Featuring
Paul Winter, soprano sax
Jeff Holmes, piano
James Wetzel, organ
Offered in memory of Henri Nouwen
Free; no tickets required
Limited seating; arrive early
A Note from Paul Winter
I’m grateful for this opportunity to return to Yale, and make music in this beautiful Marquand Chapel, with its exquisite Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ and superb Steinway piano. This for me is a unique trio concert, and I am privileged to collaborate with two extraordinary musicians who are colleagues of mine in different contexts: pianist Jeff Holmes, who has played with my Consort during the past decade; and organist James Wetzel, with whom I have played at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York.
It is always encouraging to me when music is invited to be part of events like this conference on the work of Henri Nouwen and Thomas Merton. I want to share the following words from a renowned Yale graduate, who has long been a beacon for me in my musical journey.
The future of music may not lie entirely with music itself, but rather in the way it makes itself a part of – in the way it encourages and extends, rather than limits, the aspirations and ideals of the people – the finer things that humanity does and dreams of.
– Charles Ives
Performer Bios
PAUL WINTER’s musical odyssey has long embraced the traditions of the world’s cultures, as well as the wildlife voices of what he refers to as “the greater symphony of the Earth.” From the early days of his college jazz sextet, which toured 23 countries of Latin America for the State Department and performed the first-ever jazz concert at the White House for the Kennedys in 1962, to his later ensemble, the Paul Winter Consort, his concert tours and recording expeditions have taken him to 52 countries and to wilderness areas on six continents, where he has traveled on rafts, dog sleds, mules, kayaks, tug-boats and Land Rovers. He has recorded 45 albums, of which seven have been honored with Grammy® Awards.
Since 1980, Paul and his Consort have been artists-in-residence at the world’s largest cathedral, New York’s Cathedral of St. John the Divine, where they have presented over 200 unique events, including their famed annual Winter Solstice and Summer Solstice Celebrations.
The voices of the world of nature have long been part of his musical community. Over the years, he and his colleagues have evolved a unique genre of “Earth Music,” celebrating the creatures and cultures of the Earth. paulwinter.com
Pianist, composer, arranger and trumpeter JEFF HOLMES was born in 1955, and grew up in Lynnfield, Massachusetts, later earning degrees from the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with Rayburn Wright and Bill Dobbins,among others.
Holmes is a nationally published and commissioned composer/arranger and has performed around the world. In addition to his quartet CD Of Ones Own on Miles High Records, he has a forthcoming Jeff Holmes Big Band release. In addition to the quartet and his big band, Holmes plays lead trumpet with the New England Jazz Ensemble, Earl MacDonald and the Hartford Jazz Society’s New Directions Ensemble, and Rob Zappulla, as well as drums with the Amherst Jazz Orchestra.
Professor of Music and Director of Jazz and African-American Music Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Holmes directs the award-winning UMASS Jazz Ensemble I, and Studio Orchestra. He is also the Artistic Director of the Jazz in July Summer Workshops at UMASS, and continues to guest conduct Junior and Senior District/All-State jazz ensembles throughout the country. jwholmesmusic.com
JAMES D. WETZEL is the Director of Music and Organist of the Parish of Saint Vincent Ferrer and Saint Catherine of Siena in Manhattan where he directs the professional Schola Cantorum and the volunteer Parish Choir and plays for all services. Wetzel served from 2010-2015 as the Organist and Choirmaster of midtown’s Church of Saint Agnes and from 2011-2016 taught as an adjunct lecturer in Hunter College’s music department. Since 2010, James has also been the Assistant Conductor and Accompanist for the Greenwich Choral Society in Connecticut. Additionally, he teaches piano at the Saint Thomas Choir School and holds a post as Assisting Organist at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine where he formerly served as Organ Scholar under Bruce Neswick.
Mr. Wetzel is active as an organist and continuo player, having performed at the Berkshire Choral Festival and with the Collegiate Chorale, the Orchestra of Saint Luke’s, the American Symphony Orchestra, and the American Classical Orchestra. He is on the board of the New York City Chapter of the American Guild of Organists and the Catholic Artists Society, is music advisor to the New York Purgatorial Society, and is a member of the Society for Catholic Liturgy and the Saint Wilfred’s Club for Organists in Manhattan.
Born in Pittsburgh, James earned a bachelor’s degree in organ performance from The Juilliard School where he studied with Paul Jacobs and was the first person ever to graduate with a master’s degree and a professional studies certificate in choral conducting from Manhattan School of Music under Kent Tritle.
The concert is presented in conjunction with Yale Divinity School's conference "Henri Nouwen and Thomas Merton: Spiritual Guides for the 21st Century." More information and registration HERE.