The next installment of St. John’s First Wednesday Concert will take place on November 4 at 12:10 p.m. inside St. John’s Church. Noah Getz, a jazz and classical saxophonist based in Washington, DC, will perform with assistance by Organist, Michael Lodico. Hailed as a “highly skillful and an even more highly adventurous player” (Washington City Paper) with “virtuosity, sensitivity, and beauty of tone” (Fanfare), Noah Getz has performed and lectured worldwide, including appearances at the Melbourne Recital Centre, Carnegie Hall, Zilkha Hall, The Phillips Collection and the 2012 Polish Woodwind Festival in Wolsztyn, Poland. He was awarded a 2014 Artist Fellowship by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities for significant contributions to the cultural life of the District of Columbia.
An avid chamber musician, Getz is a member of the National Gallery New Music Ensemble, and has performed with The 21st Century Consort, the Empyrean Ensemble, and members of the International Contemporary Ensemble. He received a first-round Grammy nomination with the New Hudson Saxophone Quartet. He has performed frequently with orchestras throughout the country including The New World Symphony, Juilliard Orchestra, Manhattan School of Music Orchestra, Oberlin Orchestra, Harrisburg Symphony, and the Columbia University Orchestra. His concerto performance of Ode to Lord Buckley is featured in the movie David Amram: The First 80 Years and his albums Crosscurrents, exploring the intersection of jazz and classical music, and Still Life were released to rave reviews and are available through Albany Records.
Getz is committed to commissioning and premiering new works, including recent collaborations with Aaron Jay Kernis, David Amram and Ken Ueno. His premiere of In Every Way I Remember You at the National Gallery of Art was acclaimed as “spectacular and wonderfully provocative” (Washington Post). Getz was the first saxophonist given permission to perform Henry Brant’s Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra in 50 years after extensive work with the composer.
He has presented masterclasses, recitals, and lectures across the country, including at Peabody Conservatory, Mannes-The New School of Music, and the Aaron Copland School of Music. In 2014, Getz presented a performance of the piano reduction of Henry Brant’s Concerto at the University of Illinois in conjunction with the release of this version by Carl Fischer for which he wrote the foreword. He is a Musician-In-Residence at American University in Washington, DC.
The concert is free and open to the public. Call the Parish House office at (202) 347-8766 with questions.
