Community Church Combines Art Show, Organ Concert

The Community Church of Douglaston continued their “First Sunday” concert series Sunday with “Organ Plus,” a heavenly combination of organ, piano, flute, saxophone, trombone and soprano voice.

An audience of nearly 50 people gathered at the house of worship, located at 39-50 Douglaston Parkway, for the latest installment of the church’s concert series, which is now in its ninth season.

Sunday’s performance highlighted the recently refurbished and expanded Ralph and Alice Greenlaw Memorial Organ.

John Buckel from St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Massapequa, Henry DeVries from Trinity Lutheran Church in Hicksville and Deborah Jenks of the First Presbyterian Church of Northport worked the keys, stops and pedals of the magnificent instrument along with Gerald Anders, who is now in his ninth year as organist and choir director of the church.

They were accompanied by Myers Mason on the baby grand piano, flutist Kenneth Chia, saxophonist Scott Hoefling, trombonist Alexander Jenks and congregation member Kimberly Iannuzzi, who is a soprano.

Selections ranged from the 18th Century religious work by Bach, “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring,” to a contemporary sonata for organ and saxophone with a “Keystone Cops” light-heartedness, DeVries said.

Iannuzzi regaled listeners with her range and poise in the 19th Century “Lo! Hear the Gentle Lark” by Sir Henry Bishop as Chia’s flute intertwined with Bukel’s organ performance.

The organ, which includes Flemish bells, includes pipes as large as 32 feet.

In addition to the concert, an art show presented by Douglaston’s National Art League exhibited works from artist Mark Wroblewski. This was the first public show for the North Carolina resident.

His next exhibition is at East Carolina University, where he is a sophomore.

This season’s concert series concludes on May 1 at 4:00 p.m. with a concert by Jazz organist, pianist and composer Joe Utterback.