Press Releases

News from St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church

3809 E. Third Street – Tucson, AZ 85716

Contact: David Gay, Music Director, 520-609-6804

“Cabaret San Marcos,” Aug. 22, St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church

Ecclesiastes tells us there is nothing new under the sun, but St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church is about to do something it has never done before.

It’s the first-ever Cabaret San Marcos, an evening of great gospel music, old-time hymns, sacred folk music and even a bit of barbershop quartet – all performed by St. Mark’s musicians and choral ensembles.

Cabaret San Marcos will be held on Sunday, Aug. 22, starting at 7 p.m. at St. Mark’s, 3809 E. Third Street (southwest of Alvernon and Speedway).

Tickets are available for a suggested donation of $10, and also can be purchased at the church; please call 325-1001 for more information.   Seating is limited.  Gourmet snacks and beverages will be available for additional donations.

Music selections will include such spirituals as “Down to the River to Pray,” “Wade in the Water,” and “Deep River” – songs that link the precious role of water in God’s creation to St. Mark’s commitments to social and environmental justice.

Modern settings of traditional hymns will include a 20^th century version of “For the Beauty of the Earth” and “O Sifuni Mungu,” an upbeat Swahili translation of “All Creatures of Our God and King.”

Cabaret San Marcos also will feature a performance of “Rise up My Love,” a beautiful piece based on the “Song of Songs,” and written by Tucson musician and composer Jay Vosk. St. Mark’s premiered “Rise up My Love” on Easter Sunday.

David Gay, St. Mark’s music director, says Cabaret San Marcos will feature music that is both sacred and celebratory.

“We’ve done some really wonderful things with our music program over the years,” Gay says, “and we really want to share them with the community.”

Cabaret San Marcos also will feature Ilona Vukovic-Gay, violin and John Snavely, clarinet, both musicians with Tucson Symphony Orchestra; and Phoebe Hughes, Arno Dittrich and Mike Smith, percussion. Art Almquist will be Master of Ceremonies.

Cabaret San Marcos will be held in the St. Mark’s Knox Room, on the west side of the church building, facing the Third Street parking lot.

St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church is a More Light church, which welcomes all God’s children without regard for age, gender, race, country of origin, ethnic heritage, sexual orientation, variety of abilities, marital status, economic, cultural or religious background, or any other human condition.

Jay Vosk Music to Premiere at St. Mark’s on Easter Sunday

Easter music at St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church will feature the world premiere of a choral work by Tucson musician and composer Jay Vosk.

The piece, “Rise Up My Love,” is based on a well-loved text from the Bible’s Song of Solomon, rich in lyrical poetry and beautiful imagery of springtime and renewal:

“Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away.

For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;

The flowers appear on the earth;

The time of the singing of birds is come,

And the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.

The fig tree putteth forth her green figs,

And the vines in blossom give forth their fragrance.”

Vosk scored his piece for women’s chorus, violin and piano. St. Mark’s women’s ensemble, Ilona Vukovic-Gay on violin and David Gay on piano will perform the piece during St. Mark’s 11 a.m. service on Easter Sunday, April 4. A brass and organ prelude will begin at 10:45.

Vosk is a Tucson musician and music teacher who has been composing for about 45 years, sending much of his work out “on spec” before knowing who will want to perform it.  “The most challenging thing about being a composer is not writing the music,” Vosk says. “It’s getting it performed. I’m fortunate that David likes my work and chooses it for his choirs.”

This will be the second world premiere at St. Mark’s of a piece composed by Vosk. In December, the church’s Celtic Choir sang “And the Wolf Shall Dwell with the Lamb,” based on a text from the Book of Isaiah.  In addition, Vosk’s “Songs of Creation” for native flute and organ was performed at St. Mark’s in 2007.

David Gay, St. Mark’s music director, says the church is privileged to perform Vosk’s compositions.  “One of the neat things about getting to do these pieces is they are so beautiful,” Gay says. “Jay’s choral works have a distinctive style that’s very modern yet very accessible, very melodic. ‘Rise Up My Love’ has a really wistful feeling to it. It’s almost dreamy.”  Based on the Hebrew Scriptures of the Old Testament, Vosk’s works “bring alive the important stories and the important poetry of the church,” Gay says.

Prelude, Offertory, and Postlude to the Easter service will consist of music for brass quartet, tympani and organ by Gabrielli, Mendelssohn, Purcell, DeLaLande, and Mouret.  Musicians will include Chris Moller and Scott Driesbach (trumpets), Barbara Freischlad (tympani) and George Dunscomb  (euphonium).

In addition to the Vosk piece, music during the service will include “I Know That My Redeemer Liveth” from Handel’s “Messiah,” sung by Kate Selby, and “Christ is Now Arisen,” arranged by K. Lee Scott and sung by the church’s Celtic Choir.

Jane Erikson