Margaretha Christina de Jong's IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER to Premiere at The Brick Presbyterian Church

The 2024-25 season of Worship & Arts at Brick Presbyterian Church will continue with a service of Nine Lessons & Carols, featuring the U.S. premiere of Margaretha Christina de Jong's In the Bleak Midwinter, on Sunday, December 22nd at 4:00 PM at The Brick Presbyterian Church.

The Lessons and Carols ceremony at Brick Church is modeled after the service started at Truro Cathedral in 1880 and first sung at Cambridge's King's College Chapel in 1918. By flickering candlelight, it tells the Christmas story through music, weaving together anthems sung by the choir, communal Christmas carols, and readings from Scripture. This year's repertoire includes carols by William Mathias, Elizabeth Poston, Cecilia McDowall, Sally Beamish, David Willcocks, Robert Lucas Pearsall, and John Rutter, as well as the US première by Margaretha Christina de Jong.

To RSVP for this free service, please visit this page.

ABOUT MARGARETHA CHRISTINA de JONG

Margreeth de Jong (b. 1961) studied at Rotterdam Conservatory, where she obtained the diplomas of Church Music, Teaching Musician Organ and Performing Musician Organ with the highest distinction in 1986. She then specialised with Guy Bovet in Switzerland, as well as with Marie-Louise Jaquet-Langlais at the Schola Cantorum in Paris, where she obtained the Prix de Virtuosité in 1988. In the same year, she won first prizes at international competitions in Paris and in Haarlem (César Franck competition).

In 1994, Margreeth de Jong was awarded the Silver Medal by the Société Académique "Arts-Sciences-Lettres" in Paris because of her contribution to the French organ culture. In 2012, she was appointed Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau. Margreeth de Jong has been organist of the Nieuwe Kerk in Middelburg since 2001 and city organist of Middelburg since 2014. She is also active as a composer. She has written for organ, choir, piano, organ and solo singing, organ with various instruments and for string orchestra. Her compositions have been published in the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and in the USA.

ABOUT WORSHIP & ARTS

Brick Church's concert series, Worship & Arts, welcomes all to experience the joyous, uplifting power of the performing arts. Worship & Arts offers concerts and special worship services throughout the year, featuring Brick's superb Chancel Choir, recitals on the church's magnificent Casavant organ, as well as performances by extraordinary guest artists and ensembles from New Y ork City's vibrant artistic scene. Now in its second season, the program has grown to become an important part of the Brick congregation's offerings, and a valued part of the New York City arts community. To view the entire 2024-25 season, please visit this page.

At Brick Church, we believe that music, dance, and drama can comfort, inspire, challenge, and bring us closer to the divine, showing us God's glory reflected in all beautiful things. Join us and share in the warmth, excellence, and energy of the performing arts at Brick!