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Megonia, an ensemble featuring strings and voices, will offer sounds of Appalachia at The Basilica's 4:30 and 6:30 pm Masses on Sunday, August 24. Together since 2009, sisters Carolyn Gleason and Maureen Koenig, join Kellie Nitz and Sam Rhodes to play old time Tennessee mountain music. You'll hear them play traditional instruments like accordion, banjo, bass, guitar and vox as they blend their voices, personalities, experiences and musical abilities as Megonia, an Appalachian folk group. To hear them, find Megonia on Facebook.
Tenor Bill Bastian will sing at The Basilica on Sunday, August 24 at the 7:30 and 9:30 am Masses. He has sung over 40 opera roles and 75 different oratorio roles as tenor and countertenor. A frequent soloist and a guitarist, Bill also teaches at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth. Bill and his wife Laurie found Northern Opera Theatre Experience to bring professional opera to the Twin Ports through the 1990s.
On Sunday, August 17th, violinist Jill Olson will play at the 9:30 am Mass. Jill plays with the Hennepin String Quarter and is a substitute violinist for the Minnesota Orchestra She is also an Adjunct Professor of violin at Gustavus and is a regularly feature soloist at The Basilica.
Our guest soloist at 9:30am Mass on Sunday, August 10th is oboeist Mark Seerup. Mark has performed, recorded and toured for 25 with the Minnesot Orchestra and has also play with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and other Twin Cities groups.
Trio Filpino are the featured guest musicians at the 4:30pm Mass on August 10th. Members include Dr. Jose D. Uriarte, Isabella Dawis and Francesa Dawis. Dr. Uriarte has performed around the world in Canada, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China and the Philippines. Presently, he teaches at MacPhail Center for Music.
Isabella Dawis returns from summer studies at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco and SongFest in Los Angeles. She has stage credits with the Minnesota Opera, Children's Theatre Compnay, Chanhassen and the Guthrie. Francesca Dawis just completed her freshman year at Stanford University. She recently placed 1st in three divisions (Aria, Art Song and Musical Theater) at the NATS vocal competition in the San Francisco BAy area. Francesca has perform locally at the Guthrie, Children's Theatre Company and the Ordway.
On Sunday, August 3rd, there will be two visiting soloists at Basilica of Saint Mary Sunday liturgies.
At the 9:30am Sunday Mass, Lynn Erickson will play the trumpet. Ms. Erickson has been second trumpet of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. She maintains a full schedule of performances, and is a frequent soloist at the Basilica. Ms. Erickson also serves on the adjunct faculty at both Augsburg and Macalester Colleges.
At the 4:30pm Sunday Mass, Gigi Yau will sing sacred Chinese music . Gigi became Christian at age 12 and that's when her music journey began. She attended a Christian school in Hong Kong and had opportunties for music education. She sings in church settings, performs classical music and has sung with the Minnesota Chorale.
We welcome the Jewish Women Artists' Circle exhibit to the John XXIII Gallery at The Basilica. The exhibit focuses on creation and on the Kabbalah, and features work by the Circle, an artist group from the Twin Cities. The exhibit is called "Creation! And There was Evening And There Was Morning" and "Kabbalah: Envisioning the Infinite." The Circle studies Jewish sources with scholars and present exhibits on Jewish themes.
For the Creation exhibit, the artists explored the first chapter of Genesis, the creation of heaven and earth, of light and darkness, of stars and water, and of living creatures. In preparation, they read many different translations of the text as well as mirashim, stories that embellish and offer further explanations and interpretations of the Biblical text. They also had study sessions on evolution, learning about natural selection and the wondrous diversity of living things.
The Kabbalah exhibit explores the Jewish text on mysticism, which is at least 1800 years old and presented in the revelations of Ezekiel.
Members of the Jewish Women's Artists' Circle include Sandy Baron, Jane Bassuk, Rachel Breen, Sandra A. Brick, Gloria Cooper, Lucy Rose Fischer, Bette Globus Goodman, Renanah Halpern, Natalie Halpern (Eichen), Barbara "Boko" Kvasnick-Nunez, Joyce Lyon, Lynda Monick-Isenberg, Aimee Orkin, Paula Leiter Pergament, Dianne Silverman, Sharon Stillman, Anita White, Rochelle Woldorsky
Cellist Daniel McIntosh will play at the 9:30am Mass on Sunday, July 27. He has served as principal cellist with The Opera Company of Boston, The Norwegian Opera, The New Hampshire Symphony and the Smithsonian Chamber Orchestra.
McIntosh brings 45 years of experience to his music making and teaching at the MacPhail Center in Minneapolis.
During the summer, The Basilica features instrumental and vocal soloists at our 9:30am Sunday Eucharist. On Sunday, July 20, classical guitarist Christopher Kachian will provide special music during the Prelude, Offeratory and Communion.
A University of Saint Thomas faculty member since 1984, Mr. Kachian has directed one of the largest guitar music programs in the US. He has performed in concert throughout North and South America, Europe and the Far East. In 2012, he won recognition as a National Arts Associate and Distinguished member from Sigma Alpha Iota Internationl Music Fraternity.
Created by local artist Deb Korluka, The Basilica's newest icon will be dedicated on Sunday, June 29 at our 9:30am and 11:30am Masses.
The icon is of St. Dymphna, the patron saint of those with mental illness. There will be a special blessing for all those in attendance, and Fr. John Bauer will preside. Following Mass, all are invited to an ice cream social on The Basilica's west lawn, sponsored by the Mental Health Ministry.
KIPP Stand Academy is moving to a new North Minneapolis location this week. A Minnesota public charter School serving 5-8 grade students, KIPP has been the Basilica's School tenant since 2008. We send our best wishes to KIPP's students, faculty and staff as they move and get settled in their new school home.