From Trenton to Titusville: March 9 Concert at Titusville Presbyterian to Mark Rededication of 1883 Steinway Once Housed in Trenton’s Bethany Presbyterian
Pianist Alexander Cap to present concert of Bach, Beethoven, Chopin and Gershwin to mark rededication of 1883 Steinway & Son's New York Grand Model B piano that is now at home in the First Presbyterian Church of Titusville.
Titusville, NJ, February 08, 2013 --(PR.com)-- The First Presbyterian Church of Titusville will host pianist Alexander Cap on March 9 at 6 p.m. for a free concert that will include works by Bach, Beethoven and Gershwin. The concert, part of the church’s 175th Anniversary Celebrations, will mark the rededication of a Steinway & Sons 1883 New York Grand Model B piano that until late last year had been housed in Trenton’s now-closed Bethany Presbyterian Church.
“All of us who are part of a church in the Presbytery of New Brunswick were very sad when Bethany closed its doors in 2011,” said the Rev. Will Shurley, pastor of Titusville Presbyterian. “But, we at Titusville are profoundly grateful to the presbytery’s Urban Mission Cabinet, the stewards of Bethany’s real property, for giving us the gift of this piano, especially in our 175th year. We cannot wait for Alex to come back, to make it sing again, and, in a way, give thanks to God for Bethany’s continued legacy.”
The concert’s program will include Chopin’s “Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72, No. 1,” Beethoven’s “Sonata No. 7 in D Major, Op. 10, No. 3,” Bach’s “Prelude and Fugue in C-sharp Major” and “Prelude and Fugue in C-sharp Minor,” and a piano solo setting of Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” as well as the singing of “This Is the Day the Lord Has Made,” a hymn written and composed by former Titusville Presbyterian pastoral intern and Presbyterian pastor Andrew Long in celebration of the church’s 175th anniversary.
“After the Rev. Alice Bijjani, Bethany’s pastor at the time, passed away in 2010, significant questions about Bethany’s ongoing ministry arose. The church only had approximately 50 members, but hosted numerous English as a Second Language classes, Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous chapters, and a food pantry, all of which involved much love and work from Alice,” said the Rev. Dr. Nina Reeder, pastor of the Lawrence Road Presbyterian Church and co-moderator of the Urban Mission Cabinet. “In Alice’s absence, at the invitation of Bethany’s session, or governing body, members from Titusville helped lead, along with other good Presbyterians, an effort to host a Christmas Day dinner for the community so that those who had depended on the disrupted food pantry would at least have a place for a warm meal and fellowship on Christmas. It made sense to us, as we were thinking about what to do with this piano, to give it to Titusville to care for and to continue to use for worship, instead of seeing it sold or dismantled.”
Cap, who served as Titusville Presbyterian’s organist from August 2009 until May 2011, will be returning to Titusville for his second recital. He received his bachelor’s degree in music from The College of New Jersey in 2011, and has gone on to teach, perform and compose music. Originally from Succasunna, N.J., he debuted at Carnegie Hall in 2010 as part of Tim Janis’s “Celebrate America” concert series. He has participated in summer music festivals in Prague, Washington and Brevard, N.C., where he studied with renown pianists such as Eugene and Elisabeth Pridonoff, Nelita True, Ivo Kaltchev and Robert Roux. In the 2012 Philly Game Jam, Cap composed the music for puzzle-platformer video game Kairos, for which the team won the “Most Innovative” and “Judges’ Choice” awards against nine other teams. During his studies at TCNJ, Cap accompanied the College Choir and Women’s Ensemble and performed as part of the Concert Band, orchestra and chorale ensembles.
The March 9 concert is free and open to the public and will be followed by a reception. Limited parking is available at the church; there is more parking at the Titusville Academy, located at 86 River Drive. More information can be found by visiting titusvillechurch.org or calling (609) 737-1385.
The First Presbyterian Church of Titusville, founded in 1838 and celebrating 175 years of loving God and neighbor along the Delaware River in 2013, is located at 48 River Drive in Titusville, one mile north of the Washington Crossing Bridge and six miles south of Lambertville. Sunday worship services are at 11 a.m., and the building is fully accessible.
Note to Editors: Photography of Alexander Cap and the 1883 Steinway are available by calling (609) 737-1385 or (609) 751-3034.
“All of us who are part of a church in the Presbytery of New Brunswick were very sad when Bethany closed its doors in 2011,” said the Rev. Will Shurley, pastor of Titusville Presbyterian. “But, we at Titusville are profoundly grateful to the presbytery’s Urban Mission Cabinet, the stewards of Bethany’s real property, for giving us the gift of this piano, especially in our 175th year. We cannot wait for Alex to come back, to make it sing again, and, in a way, give thanks to God for Bethany’s continued legacy.”
The concert’s program will include Chopin’s “Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72, No. 1,” Beethoven’s “Sonata No. 7 in D Major, Op. 10, No. 3,” Bach’s “Prelude and Fugue in C-sharp Major” and “Prelude and Fugue in C-sharp Minor,” and a piano solo setting of Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” as well as the singing of “This Is the Day the Lord Has Made,” a hymn written and composed by former Titusville Presbyterian pastoral intern and Presbyterian pastor Andrew Long in celebration of the church’s 175th anniversary.
“After the Rev. Alice Bijjani, Bethany’s pastor at the time, passed away in 2010, significant questions about Bethany’s ongoing ministry arose. The church only had approximately 50 members, but hosted numerous English as a Second Language classes, Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous chapters, and a food pantry, all of which involved much love and work from Alice,” said the Rev. Dr. Nina Reeder, pastor of the Lawrence Road Presbyterian Church and co-moderator of the Urban Mission Cabinet. “In Alice’s absence, at the invitation of Bethany’s session, or governing body, members from Titusville helped lead, along with other good Presbyterians, an effort to host a Christmas Day dinner for the community so that those who had depended on the disrupted food pantry would at least have a place for a warm meal and fellowship on Christmas. It made sense to us, as we were thinking about what to do with this piano, to give it to Titusville to care for and to continue to use for worship, instead of seeing it sold or dismantled.”
Cap, who served as Titusville Presbyterian’s organist from August 2009 until May 2011, will be returning to Titusville for his second recital. He received his bachelor’s degree in music from The College of New Jersey in 2011, and has gone on to teach, perform and compose music. Originally from Succasunna, N.J., he debuted at Carnegie Hall in 2010 as part of Tim Janis’s “Celebrate America” concert series. He has participated in summer music festivals in Prague, Washington and Brevard, N.C., where he studied with renown pianists such as Eugene and Elisabeth Pridonoff, Nelita True, Ivo Kaltchev and Robert Roux. In the 2012 Philly Game Jam, Cap composed the music for puzzle-platformer video game Kairos, for which the team won the “Most Innovative” and “Judges’ Choice” awards against nine other teams. During his studies at TCNJ, Cap accompanied the College Choir and Women’s Ensemble and performed as part of the Concert Band, orchestra and chorale ensembles.
The March 9 concert is free and open to the public and will be followed by a reception. Limited parking is available at the church; there is more parking at the Titusville Academy, located at 86 River Drive. More information can be found by visiting titusvillechurch.org or calling (609) 737-1385.
The First Presbyterian Church of Titusville, founded in 1838 and celebrating 175 years of loving God and neighbor along the Delaware River in 2013, is located at 48 River Drive in Titusville, one mile north of the Washington Crossing Bridge and six miles south of Lambertville. Sunday worship services are at 11 a.m., and the building is fully accessible.
Note to Editors: Photography of Alexander Cap and the 1883 Steinway are available by calling (609) 737-1385 or (609) 751-3034.
Contact
First Presbyterian Church of Titusville
Will Shurley
609-737-1385
www.titusvillechurch.org
Will Shurley
609-737-1385
www.titusvillechurch.org
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