The program includes J.S. Bach's Lutheran Mass in G Minor, BWV235, which the composer assembled from movements of three of his cantatas; his motet Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden, BWV230, a breathtaking fugal high-wire act; and for contrast, Handel's wonderfully idolatrous Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne.

With Madeline Apple Healey, Soprano, Clifton Massey, Countertenor, Scott Mello, Tenor, and Steven Hrycelak, Bass. Saturday's performance will feature an orchestra with period instruments. On Sunday an organ will accompany the singers.

The two Bach pieces show the composer's range and recognizable style. The Mass is at once lively and sonorous. His fugues throughout feature overlapping voices with smoothly shifting harmonies, some of which foretell 20th century jazz as the strings and singers converse back and forth. The final movement is dynamic as the voices and instruments separate and recombine joy. The motet leaps across the page with soaring notes and range as the piece moves from a lively repeated theme into a comforting lullaby before ending boldly in a final Alleluia fugue that passes from voice to voice.

Handel's Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne celebrates the queen who fixed a lasting peace on earth in celebration of the end of the War of Spanish Succession. The voices are grateful to their Queen and triumphant in victory with lovely vocal suspensions placed against swiftly moving themes.

There will be a reception after each of the concerts. Please join us for snacks, drinks, and conversation.

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