Major Events Planned for 2012  

• Musical Americana: 300 Years of Music in under 60 Minutes  -  Saturday, March 3^rd at 5:00 p.m., organist Scott Baker and guest instrumentalists Cortney Baker, Amy Holt, James Linn and Aaron Payne will perform a recital featuring original music by American masters spanning three centuries.  Highlights will include concert pieces by the great luminaries of our nation's musical heritage, including Samuel Barber, Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin, and Fats Waller.  Free-will donations gratefully accepted for the benefit of Appalachia Service Project.   
  

• Alice Parker at Saint Francis  - Renowned composer/arranger Alice Parker will conduct a choral workshop and lead the music at our Sunday worship services from Friday-Sunday, March 16-18, 2012.  For more information about this extraordinary opportunity, click here.

• Easter Sunday, April 8, 2012 at 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. - St. Francis Choir and instrumentalists perform at both Sunday services.

• Children's Spring Musical - Sunday, April 29, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. during the 2nd service.

Major Events of 2011

• Brass Band Christmas Mini-concert - The St. Francis Brass Band  presented a mini-concert of seasonal music following the 11:00 am service on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011

• Christmas Cantata - Saint Francis Choir and instrumentalists presented a Christmas Cantata during both worship services on Sunday, Dec. 11, 2011.  To see a bulletin from this special event, click here.

•  Children's Christmas Musical - The Saint Francis Children's Choirs presented their Christmas musical during the 11:00 a.m. service on Sunday, Dec. 4, 2011.  To see a bulletin from this special event, click here 

• Brass Band Benefit Concert - The St. Francis Brass Band presented a concert  on October 1, 2011 at 4:00 p.m.  The concert benefitted the Wake Interfaith Hospitality Network.  To view the program from this concert, click here.

• World Premiere of the commissioned anthem, Speak Peace, by Alice Parker - Sunday, May 22, 2011, at 11:00 a.m. during the 2nd service.  To see a program from the World Premiere, click here.  For more information about the commissioning of this anthem, click here.
  

• Handbell concert - Sunday, May 15, 2011at 4:30 p.m.  The handbell choirs of St. Francis United Methodist Church presented an informal concert featuring original works for handbells and percussion, as well as settings of treasured sacred songs.  Popular highlights included timeless works by Henry Mancini, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Leroy Anderson.  Free-will donations were gratefully accepted for the benefit of The Women's Center of Raleigh.  To see a program from this concert, click here.

• Children's Choirs Spring Musical - Sunday, May 8, 2011, at 11:00 a.m. during the 2nd service.  To see a program from this performance, click here.

• Easter Sunday, April 24, 2011 at 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. - St. Francis Choir and Orchestra perform at both Sunday services.  Musical selections include Kyrie from Maurice Durufle's Requiem and Handel's Hallelujah.  To see the Bulletin from this service, click here.
  

• Coffeehouse - presented by the Music Ministry.  Children, youth, and adult performers presented a varied selection of vocal, instrumental, and dramatic/comedic entertainment on Friday, March 18, 2011 at 6:30 pm.  The audience enjoyed coffee and delicious homemade desserts while watching 17 different acts perform.  The Coffeehouse benefitted Prison Match.  

• "Musical Methodism - The Concert Works of the Wesleys"  - Saturday, March 5, 2011 at 5:00 p.m.
  Organist Scott Baker and guest ensembles performed a program of concert repertoire composed by members of the founding-family of our denomination.  Charles, Samuel, and Samuel Sebastian Wesley were among the most accomplished and acclaimed English composers of their generations, establishing  styles and forms which eventually established the national standard for English sacred music still evident today.  The concert featured rarely heard masterpieces for organ, choir and string quartet.  Musical Methodism was presented for the benefit of Central Conference Pension Initiative, a fund which assists United Methodist clergy in distant mission fields who are not pensioned and are facing retirement with much need of support.  Click Play button  below to hear a selection from this recital.   To hear more selections and to see a program from this concert click here .

• "Children Singing God's Praise"!  Children's Choir Festival  - Hosted by Saint Francis on Saturday February 19th, 2011, from 9:00-2:00, this festival was for second through sixth graders.  Heather Potter was the guest clinician.  Heather is the associate conductor of the Charlotte's Children Choir and conductor of its Lyric Choir.  She serves as director of Youth and Children's Music at First Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Gastonia, NC.  She is also on the board of the Choristers Guild.  Heather worked with the children on selected pieces during the morning workshop and then the children shared their music and gifts during a 1:00 concert in the church sanctuary.  Seventy-six children representing 6 different churches from Cary, Durham, Chapel Hill, and Fayetteville participated in this special day.  To see a program and pictures from this event, click here.