Music Updates, Spring 2024

“MUSIC IN A GREAT SPACE” SERIES

First Presbyterian Church in Goshen is pleased with the success of its ongoing organ recital series.

After a hiatus, the programs are back, but in an “organ-plus” format for now!

Please come on Tuesdays at 12:15 for half an hour of delightful and varied music.

As soon as Jonathan regains full mobility, the glories of the pipe organ will be on full display again!  Meanwhile, there is plenty of fascinating organ music that doesn’t use pedals; there is piano music; and there are visiting artists!

Programs are planned for every Tuesday.  Exceptions would only involve major holidays like Christmas and New Year’s Day, weather issues, or if the organist is sick!  Every effort will be made to announce a cancellation in a timely manner.  They are FREE, there is ample parking, and the Sanctuary is accessible if you enter at the side “Office” entrance, or call ahead for assistance.

The artist for the series is Jonathan B. Hall, who oversees the music ministries of the congregation.  An experienced recitalist, he has performed throughout the United States and abroad, and possesses a comprehensive knowledge of, and appreciation for, organ literature.

Come and enjoy!

Easter Season

Lent is forty days long, but Easter is fifty!  The joyful season lasts till Pentecost, which is Sunday, May 19 this year.  (It’s always on a Sunday, and its date depends on the date of Easter.)  Meanwhile, Thursday May 9 is Ascension Thursday, which is often observed on the nearest Sunday.

Choir and Handbells

Handbells are currently working on Pentecost music.  Sanctuary, 6:30.  Come ahead and join us!

Choir meets Thursdays at 7:30 in parlor or sanctuary…follow the signs .

If you’d like to join, let Jonathan know.  You’re welcome to drop in for a rehearsal to “check it out.”

About Music at First Presbyterian

The First Presbyterian Church in Goshen, New York has a long tradition of musical excellence.  The roots of this ministry go to the church’s founding in 1720.  From its severe Calvinist origins, with the practice of unaccompanied psalm singing, the church has developed into a home for the arts and sacred music.

Since 2016, this ministry has been led by Jonathan B. Hall, who came to live in Orange County that year. From March 2020 to November 2021 he also served as producer of the church’s online worship services.  His family history includes a long line of Presbyterians, including clergy.

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Dr. Hall is a native of New York City, and studied organ and sacred music in Chicago and at Indiana University.  He is also a seminary graduate with a strong foundation in theology and liturgy. His teachers have included some of the best sacred musicians in America.  He brings an unusual breadth of education and experience to the job, not only with his religious training but also with advanced degrees in literature and music.  He is experienced with the music, and the worship ethos, of several Protestant denominations as well as Catholic and Reform Jewish traditions.

A keyboardist (organ, harpsichord, and piano), choral conductor, theory teacher, lyric baritone, recorder player, and occasional composer, Hall is both a Fellow and a Choir Master of the American Guild of Organists; he is a member of the Central Hudson Valley Chapter and has previously chaired the national Committee on Professional Certification. He is a Fellow of Trinity College London and a member of ASCAP and of Pi Kappa Lambda.