able to include extra funding for travel and lodging outside of the mutually agreed honorarium amount for the programmed performance.
Reception: Our post-concert receptions are bountiful and have become somewhat of a local legend. They offer audience members and our guest artists the opportunity to mingle. We love hosting performing artists that enjoy staying for the after-party!
Nearby transportation: Our church is just a few minutes walk from the Glen Rock train station, and NJ Transit bus stations are nearby.
Let’s create music together.
Are you an artist or ensemble interested in programming a concert in a future season?
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