St Marks Episcopal Chapel

Rachmaninoff Vespers

parishadmin — Tue, 08 May 2012 23:57:20 +0000

7:30 p.m. Friday, May 18

Rachmaninoff Vespers

The All Night Vigil

The Vernon Chorale
under the direction of Ehren Brown

7:30 p.m. Friday, May 18
St. Mark's Episcopal Chapel, Storrs
42 N. Eagleville Road

The Rachmaninoff Vespers, fifteen gorgeous choral chants based on the All Night Vigil service and written in 1915 on the cusp of the Russian Revolution, take the a cappella choir sound to its apex. Sergei Rachmaninoff infused the chants, some of them 1,000 years old, with intricate harmonies and a native fixation on the deep bass line as he required the singers to be the orchestra, divide, reunite and control their volumes precisely. The composer, not a religious man, paid tribute to the Russian Orthodox tradition by using the text from the all-night vigils that would precede feast days. His work, therefore, takes a refreshingly inventive approach to ancient chant. These hymns to a lost era were banned for 70 years in the repression of religion that followed the revolution. Rachmaninoff requested his favorite, the sixth vesper, “Rejoice, O Virgin,” be performed at his funeral.

Suggested donation: $15 adult/$10 seniors and students

NEW MUSIC DIRECTOR!!!

parishadmin — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 02:36:56 +0000

- Dr. Charles Houmard! We will welcome Dr. Houmard to St. Mark's at our 10:00 service on January 22. Dr. Houmard brings extensive experience conducting youth and adult choirs, a love of church music, and the ability (according to his current church) to make everyone from accomplished musicians to people who can't read a note sound great and enjoy doing it. Read more about him in his bio below.

Dr. Charles Houmard

Dr. Houmard is currently the Director of Music at The Pomfret School. He holds a Doctorate in Conducting from the University of Texas at Austin. He obtained the Master?s Degree from Indiana University and his A.B. from Oberlin College. Dr. Houmard has held faculty positions at Beloit College as the Director of Vocal Studies, and at Dartmouth College, where he directed the Chamber Singers and taught course in Music Theory and Music History. He is the founding Artistic Director of Cantabile Women?s Chorus of the Upper Valley and has served as Minister of Music at various churches throughout his career. He is currently completing a
Fulbright Scholar Grant in Choral Conducting to Bolivia in affiliation with the Catholic University San Pablo of Santa Cruz and APAC, Asociación Pro Arte y Cultura.

Christmas Edition of Newsletter

parishadmin — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 02:21:33 +0000

The Christmas edition of the Parish Newsletter is available
The Web Edition is a 2 megabyte PDF file. This has the full content of the printed version and the pictures are in color.

Click here to open

parishadmin — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 01:19:13 +0000

The on-line Mansfield Patch had an article about Hilary Greer, St. Mark's Priest in Charge

Click Here to Read The Article

Christmas Service Schedule

parishadmin — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 00:50:42 +0000

Wednesday, December 21

7:00 pm Service of Light

Christmas Eve Saturday December 24

4:00 PM Family Eucharist with Pageant

10:00 PM Festive Choral Eucharist

Christmas Day Sunday December 25

11:00 am Eucharist

New Year’s Day Sunday January 1

7:45 am Morning Prayer

10:00 am Morning Prayer with Music

BIO PARAGRAPH

parishadmin — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 20:53:42 +0000

Throughout her varied career, the Rev. Hilary Greer has worked with communities to cultivate a shared vision of the future and help make that vision a reality. Before entering seminary, Hilary managed national non-profits and programs that develop and fund community-based initiatives to transform local communities. Working with organizations ranging from worker-owned pizza cooperatives and micro-enterprise funds, to large-scale real estate developers and major banks, Hilary ultimately realized that authentic transformation comes from partnership with God. She left non-profit leadership to study and work full-time as an interfaith hospital chaplain. Hilary specialized in trauma chaplaincy, supporting patients and families facing life altering and terminal accidents and illnesses. After becoming a postulant for ordination in the Diocese of New York, Hilary entered seminary at the Episcopal Divinity School and found new ways to engage with God's mission for the world. She spent her summers working on projects in Rwanda focused on post-genocide reconciliation and healing, and in India studying the Dalit ("untouchable") movement and theologies of multiculturalism. Hilary also served as a transitional deacon at Grace Episcopal Church in Newton, Massachusetts – a vibrant parish in suburban Boston. She will be ordained to the priesthood at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York on September 10. Hilary is delighted to be welcomed among the open minds and open hearts of St. Mark's, a community that already loves God, cares for each other, and shares a passion for doing God's work in the world.