NEWBURYPORT – Organist Nicole Keller will perform Sunday at 4 p.m. at the First Religious Society, Unitarian Universalist Church, 26 Pleasant St.
This will be the first of four concerts in the Jean C. Wilson 2022 musical series. Due to the lingering pandemic, all three winter concerts will be broadcast live from the church sanctuary.
“You can see it exactly the same time it performs,” said John Mercer, member of the Jean C. Wilson musical series, “or for a limited time after the concert. The concerts will not be pre-recorded and edited, so it will be as close as possible to the excitement and immediacy of a live concert.
Keller specializes in eclectic programs tailored to instrument and audience with a desire to broaden the listener’s horizons, pairing familiar sounds and genres with less familiar sounds, according to a press release. She will play music by Bach, Sweelinck, Mendelssohn and others.
Keller has performed in the United States and abroad at venues such as St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York; Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris; Dom St. Stephan, Passau; Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh, Northern Ireland; and the Kazakh National University of Arts, Astana, Kazakhstan.
“Keller impressed – if not electrified – the religious society’s first director of religious music, Justin Murphy-Mancini, during a concert in August in Methuen,” said Mercer. “It will be a good demonstration of the splendid instrument of the church, built in 1834.
“This is an unusual opportunity to experience the combination of the excellent acoustics of the church, the sound of the organ and an exceptional player, even though the concert is virtual.”
The series will continue with Danny Harrington Quartet and special guest Jeff Stout on January 23; Carduus on February 13; and Del Sol Quartet, who will perform “A Dust in Time” by Huang Ruo this summer.
Since spectators will not attend in person, handing their tickets to the ushers at the gate, ticket sales and sponsorships also had to be reconfigured.
Suggested donations are $ 20 ($ 10 for seniors); children and students can attend for free. For more information on concerts, to become a sponsor or to purchase tickets, visit https://www.frsuu.org/jean-c-wilson-music-series/. Viewers will receive links to the performances and, if they wish, email reminders.
The Jean C. Wilson Musical Series is named after one of the founders of the musical series and its director for many years. Now, under the auspices of the First Religious Society Unitarian Universalist Church, the series typically offers three or four concerts each year during the winter months.
