Set amidst the architectural beauty of an historic church, an acclaimed ensemble will delight guests for an evening of classical music.
The Manhattan Contemporary Chamber Ensemble will perform at Saint Nicholas of Tolentine Church (1409 Pacific Ave., Atlantic City) on March 16 at 7 p.m., and will offer a selection of works by Bach, Hoffmeister and Matiegka.
The Ensemble was founded in New York City in 1987 by Richard Auldon Clark, a violist, violist, conductor and composer. With dozens of albums including mostly American and new music, the Ensemble has performed around the world in the past three decades. He will be accompanied by flute and classical guitar for this special evening.
“For this performance, listeners will experience traditional Baroque and Classical repertoire with a few folk and spiritual settings included,” said Clark. “We love to tailor the program to the space we are performing – and this glorious church is the ideal acoustic for the chosen program.”
Clark and the Ensemble have been featured by National Public Radio and on television, as well, and were the focus of a recent TV production highlighting their modern approach to music.
“Though we are a new music ensemble, we play composers from the last four centuries and always play a wide variety of music,” he said. “We are also featured every summer at the Finger Lakes Chamber Music Festival and have performed both nationally and internationally.”
This March performance will take place inside of a church that has its own compelling story to tell. Constructed in the style of the Romanesque Revival, Saint Nicholas of Tolentine Church has 120-foot towers and traces its roots to 1902. Inside of the worship space, visitors can marvel at the church’s five altars, 18 murals, 52 symbols associated with the Passion and Death of Christ, and some 142 stained-glass windows that were hand-crafted in Germany and Philadelphia, not to mention an impressive pipe organ in the choir loft.
The performance is being presented by the Parish of Saint Monica, and tickets range from $30 to $50. Proceeds will benefit the Saint Nicholas Restoration Fund to support ongoing efforts to restore the church.
“The rare opportunity to hear the Serenade by Wenzeslas Matiegka – known as the Beethoven of the Guitar – will be quite a treat,” Clark said. “This is a gorgeous and accessible concert for every generation of audience and a warm and inviting atmosphere to enjoy the great art of live performance.”
To learn more and purchase tickets, visit https://parish-of-st-monica.ticketleap.com/manhattan-contemporary-chamber-ensemble/.
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