Music Guild of First United Methodist Church-Pasadena in concert June 5

The Music Guild of First United Methodist Church-Pasadena (FUMCP) presents a gala concert with orchestra on Saturday, June 5 at 4:00 P.M in the Sanctuary. The program consists of four concertos by J.S. Bach, C.P.E. Bach, Ernst Bloch, and Alexander Glazunov.

Soloists are professional musicians from the congregation of FUMCP: Junko Ueno Garrett will play J.S. Bach’s Piano Concerto in D minor, cellist David Garrett will play the C.P.E. Bach Concerto for cello, pianist Cynthia Pearson will play Ernst Bloch’s Concerto Grosso #1, and Jeff Benedict will be featured in Alexander Glazunov’s Saxophone Concerto.

After the concert is a benefit dinner, the proceeds from which will support musical presentations at FUMCP. Admission to the concert is free and a free-will donation will be collected. The benefit dinner is $25 per person ($10 for children under 12). Reservations are required for dinner. For reservations or more information call 626-796-0157 or email dgarner@fumcpasadena.org.

First United Methodist Church-Pasadena, as part of its outreach to the community, boasts a strong music program. This concert features four musician-members of FUMCP. Cynthia Pearson is a faculty member at Pasadena City College, Junko Ueno Garrett is on the faculty at Occidental College, David Garrett is a cellist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Jeff Benedict is a faculty member at Cal State-L.A. and Biola University.

J.S. Bach’s Concerto in D minor was originally written for harpsichord, but is equally effective when played on piano. This concerto is the most popular and often played of Bach’s seven keyboard concertos. C.P.E. Bach was the most successful musical son of J.S. Bach. His cello concerto features spritely, cheerful outer movements sandwiching a touching, pathos-filled slow movement. Glazunov, writing in the 1930s, uses the relative new comer among instruments in the classical music world, the alto saxophone, in a conservative, romantic way. Bloch looks even more to the past in his Concerto Grosso No. 1, writing an effective modern piece using the forms and techniques from the time of J.S. Bach.

For more information on this performance please contact Junko Ueno Garrett, Music Guild Media Liaison at 818-951-0133 or junko@oxy.edu.