St. Richard’s Celebrates 60th Anniversary With ‘A Concert of Sacred Jazz’October 21, 2016 • St. Richard's  • EVENTS

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Sunday, October 23, 4 p.m.
St. Richard’s
5151  Lake  Howell  RD.
Winter  Park  FL 32792

“A Concert of Sacred Jazz” closes the 60th Anniversary Celebration of the founding of St. Richard’s Episcopal Church, 5151 Lake Howell Road, Winter Park, Florida, on Sunday, October 23, at 4 p.m.

In 1956, at the encouragement of Diocesan Bishop the Rt. Rev. Henry Louttit, St. Richard’s was established as a parochial mission of All Saints’ Episcopal Church, Winter Park, then under the rectorship of the Rev. Paul Reeves. From its humble beginnings of 39 worshipers to its present-day membership of almost 300, St. Richard’s is described by its current rector, the Rev. Alison P. Harrity, as “a church on a mission to discover God’s grace, change our lives, and change the world. We do that through our outreach programs that include Family Promise homeless hospitality, feeding at the Sanford Civic Center, and other regional feeding ministries as well as partnership with Kindoa, Tanzania.”

Internationally renowned conductor/composer and St. Richard’s Director of Music, Dr. Carl MaultsBy, will lead the 60-voice 60th Anniversary Choir comprised of the Valencia Singers of Valencia College and the Cathedral Singers of Cathedral Church of St. Luke as well as the St. Richard’s Schola. The choir will be accompanied by a jazz quintet with University of Central Florida Director of Jazz Studies Jeff Rupert on saxophone; Richard Drexler, piano; Ben Kramer, double bass; Ernest “Pete” Boyd, drums; and former Ellington Orchestra member Marty Morell, percussion.

The program includes movements from Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concerts (“Come Sunday,” “In the Beginning God,” “TGTT”), Baikida Carroll’s “He Will Never Let You Down,” and MaultsBy’s “Elijah Rock.” The featured work is MaultsBy’s “Praise: A Sacred Jazz Te Deum,” which was originally commissioned by the Bucks County Choral Society and given its world premiere at Philadelphia Cathedral.

According to MaultsBy, a 2003-2009 member of The Episcopal Church Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music as well as the former choral director for Harry Belafonte World Tours, “In the Episcopal Church tradition, the Te Deum, an ancient hymn of praise, is sung on the occasion of the anniversary of a church. So as St. Richard’s reaches this 60-year milestone, a performance of the Te Deum in the sacred jazz style is a symbolic gesture in keeping with the church’s vision of looking to the future by serving the present needs of people both locally and globally.”

Concert tickets purchased at the door, $20. Call (407) 671-4211 for information and ticket reservations (seating is limited). Learn more about St. Richard’s at www.strichards.org.