This month, All Saints will host two programs for music lovers. On April 23, at 4 p.m., Dr. Michael Diorio will present a one-hour exploration of the 1982 Hymnal. This interactive program will engage the audience as featured performers, singing familiar and some not-so-familiar hymns. According to Stephen L. Pinel, organist and choir director of All Saints Church, “Most modern church musicians agree that the 1940 and the 1982 hymnals of the Protestant Episcopal Church were two of the finest hymnals ever published.”

 

He noted that in addition to having a wonderful time singing and gaining a greater appreciation of the hymns, those attending will have the opportunity to experience the masterful conducting of Dr. Diorio, who honed this talent at the Choral Institute of Oxford University in 2017.
 

Dr. Diorio, currently the Organist & Director of Music at the Church of the Redeemer, Episcopal, in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, holds music degrees from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, and the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, as well as a doctoral degree from Boston University, summa cum laude. As organist, he has performed extensively throughout not only the United States, but Austria, the Czech Republic, England, Germany, and Ireland. He has also taught and performed at The Shipley School (Bryn Mawr), Washington Memorial Chapel (Valley Forge), the Episcopal Cathedral of the Diocese of New Jersey at Trenton, and The Lawrenceville School.

This free program, which is followed by a wine and cheese reception, is the final offering of the 2022–2023 Bristol Music Series. The series, which launched last September, honors the distinguished author, business executive, and composer, Dr. Lee Hastings Bristol, Jr. (1923−1979). Dr. Bristol served as the organist at All Saints for some 40 years, beginning before the Second World War and continuing until 1974. He was largely responsible for the parish’s acquisition of the fine Casavant Frères organ which still graces 10:15 a.m. Sunday worship at All Saints.
 

On April 30, at 2:30 p.m., the New Jersey Chamber Singers will present Rooted Within, a concert focused on “the roots of deep faith, unconditional love, transcendent renewal, and tranquil peace.” The concert will feature works by Thomas Tallis, Amy Beach, Eleanor Daley, and Stephen Paulus, among others. Tickets will be available for purchase at the door or in advance from the New Jersey Chamber Singers’ website (https://www.njchambersingers.org).
 

For more information on these and other musical offerings at All Saints Church, contact the Church Office at (732) 892−7478 or https://www.allsaintsbayhead.org.