Bishops’ Legacy Fellowship:
Sixth Annual Appreciation Dinner and Concert
May 22, 2011
What a Great Surprise!
By E. John White and Bruce Rockwell, Missioners for Stewardship
The Bishops’ Legacy Fellowship held its sixth annual appreciation dinner and concert at the Cathedral on May 22. The Quandrangle was abloom with many colorful trees and shrubs. And the Cathedral, as always was awe inspiring. What a lovely setting for the dinner and concert.
Members of the Bishops’ Legacy Fellowship were treated to an organ concert given by Quentin and Mary Murrell Faulkner, the parish musicians at St. James’ in Greenfield. As a special treat, people were able to see as well as hear the Faulkners as they played. Since the organ console at Christ Church Cathedral is recessed behind the altar, if you are sitting in the nave, you cannot ordinarily see the organist playing. But, Peter Beardsley, the Canon Precentor and parish musician at the Cathedral, cleverly placed a camera, projector and screen so that those in the nave could see the organists, watching their hands as they played the three ranks of keys and adjusted the stops, and watching their feet as they played the pedals.
The Faulkners chose a program that began with Rondo by John Bull, a seventeenth century composer, and ended with Fantasy in F minor by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Both pieces are spirited, up-tempo, pieces which they played as duets. The middle two pieces were more contemplative, andante pieces. Quentin played Resurrection by the twentieth century composer Larry King. Mary Murrell played Claire de Lune by Louis Vierne, the twentieth century French organist and composer.
As Mary Murrell told the members of the Bishops’ Legacy Fellowship, organists found Mozart’s Fantasy in F minor, which was written for organ by the perennially cash-strapped composer, unplayable. The piece has previously been arranged as a duet for piano. The Faulkner’s wrote their own arrangement for organ and four hands. So members of the Bishops’ Legacy Fellowship were able to see and hear the Faulkners’ play a piece they had very creatively arranged for dual organists.
All of us gave the Faulkners’a generous and heartfelt applause following this delightful organ concert, featuring something most had never seen before: the organ being played by four hands.
After a brief social time and then dinner in the Kendrick Room the Bishop thanked us all for making Legacy Gifts. He underscored that our coming together at the Cathedral was not only a way to honor our commitment to legacy giving but also the future of the Diocese. He went on to give us his views about the bright lights in the Diocese at the Parish level.
We were delighted to learn of the continued growth of the membership of the Bishops’ Legacy Fellowship, which now has 198 members from 42 different parishes. It is of particular note to know that 95% of all gifts are going directly to parishes. The Fellowship is open to all who make a legacy gift to any Episcopal entity for any amount.