Barbara Butler, Organist and Music Director:

St. John’s is a welcoming church and has much to offer in its music program, particularly outreach in the community. Most of you are familiar with our concert program which encompasses featured artists through St. Cecilia’s Neighbours Program, Musique Royale/Boxwood events and Symphony Nova Scotia. We are so fortunate that St. John’s extensive restoration also included two extremely fine instruments – a new two manual Casavant pipe organ with moveable console and a Yamaha C7 grand piano.

If you are interested in singing I extend an invitation to you to join the choir at St. John’s. Please call 624-0506.

Concerts at St. John's

St. John’s Anglican Church in Lunenburg will host two major musical events next weekend. The first event is a special re-union concert featuring Puirt a Baroque on Saturday, May 10 at 7:30 pm and the second is the 40 voice National Youth Choir on Sunday, May 11 at 7:30 pm. Each concert has something very special to offer. Here are further details for you.

St. Cecilia Concert Society presents Puirt a Baroque in a special re-union concert on Saturday, May 10 at 7:30 pm at St. John’s Anglican Church in Lunenburg. Tickets: $15 ($5 for students) – available at Fulton’s Pharmacy and at the door.

Information and Reservations: 634-9994

From their CD Bach Meets Cape Breton, an East Coast Award Winner, these three maritime musicians - Scott Macmillan, classical/steel-stringed guitars, David Greenberg, baroque/modern violins; David Sandall, harpsichord – combine the elegance and sparkle of the Baroque with the driving rhythms and soulful melodies of Cape Breton,

Formed in 1994 during Musique Royale’s summer festival, Puirt a Baroque immediately attracted the attention of the CBC and a number of broadcasts and CDs followed. Now following separate career paths, this tour in 3 other communities (Friday at 8 pm at the Osprey in Shelburne, Sunday at 3 pm at Lilian Piercey in Halifax, Monday at 7:30 pm at Strathspey Place in Mabou) ‘brings the boys back together again’ in a toe tapping performance that connects Cape Breton music to its Baroque roots.

David Greenberg, fluent in both the baroque and Cape Breton violin styles, leads Puirt a Baroque in a crossover musical venture that brings normally tame baroque music audiences to their feet and has them dancing in the aisles! Greenberg, a former member of the world-class baroque orchestra Tafelmusik and now Director of Tempest Baroque Ensemble, is described by The Mail-Star music critic Stephen Pedersen in Halifax as "the best baroque violin soloist in Canada if not in North America." David is joined by Scott Macmillan and David Sandall, who specialize in the performance of Cape Breton music and Baroque music, respectively. Scott Macmillan has enjoyed an acclaimed career encompassing several styles of music and has many recordings to his credit, including his original Celtic Mass for the Sea. His highly successful Within Sight of Shore received its world premiere on April 26 at St. John’s Church. David Sandall's harpsichord playing is described by Pedersen as "flawlessly executed with a full sound and well-paced phrasing."

Puirt a Baroque (pronounced poorsht-a-baroque) is an ensemble that celebrates the music of Cape Breton and of the Baroque era whence it came. The name is a play on puirt a beul, Gaelic for "mouth music" or (literally) "tunes from the mouth," highland Scottish fiddle tunes sung with lyrics. Thus, Puirt a Baroque becomes "Tunes from the Baroque."