James Wetzel in an Organ Recital in Norwalk

The St. Cecilia Society of St. Mary Church, Norwalk, CT,  has announced the first installment of this season’s concert series, a recital by James Wetzel, the organist of St. Agnes on 43rd Street in Manhattan. The concert will feature works of Bach, Mendelssohn and Franck and take place this Sunday, Feb. 22 at 4 pm. in St. Mary’s Church. General Admission: $15 / Students: $10. A festive reception will follow the recital.

Pittsburgh-born James D. Wetzel has been the Organist and Choirmaster of the Church of Saint Agnes in Manhattan since 2010, directing one of the most respected Catholic music programs in the nation. The church’s professional Schola Cantorum sings for over 120 liturgies annually, including the weekly Tridentine Latin Mass. James is the Assistant Conductor and accompanist for the Greenwich Choral Society in Connecticut, accompanist for the New Choral Society in Scarsdale, New York, and holds a post as Assisting Organist at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine where he formerly served as Organ Scholar for two years under Bruce Neswick. Also, he is an adjunct lecturer at Hunter College where he directs the Chamber Singers and teaches organ.

Mr. Wetzel is also active as an organist and continuo player; recent highlights include performing at the Berkshire Choral Festival, with the American Symphony Orchestra in Carnegie Hall and with the American Classical Orchestra in Alice Tully Hall. He is a board member 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 Saint Wilfred’s Club for Organists in Manhattan.

Mr. Wetzel 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 post-graduate professional studies certificate in choral conducting from Manhattan School of Music under Kent Tritle. He also studied privately with Donald K. Fellows and Robert Page. Additionally, James spend a year studying Early Christianity and Apologetics at Columbia University.

The other concerts in the series:

Sunday, March 15th
4:00 P.M.
Sharon Levin, flute
Gerard Reuter, oboe
David Hughes, piano
works of Telemann, Marcello, and Quantz

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Wednesday, April 1st
8:00 P.M.
Tenebræ
The St. Mary’s Schola Cantorum
The St. Mary’s Student Schola

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Sunday, May 17th
4:00 P.M.
Charlotte Dobbs, soprano
David Hughes, piano
works of Karg-Elert, Copland, and Hughes