Saturday, April 20, 2024, 4 PM, Sanctuary and Livestream
The Nassau Presbyterian Church Adult Choir and Soloists will be joined by orchestra in this innovative, Eastertide presentation of parts II & III of G.F. Handel’s beloved masterpiece, Messiah. Visual art from the global collection of the Overseas Ministries Study Center of PTS will be projected during the performance. Come hear, and see, Messiah in a new way this April! This event is free to the public and will be livestreamed on this website.
Pictures of the Nativity, hymns that have been sung for generations, and stories we know from memory all prepare us for the coming of our Lord at Christmas. This season, come learn how what we see, hear and sing combines into a rich theology of the incarnation.
Audio recordings will be posted below each class description.
November 26 & December 3 | Paul Rorem
A Pair of Classic American Hymns
“Blessed Assurance” by Fanny Crosby (1820–1915) reflects nineteenth-century American revivalism. It is personal testimony: “This is my story, this is my song.” “God of Grace and God of Glory” by Harry Emerson Fosdick (1878–1969) reflects the early twentieth-century American Social Gospel. It calls for societal transformation: “Cure your children’s warring madness; … rich in things and poor in soul.” These hymns may seem to have quite different and unrelated concerns. But they are closely linked, both historically through Walter Rauschenbusch (1861–1918) and thematically. As Fosdick said, “personal and social Christianity are … one gospel indivisible.”
Nov. 26
Dec. 3
Paul Rorem is Princeton Theological Seminary’s Benjamin B. Warfield Professor of Medieval Church History Emeritus. An ordained Lutheran minister, his courses featured medieval women, mysticism, and hymn texts as a way to engage church history. His Singing Church History: Introducing the Christian Story Through Hymn Texts will be published by Fortress Press in April 2024.
Shall we travel to Florence, Italy for the holidays? Christmas art and its theological roots in the City of Flowers and Light is an almost inexhaustible topic across many centuries. Since Florence was the birthplace of the cultural and religious movement we call the “Renaissance,” we will concentrate on that era and explore Christmas themes in the work of some well-known artists of the 14th and 15th centuries whose lives were lived in the historical shadow of the Florentine Republic: Giotto di Bondone, Tommaso Masaccio, Lorenzo Ghiberti, Fra Angelico, Hugo von der Goes, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Benozzo Gozzoli, Sandro Boticelli.
Karlfried Froehlich,a native of Saxony, Germany, moved to the United States in 1964, taught at Drew University and, from 1968 to 1992, at Princeton Theological Seminary, where he held the Benjamin B. Warfield chair in church history. Karlfried is an active member of the Lutheran Church (ELCA). His scholarly interests include the history of Christian art and the history of biblical interpretation, a field to which he has contributed significantly through his teaching and writing.
Join storyteller Maria LoBiondo for an oral rendition of “Where God Is, Love Is” (also known by the title “What Men Live By”), Russian author Leo Tolstoy’s short story in which love of God and neighbor as presented in Matthew 25:35-40 shines through the experiences of Martin the cobbler.
Maria LoBiondobelieves that a story is a heart-to-heart gift shared between teller and listener. She began practicing the oral tradition of storytelling when expecting her second child; her daughter is now 29 years old. In that time, she has shared stories at Princeton’s Littlebrook School and the Princeton Montessori School, at the Catholic Community of St. Charles Borromeo in Montgomery Township, at the Princeton Public Library, and at the New Jersey Storytelling Festival, among other venues. A former reporter and editor for The Princeton Packet, she recently retired from the staff of Princeton University’s Office of Advancement Communications.
In 2020 Jason Oosting, former member of Nassau Church, recorded this four-part adult education series for us. We are pleased to bring it to your attention again this year.
Saturday, January 13, 2024 | 5:00 pm in the Sanctuary
We are so pleased to welcome back Dan + Claudia Zanes this January! All ages are welcome to share in this interactive, community concert.
In lieu of tickets, we ask that each attendee please bring one of the food items listed below in support of Arm In Arm’s Valentines for Food Drive. We hope to fill the pews and pack the pantry!
About this Concert:
Grammy Award-winner Dan Zanes, and Haitian American jazz vocalist Claudia Zanes, perform a mix of old and new songs from near and far in a style that’s been called “All-Ages Social Music.” In other words, when they perform, it’s a party! The music is homespun, joyful, sophisticated and artful. Claudia is a board-certified Music Therapist. Her background has given the pair additional ways to make meaningful community connections and reach a diverse audience.
Shopping List:
Canned low-fructose fruit
Canned low-sodium vegetables
Canned tuna, salmon, chicken, or chili
Canned beans or 1 lb. bag of dried beans
No glass containers, please. Be sure to check expiration dates. Monetary donations to Arm in Arm will also be accepted.
We are excited about the coming program year at Nassau Presbyterian Church. This post contains registration and program information for the upcoming year.
REGISTRATION
We ask you to complete a new form each year to ensure we have accurate information on you and your child to ensure your child’s health and safety. If you have multiple children in your family, you will receive a separate registration email for each.
To complete your registration, please:
print the registration form that was emailed to you,
make changes/additions using the fields on page two,
with or without changes, please sign and date page one of the form, and
return these two pages to the church office as soon as possible – by Tuesday, September 5 or earlier – to make sure your child’s name appears correctly on our attendance lists.
If you are new to our church – Welcome! – or have an additional child to register, blank forms are available here and in the literature rack outside the church office:
Westminster Conservatory at Nassau presents flutist John Lane and pianist Kathy Shanklin performing music by Gabriel Fauré and Joaquín Rodrigo. This final recital of the season is open to the public free of charge.
Audio recordings will be posted below each class description.
May 7
Jesus and the Wild Beasts: Incarnation and the Natural World
Church and world today face a monumental ecological crisis. Is the witness of Scripture ecologically unfriendly as some of its critics charge? Does the incarnation of God’s Word in Jesus Christ have significance for the natural world as well as for humanity?
(appologies: the recording begins about 10 minutes in to the presentation)
Dan Migliore holds a B.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Princeton University. An ordained Presbyterian minister, , the 4th edition of his Introduction to Christian Theology, Faith Seeking Understanding, was published in April of this year.
Does God control the world? Do we have freedom? How is eternity related to time? In this session we’ll map the history of theological dilemma and answers. And we’ll pose one solution that might just rule them all.
Mark Edwards
Mark Edwards, author of Christ is Time: The Gospel according to Karl Barth (and the Red Hot Chili Peppers) is an adjunct professor at Princeton Theological Seminary and The College of New Jersey; a Lecturer in the Department of Religion at Princeton University; and Director of Youth Ministry at Nassau Presbyterian Church. He has a PhD in philosophy and theology from Princeton Theological Seminary.
Art of Faithfulness:
Reflection on a year with our artists
Our 2022 – 2023 program year provided multiple opportunities to engage with art and faith in new ways. Come and hear about the evolution of the Art of Faithfulness at Nassau and engage with our panel of artists as they reflect on the year, providing perspectives of their work at the intersection of art and faith. We hope this discussion will intrigue and energize you to engage with the Art of Faithfulness offerings for 2023 -24, sneak previews will be provided!
Annalise Hume is a dancer who spends her time teaching, facilitating movement workshops, and offering Spiritual Direction to others with the hope of helping individuals and groups take steps towards wholeness and flourishing. She holds a BFA in Dance from Univ. of Minnesota and MDiv and MA from Princeton Theological Seminary. Her work brings together faith and movement as she invites participants to live out their own faith and purpose.
Roz Anderson Flood serves as a deacon and sings in the Adult Choir; she is a member of the Worship and Arts Committee and is a ruling elder, not currently on the Session. Roz led Poetic Pathways, a small group to explore poetry and how it speaks to faith. This year her group focused on the Creation Story as a foundation. In addition to her other gifts that she brings to Nassau, she is herself a poet.
Carmelle Beaugelin is a Haitian-American visual artist based in Princeton, NJ. Her creative focus includes paintings inspired by Afro-Latin Caribbean art styles and Christian spirituality. She is the Founder and Lead Curating Artist at BeauFolio Studio. Carmelle received her Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary.
Ned Walthall is a photographer based in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. He received his MFA from the Institute of Art and Design at New England College (formerly the New Hampshire Institute of Art). His work has been shown in galleries throughout the United States and abroad. Ned has led Sacred Art of Photography in our Small Group series since 2015. His group focuses on the intersection of photography and faith, encouraging participants to deepen their faith by exploring the world through their own photography and reflecting on the works presented by others during small group sessions.
Kim Kleasen is a musician and creative spirit. A long-time member of the Adult Choir and flautist, she sees the creativity each of us possesses as a pathway to deepening faith and purpose. She holds a Bachelor of Music from Michigan State and an MBA and Ed.D. in Organizational Studies. During the pandemic she completed a course of study in spiritual direction at General Theological Seminary where she focused on the arts as a pathway to faithfulness, leading several small groups since 2021. Her study launched the Art of Faithfulness at Nassau, where she is one of its leaders.
Conservatory Recital on April 20 Features
Piano Music by African American Composers
On Thursday, April 20 at 12:15 p.m. Westminster Conservatory at Nassau will present faculty pianist Clipper Erickson in a recital of music by African-American composers. The recital will take place in the Niles Chapel and is open to the public free of charge; masking is optional.
The program on April 20 comprises Nathaniel Dett’s suite In the Bottoms and the Sonata in E Minor by Florence Price.
Westminster Conservatory at Nassau will present the final recital of the season on May 18, featuring flutist John Lane with Kathy Shanklin, piano.
Westminster Conservatory Noontime Recitals
Present Music for Oboe, Horn, and Piano on March 16
On Thursday, March 16 at 12:00 p.m. Westminster Conservatory at Nassau will present a recital performed by Conservatory faculty members Melissa Bohl, oboe; Craig Levesque, horn; and Phyllis Lehrer, piano. Atypically, the recital will take place in the church sanctuary and will begin at noon, fifteen minutes earlier than the regular time. The recital is open to the public free of charge; masking is optional.
The program on March 16 comprises Incantation and Dance for oboe and piano by William Grant Still, the Trio, opus 88 by Carl Reinecke, and a new work by Dr. Levesque.
Westminster Conservatory at Nassau recitals will continue on April 20 with a recital for solo piano by Clipper Erickson.
Westminster Conservatory Noontime Recitals
Present Music for Solo Piano on February 16
On Thursday, February 16 at 12:15 p.m. Westminster Conservatory at Nassau will present Erik Allesee in a recital of music for solo piano. A member of the Westminster Conservatory piano faculty, Mr. Allesee will perform in the Niles Chapel. The recital is open to the public free of charge; masking is optional.
The program on February 16 comprises two sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti; an arrangement of “My Favorite Things” by Stephen Hough; “The Lark,” a song by Balakirev transcribed for piano by Glinka; Franz Liszt’s Concert Etude no. 2 “Gnomenreigen;” Chopin’s Nocturne in D-flat, op. 27, no. 2; and Rondo Capriccioso in A minor, opus 28 by Felix Mendelssohn.
Westminster Conservatory at Nassau recitals will continue on March 16 with a recital by Melissa Bohl, oboe; Craig Levesque, horn; and Phyllis Lehrer, piano. In a slight departure from the regular schedule this recital will begin at 12:00 noon and will take place in the sanctuary of Nassau Presbyterian Church.
Westminster Conservatory Noontime Recitals
Resume on January 19
with Solo and Four-Hand Piano Music
On Thursday, January 19 at 12:15 p.m. Westminster Conservatory at Nassau will resume with a recital of music for solo piano and piano four hands. Westminster Conservatory faculty members Galina Prilutskaya and Inessa Gleyzerova Shindel will perform music of Robert Schumann and others in the Niles Chapel. The recital is open to the public free of charge; masking is optional.
The program on January 19 comprises movements from Schumann’s opus 85 collection of piano duets for “small and large children” (kleine and grosse Kinder), movements from Schumann’s opus 21 Novelletten for solo piano, and two four-hand arrangements based on music from Ireland; Fantasy on “The Last Rose of Summer” by Greg Anderson and Percy Grainger’s setting of Irish Tune from County Derry.
Westminster Conservatory at Nassau recitals will continue on February 16 with a solo recital by pianist Eric Allesee.
