Lenten Midday Musical Menu: Mar. 19

The next luncheon concert is Wednesday, March 19, at 12:15 p.m. with Organist John Deaver performing the Eleven Chorale Preludes, Op. 122 by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897). 

John fell in love with the music of Brahms when he performed the Rhapsody in G minor for piano in high school. The chorale preludes were written towards the end of Brahms' life when he was grieving the death of his mentor, Clara Schumann. The preludes were published posthumously in 1897. John will perform the chorale preludes in the order of the manuscript rather than in the published order. Several of the preludes were written on Lenten and Holy Week chorales—part of the reason for performing them in Lent.  [John will repeat the program at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Oxford, Ohio two days later.]

John Deaver is a founder and frequent performer on Trinity’s A Midday Musical Menu luncheon concert series.  Dr. Deaver is also Adjunct Assistant Professor of Organ at the College-Conservatory of Music of the University of Cincinnati since 2007 where he teaches the two-year organ repertoire class.  He served the Convent of the Transfiguration (Episcopal) in Glendale, Ohio as Director of Music and Organist from 1981 to 2019.  He is active in the Cincinnati Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, which he has served as Dean, and the Association of Anglican Musicians, which he has served as Secretary, Publicist, and Secretary of the Anglican Musicians Foundation.  Along with Stephan Casurella, he is co-chair of the 2025 Annual Conference of the Association of Anglican Musicians (Episcopal Church musicians from across the country), which will be held in Cincinnati June 15-19, 2025.