From the music director: Experiencing Holy Week through music

There are so many wonderful events on the horizon and despite the challenges that creating them will bring, I'm genuinely excited to share what the Music Ministry at Saint James' has to offer in the coming months.

Ash Wednesday (March 5) marks the beginning of Lent, where we will for a short time observe the darkness in ourselves to fully understand what it means to stumble towards the light. The music will reflect the beauty of this struggle, and the choir and bells have been working hard to bring it to life.

On Good Friday (April 18), the Saint James' Choir will share the eternally powerful “Requiem in D Minor,” K. 626 by Wolgang Amadeus Mozart. This monumental work creates unique musical challenges for all of the musicians involved, and the output is one of the most glorious pieces of music to experience. In Saint James' intimate setting, this will truly be a once in a lifetime offering of a uniquely profound Mass for the Dead.

Holy Week will be full of unique moments. The Saint James’ Episcopal School Choir will join us outside on Palm Sunday (April 13) before we march with palm leaves into the church to “All Glory Laud and Honor” (Hymn Tune: St. Theodolph). Holy Week at Saint James' is a unifying experience for all members, and I truly hope that those involved might be moved by the foundational story that shapes our most important beliefs. On Easter Sunday (April 20), the choir will employ a short Haydn Mass that will shine a light into our service and community.

I will share my graduate recital repertoire in concert at Saint James' sometime in April. My graduate recital at Peabody will occur at 7 p.m. on May 9 at Christ Lutheran Inner Harbor in Baltimore. The program will include works by Buxtehude, Bach, Brahms, Vierne, Petr Eben and the American composer/organist John Knowles Paine. I am so grateful for the support I've received from Saint James' as I continue to study the organ in service with you. I apologize for the wrong notes and for the times I get too excited!

And finally, after a thrilling Easter Season and Pentecost, we will all enjoy a fun, restful, and “ordinary” summer. If you've read all of this, I want to thank you earnestly. If you're involved in the Music Ministry at Saint James' in any way or contribute to its success directly or indirectly, please know how grateful I am. I hope you know that our relationships will have a profound impact on my life and journey, and that I am extremely grateful for all of you. Saint James' is truly a wonderful church and I am so grateful to be here!

Robert Baird

Director of Music

music@saintjameswarrenton.org