Harp Concert on April 29 at Grace Church Benefits Madison Food Pantry

Elegant, uplifting harp music will be performed by Merynda Adams in a benefit concert on Friday, April 29 at 7:00 pm at Grace Church to support the Madison Food Pantry. The program features the enchanting music of revered harpist composer Marcel Grandjany. There will be a free will offering at the door, and all donations go directly to the Madison Food Pantry.

The concert, a celebration of the emergence of springtime beauty after the bleak winter, features original compositions by Grandjany, including Les Cerisiers en Fleurs (Cherry Blossoms), Rhapsodie Pour Harpe, Pastoral, and Harp Album Opus 27 with such lush movements as A Butterfly, In Dancing Mood, and Deep River Interlude. The program also features the intricate music of J. S. Bach, J.B. Loeillet, and Antoine Francisque, transcribed for harp by Grandjany.

A highlight of the evening is the solo harp performance of Rhapsodie pour la Harpe, which showcases the magical delicacy and expression of the harp by transforming a Gregorian chant through harmony and texture. The piece features the exultant Gregorian chant Salve Festa Dies, declaring grace for a reborn world.

Merynda Adams, harpist, is an accomplished soloist and chamber musician performing throughout the United States, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and Canada, having appeared in Carnegie Hall, Avery Fischer Hall, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and off Broadway in "The Fantasticks." She has performed with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, New York Grand Opera, New Philharmonic, Lyrica Chamber Music, Northeastern Philharmonic, Colonial Symphony, NJ Festival Orchestra, and Lake Placid Sinfonietta, as well as weekly at Chilton Medical Center. Described by the Newark Star Ledger as having "played the harp with color and great facility," Ms. Adams is a 1994 winner of the Artists International Competition and the Goldblatt Award. As a harp soloist, she has performed for events honoring Beverly Sills, Colin Powell, Andrea Bocelli, and Eddie Murphy.

Marcel Grandjany was a French-born American concert harpist, composer, legendary teacher, and head of the harp department at the Juilliard School of Music where he taught until his death in 1975.

“I am thrilled to be performing this tribute concert honoring the timeless legacy of Marcel Grandjany: The Man and his Music,” states Merynda Adams. “It is a wonderful opportunity to nourish the soul and nourish others by helping provide essential food to those in need.”

The concert will be held in the sanctuary of Grace Episcopal Church, located at 4 Madison Avenue (Route 124) in Madison. It is an accessible facility with ample parking in rear.

Chamber Music for Charity, presented through Stardust Music Society of NJ, performs concerts supporting the vision to raise funds for established non-profits that help people with basic needs of food and housing. Stardust Music Society of NJ is a 501(3)(c) non-profit organization focused on performance, outreach, and education by promoting big band music, small jazz groups, classical and other styles of music throughout northern New Jersey. To learn more about Stardust, please visit: https://www.stardustnj.org/.