After boiler fails, Central Presbyterian's free holiday concert moves to Brackenridge

An annual holiday concert hosted by Central Presbyterian Church in Tarentum has been moved because the building is without heat.

Church administrator Dave Rankin said the steam boiler at the church along Allegheny Street is awaiting repairs.

Instead, “Ave Maria,” featuring soprano Katy Williams, will be performed at 2 p.m. Dec. 14 at Trinity United Methodist Church in Brackenridge.

The concert also includes organist Nicholas Will and Warren Davidson on violin.

“It features several settings of the prayer, from the most familiar by Franz Schubert and Charles Gounod, to rarely heard works by French violinist Charles Dancla and Filipino composers Buencamino and Rupes,” Davidson said.

Other pieces in the program include an organ Noel of Louis-Claude Daquin, a violin sonata by Vivaldi and “O, Holy Night” by Adolphe Adam.

The 11^th annual Academy Concert Series, free to the public, aims to help build a healthy community, Rankin said. The shows help bring cultural offerings to the community’s backyard and makes music accessible, he said.

According to Davidson, Williams “is kind of a big deal as a frequent guest artist with the Pittsburgh Symphony and a regular feature of their “Fiddlesticks” concerts for children.”

Will, the organist, is director of sacred music at the Pittsburgh Oratory and has held similar positions in Rome and in America’s largest Catholic seminary, St. Mary’s, in Maryland.

As musicians, Davidson said they love to share their art with anyone who will listen.

“We feel the connection,” he said.