With the close last week of its 2023-2024 concert season, the Fredericksburg Music Club (FMC) has finalized its schedule of eight programs for next year, Mark Eckhardt, FMC president, has announced.
Monthly performances for the musical listening pleasure of Texas Hill Country residents, which run from September 2024 through May 2025, will range from classical piano and string music to more contemporary vocal and brass performances.
Normally set to begin at 3 p.m. on the third Sunday of each month in the sanctuary of Fredericksburg United Methodist Church, 1800 North Llano, the 2024-2025 season’s programs will feature:
Clayton Stephenson, Classical Pianist – An American musician, Stephenson was the first Black finalist at the 2022 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. He was also named a 2022 Gilmore Young Artist as well as a 2017 U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts and Young Scholar of the Lang Lang International Music Foundation. Stephenson will appear by arrangement with the Cliburn.
TAKE3, Strings and Keyboard – With a flair for the “wild and unexpected,” Take3 offers a rigorous classical music background and infuses it with rock-star charisma. The trio’s repertoire has expanded from classical Bach and Beethoven to Bieber and The Beach Boys, while its members are also committed to outreach programs for children of all ages.
Rob Landes, Pianist – From Houston where he is the organist and artist-in-residence for St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, Rob Landes has played with psychedelic rockers and taught at TUT’s Humphrey’s School of Musical Theater, while his long-running jazz trio has entertained the city’s high society circuit for years.
Nathaniel Mayfield, Trumpet – An international baroque trumpet soloist, Nathaniel Mayfield of Austin has presented master classes at such institutions as The Julliard School and the Eastman School of music. He performs regularly with the Austin Symphony, Austin Lyric Opera and the Austin Chorus.
Sabrina Adrian, Organist – With four degrees in music, including a D.M.A from the University of Texas, Sabrina Adrian has played organs throughout Europe, including St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican in Rome, St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Christ Church in Dublin, St. Michael’s Church in Budapest and the Marienkirche in Berlin. She is the organist at First Presbyterian Church in Kerrville where she also teaches 27 piano students.
Albert and Gage, Singer-Songwriters – The folk rock and soulful musical journey of Chris Gage and Christine Albert has taken the Austin duo through various genres from country to folk and blues to French chansons during their performances that include regular evening appearances at numerous Austin venues.
Alias Brass – Founded in 2013, Alias Brass is a collaboration of five artists and educators from across the U.S., whose performances are comprised of standards and original compositions along with concepts that blend virtuosic musicianship with entertainment ranging from baroque and classical to jazz and pop.
The Moanin’ Frogs –This group, which features all six saxophones from soprano to bass, is unique to today’s music landscape in offering “an electrifying approach” to chamber music. Conservatory trained and entertainment minded, The Moanin’ Frogs' repertoire ranges from classical to ragtime, jazz and pop.
Attendance at FMC concerts is free of charge, thanks to grants as well as private and corporate donations received through the mail or at the door of each performance. The Fredericksburg Music Club’s goals since the non-profit organization was founded in 1937 have been to provide the area with quality musical programs, to support music education and to make a gift of music available to everyone.
More information – including lists of the concert schedule for the 2024-2025 season, past performers since 2005, board members and assistance on club members, patronage and donating online – is available on the FMC’s website (fredericksburgmusicclub.com).