4th annual Music at St. Mark’s concert series features bagpipes, jazz, and more
Press Release:
The fourth annual “Music at St. Mark’s” concert series begins on Thursday, February 20, at 7 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 1 East Main St. in Le Roy. All concerts are free to attend, as the project is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrant Program administered by GO ART! (Genesee Orleans Regional Arts Council).
On Thursday, February 20, the series opens with The Rochester Bagpiper. Jake Kwiatkowski is a professional piper who will present an evening of performance, education, interaction - and some humor - that explains just how unique bagpipes are in the world of music. He'll cover things like how bagpipes work, the origins of the instrument, stories about the tunes being played, and a wide variety of modern and traditional bagpipe music.
On Thursday, March 20, Laura Dubin and Antonio Guerrero present an evening of jazz. Laura Dubin, a virtuoso pianist as well as a composer and arranger, and her husband and percussionist Antonio Guerrero, will play a repetoire of Dubin’s creative pieces that combine works of classical greats and popular contemporary pieces with elements of jazz. The duo play an astonishing number of concerts each year and have produced 11 albums of their music, including the latest recorded in Vienna, Austria in 2024.
On Thursday, April 24, the Genesee Valley Recorder Ensemble performs music of the Renaissance and Baroque periods along with some contemporary compositions. Their instruments include recorders of all sizes, from the small sopranino to the very large Great Bass. The group also includes harpsichord, gamba (an early bowed string instrument), and various percussion instruments. The eight members of the group are from the northern Genesee Valley region, and all have had formal music training and enjoy playing music on period instruments. Several of the members also play with the Rochester chapter of the American Recorder Society.
On Thursday, May 15, the Batavia Swing Band is back by popular demand. This is a full 17-piece band that has been playing music in Genesee County and the surrounding areas for over 40 years. Members range from music educators, professional musicians, and advanced amateurs who love to play; a few high schoolers join the group occasionally. They play standard jazz/swing classics like “In The Mood” and “Moonlight Serenade” to more modern songs from Frankie Valli, Disney, and Michael Bublé. Membership may have changed over the years, but the one thing that keeps the band going, is that they all love to play and make music together.
For more information, call the church office at 768-7200 or visit stmarksleroy.org/upcoming-events.
Submitted photos.
