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Previous Seasons


2008-2009 Season

NOEL NOEL!


Traditional winter songs, Advent classics including 'Lo how a rose', French Noëls, rollicking medieval English carols, a stunning contemporary piece by English composer Will Todd, and Charpentier's charming motet 'In Nativitate Domini Nostri Jesu Christi Canticum' for female voices and continuo. 

 

 

The Magpies at St Leo's Roman Catholic Church, Merion Village (Columbus) - Christmas 2008 - photo courtesy John Rees

 

Friday December 5, 2008, 8:00 pm

St Leo Church, Merion Village, Columbus

 

Saturday December 6, 7:30 pm

St John's Episcopal Church, Worthington (with food and mulled wine)

 

Friday December 12, 8:00 pm

St James' Episcopal Church, Clintonville

 

Sunday December 14, 6:00 pm

St Francis of Assisi Church, Columbus
Welcoming Jennifer Bell (organist) and the choir of St Francis of Assisi (Dec 14)

Our collection at St Francis raised a magnificent $1936 for Mid-Ohio Food Bank

 

LENTEN PROGRAM
Sounds of Appalachia: a Lenten presentation of Appalachian sacred music

 

A variety of sacred Appalachian music, including shape note songs, folk and bluegrass hymns, and psalm tunes in the Primitive Baptist tradition. 
Wednesday March 18, 2009, 7 pm
St James' Episcopal Church, 155 N 6th St, Zanesville


CELTIC VOYAGES

 

A feast of traditional songs from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and Appalachia. Dance tunes, ballads, hymns, airs, waulking songs, broadsides, and a bluegrass style 'Gloria' from Carol Barnett's bluegrass mass. Other arrangements by Percy Grainger, the King's Singers, C V Stanford, Gareth Glyn, Michael McGlynn (of the Irish folk group Anuna), Alice Parker and Stephen Hatfield.

 

Saturday May 2, 2009, 7:00 pm

St James' Episcopal Church

155 N 6th St, Zanesville

 

Friday May 8, 2009, 8:00 pm

King Avenue United Methodist Church

299 King Ave, Columbus

 

Saturday May 9, 2009, 8:00 pm

Trinity Episcopal Church

125 E Broad St, Columbus

 

CELTIC FESTIVAL CONCERT

 

A feast of Celtic song and dance from Yankee Celtic Consort, the Columbus Children's Choir, Columbus Celtic Dancers, and the Magpie Consort.


Friday June 5, 2009, 7:00 pm

First Congregational Church, Columbus

 

ACTORS’ THEATRE

 

Pre-show entertainment for the Actors’ Theatre production of The Three Musketeers, in Schiller Park, Columbus


Saturday June 20, 2009, 7:30 pm

 

 

2007-2008 Season


A MEDITERRANEAN CHRISTMAS

Celebrating Christianity’s roots in the Middle East and Mediterranean, our program this December includes Arab Christian melodies, a Coptic chant, a Jewish song about longing for the Messiah, and Christmas songs from Spain, Italy, Hungary, and Greece – as well as beautiful contemporary and renaissance compositions featuring Bethlehem and Jerusalem. Music includes Palestrina’s Surge illuminare Jerusalem, a beautiful piece based on the Hebrew word ‘Selah’ by American composer Dan Forrest, a new setting by Sheena Phillips of the Advent hymn Rorate coeli desuper, and compositions by Sandström, Busto, Ingalls, and Ives.

bulletSunday December 2, 2007, 4 pm
First Presbyterian Church, Findlay, Ohio

 

bulletSunday December 9, 2007, 6 pm
St Francis of Assisi Church, 386 Buttles Ave, Columbus 

 

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Friday December 14, 2007, 8 pm
St James Episcopal Church, Clintonville (at Calumet & Oakland Park)

 

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Saturday December 15, 2007, 8 pm
St John’s Episcopal Church, 600 High Street, Worthington

Our collection at St Francis of Assisi Church in December 2007 raised $690 for the work of the International Red Cross in the Middle East.

THE SOUND OF AMERICA

A combination concert, singalong, and musical history tour, based on our well received program of American choral music. Shake off the January blues and come along to warm your voices and souls with a feast of strong traditional tunes and songs of worship.

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Sunday January 20, 2008, 7 pm
All Shepherds Lutheran Church, Lewis Center

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Sunday January 27, 2008, 3 pm
Covenant Presbyterian Church, Upper Arlington



DANCES AND LULLABIES


A program of delightful madrigals, secular and sacred dances, evening hymns, and lullabies. The menu includes dances from Argentina, Brazil, Haiti, Croatia, Georgia, India, and the British Isles, and works by John Dowland, Gustav Holst, Henry Purcell, Alec Wilder, Alice Parker, and Vaughan Williams.

 

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Sunday May 25, 2008, 3 pm, Maria-Joseph Chapel, Dayton

 
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Sunday June 1, 7 pm, Bethel Lutheran Church, Grove City

 

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Sunday June 8, 2 pm, First Congregational Church, Columbus

 

2006-2007 Season


THIS WIDE WORLD

 

This concert features extracts from our spring program ‘Earth, River, Sky’ as well as new material, including songs from the Middle East and Southern Africa.

bullet Sunday October 22, 2006 at Asbury United Methodist Church, Delaware, 4 pm

 

A CLASSICAL AFFAIR

 

Music for annual classical music showcase and holiday shopping event at Tuttle Mall. 

bullet Sunday November 12, 2006 at 6.30 pm, The Mall at Tuttle Crossing, Columbus


LIGHT AND GOLD

Heavenly and earthly music of angels and shepherds, collected in Magpie fashion from many times and places. Highlights this year include a Kyrie by Lithuanian composer Miskinis, a delightful Hodie by the Renaissance composer Sweelinck, and music by Arcadelt, Lasso, Schnabel, Chatman, Whitacre, Daley, Pearsall, anon, and of course Sheena Phillips. The Magpies will be joined by Tim Smith, Organist at First Congregational Church, at all three venues.  


bulletSaturday December 2, 2006 at 1 pm, Upper Arlington Public Library, 2800 Tremont Rd, Upper Arlington 
bulletFriday December 8, 2006, 8 pm 
St James Episcopal Church (at Oakland Pk and Calumet St in Clintonville)
bulletSaturday December 9, 2006, 8 pm
St John’s Episcopal Church, High St, Worthington
bulletSunday December 10, 2006, 6 pm 
First Congregational Church, 444 E Broad Street, Columbus



THE SOUND OF AMERICA

Early American hymnody, Shaker tunes, African-American spirituals, folk songs, work songs, and contemporary compositions by a wide range of American composers.


bulletSaturday March 17, 2007, 2 pm 
Columbus Main Library
96 S Grant Street, Columbus OH 43215
Short preview program 

 

bulletSunday April 15, 2007, 4 pm
Summit United Methodist Church
82 E 16th Ave, Columbus OH 43201 (OSU campus area)
(directions at http://www.summitumc.org/DirectionsFrame.htm)

 

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Sunday April 22, 2007, 4 pm 
First Unitarian Universalist Church
93 W Weisheimer Rd, Columbus OH 43214

 

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Sunday May 27, 2007, 7 pm 
Bethel Lutheran Church
4501 Hoover Rd, Grove City OH 43123

 

This program was aided financially by the Greater Columbus Arts Council

 
 


2005-2006 Season


A Classical Affair

bullet November 2005 

Music for the annual classical music showcase and holiday shopping event at Tuttle Mall, Columbus

A Joyful Noise

bullet December 2005

Franklin Park Conservatory, Columbus

St John’s Episcopal Church, Worthington

St James’ Episcopal Church, Clintonville

 A seasonal program of folk songs, renaissance music and contemporary writing, featuring extracts from the newly released Christmas CD All hayle to the days.  With Eugene Braig (mandolin and guitar) and Jennifer Bell (flute and harp).

Earth, river, sky

bullet March, May & June 2006

Columbus Main Library (preview)
Trinity Lutheran Church, Columbus
Worthington Presbyterian Church
Maria-Joseph Chapel, Dayton

Songs inspired by landscape, from Finland, Poland, South Africa, India, Japan, England and North America. With Kordula de Kuthy (cello).

2004-2005 Season

A Classical Affair

bullet November 2004 

Music for the annual classical music showcase and holiday shopping event at Tuttle Mall, Columbus


Northern Lights

bullet December 2004 & January 2005

St James’ Episcopal Church, Clintonville
First Congregational Church, Columbus
St John’s Episcopal Church, Worthington
Riley Hall, Otterbein College, Westerville

Seasonal renaissance and contemporary writing music from Scotland, Germany, England, and America, featuring the delightful Magnificat Quinti Toni by Hähnel (‘Galliculus’) and Buxtehude’s In dulci jubilo. With guests The Merry Makers (recorder ensemble).

March Madness

bullet March 2005

Broad Street United Methodist Church 

Joint world music program with the Columbus Women’s Chorus and Koleinu! Jewish community choir.

Rhythms of Life

bullet May 2005

Columbus Main Library
Franklin Park Conservatory, Columbus
Columbus Music Hall

Dance tunes, work songs, love songs, lullabies, and songs of praise – chosen for their rhythmic contrasts and for the importance of rhythm to their musical effects. From the flow of medieval plainchant, via pieces depicting fireflies, crickets and birds, to the different rhythms of Jewish prayer, Galician lullaby, Shaker dance and native Brazilian call and response.

2003-2004 Season

A Classical Affair

bullet November 2003 

Music for the annual classical music showcase and holiday shopping event at Tuttle Mall, Columbus

Darkness into Light

bullet December 2003 

Franklin Park Conservatory, Columbus
St James’ Episcopal Church, Clintonville
Summit United Methodist Church, Columbus
Mozart’s, Indianola Avenue

Music for Advent and the new year

Sounds of the East

bullet March 2004

Broad Street Presbyterian Church, Columbus

 A workshop (open to the public) and concert of music from Russia and Eastern Europe .   A collaboration with the Slavic folk choir Rusalka (dir. Greg Halbe) and members of the Broadstreet Choir (dir. Joel Mathias).

Voices of Day and Night

bullet May 2004

First Congregational Church, Columbus
Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Lancaster

Madrigals, folk songs and other music portraying the shifting moods of day and night. With financial support from the Greater Columbus Arts Council.

2002-2003 Season

A Medieval Christmas Story

bullet December 2002

Church of Seventh Day Adventists, Worthington
Trinity Lutheran Church, Columbus
St James’ Episcopal Church, Clintonville
First Congregational Church, Columbus

Original music drama by Sheena Phillips, based on medieval mystery plays and incorporating medieval and newly composed music. Scored for voices, handbells, oboes, recorders, percussion and viol. With guests The Merry Makers recorder ensemble, members of The Symphonic Handbells of Columbus, and oboists Carol and Jim Liddle.

Visions of heaven

bulletMarch & April 2003

Worthington United Methodist Church
Covenant Presbyterian Church, Upper Arlington

Devotional music and spirituals, poetry by William Blake, Emily Dickinson, Dante Alighieri, and original music by Sheena Phillips, Ron Cook and Christine Fraser Ramsay. With harps, cup-bells, synthesizer, flute, viol and cymbal as well as the twelve voices of the Magpie Consort, and guests Ron and Janice Cook. 

Water Music

bulletMay & June 2003

Columbus Museum of Art
Franklin Park Conservatory, Columbus
Covenant Presbyterian Church, Upper Arlington

Songs, poetry, instrumental music and visual images on the theme of water, from thirst and tears to rivers, lakes and all the enchantment of the open sea. With Jim and Carol Liddle (oboe), Kathryn Liddle (violin and viola), Sarah Lange (flute), Connie Foster (narrator), Barbara Ford (recorder), Alexa Hupper (harp) and Kordula de Kuthy (cello). 

Columbus Arts Festival

bulletJune  2003

Music for the Champagne stroll


Shuffles, shanties and sundry songs

bulletJuly  2003

Opening music for the Kodály Institue summer course at Capital University

2001-2002 Season

A Medieval Christmas Story

bullet December 2001

Church of Seventh Day Adventists, Worthington
Trinity Lutheran Church, Columbus
St James’ Episcopal Church, Clintonville
First Congregational Church, Columbus

Original music drama by Sheena Phillips, based on medieval mystery plays and incorporating medieval and newly composed music. Scored for voices, handbells, oboes, recorders, percussion and viol. With guests The Merry Makers recorder ensemble, bellplate ringers The Shepherds Bells, and oboists Carol and Jim Liddle.

Visions of heaven

bulletMay 2002

First Congregational Church, Columbus
St James’ Episcopal Church, Clintonville
St Patrick’s Episcopal Church, Dublin
Columbus Main Library (short program)

A sequence of music and poetry on the theme of heaven. With guests Ron and Janice Cook and Christine Fraser Ramsay. 

Columbus Arts Festival

bulletJune  2002

Music for the Champagne stroll

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