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Presenters and Presentations

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https://www.epiphany.org
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This journey cannot be undertaken without the collaborative efforts of many from within our community. 

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Judith Cox

BACH/BIBER PROJECT VIOLINIST JUDITH COX: When Judith first picked up a violin at the age of 3, she wanted to play with her musical older siblings. But she also remembers being mesmerized by the voice of acclaimed soprano Beverly Sills singing with the Metropolitan Opera in Cincinnati. Private instruction, then local and statewide prizes followed. At 15, Judith joined the Dayton Philharmonic as its youngest member, and a year later soloed with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra as a tri-state concerto competition winner. Other solo engagements followed, such as with the Indianapolis Symphony and in Atlanta with the Gwinnett Philharmonic and AUC Orchestras.

 

Post-graduation from Indiana University, Judith was appointed Principal Second Violin of the Ohio Chamber Orchestra and the Cleveland Ballet and Opera. A year later Judith joined the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and then the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in 1994. Along her path, Judith has been privileged to tour Europe, perform at Hong Kong City Hall and New York’s 92nd Street Y, and throughout the Midwest, Southeast, Wyoming and California. With the ASO she has been fortunate to perform at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and as part of the Ravinia and Ojai festivals.

Judith and her husband, ASO violinist Raymond Leung, founded the nonprofit organization LYRA, Inc. in 2000 to serve as a community and educational resource to the city of Atlanta. The LYRA Quartet has visited over one hundred schools throughout Atlanta, performing, mentoring, offering workshops, master classes, lessons and fellowships to thousands of students. During LYRA’s Residency at Callanwolde Fine Arts Center from 2003-11, Ms. Cox helped design adult chamber music workshops as well as educational programming in Dekalb County. 

 

With the aim of finding one's joy through music, Judith helps aspiring amateur musicians to connect at The CMS of Atlanta, and has also taught at Clayton State University, Spelman College, the Hong Kong Youth Music Camp, Spartanburg Chamber Music Workshop, Madeline Island Chamber Music Camp, and Brightstar Chamber Music Festival. Judith has been inspired and informed in her approach to music-making and teaching by the combined artistry and example of her teachers: Constantin Kiradjieff, Sally Thomas, Ivan Galamian and Franco Gulli.

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Judith Cox

THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF THE EPIPHANY, ATLANTA, GA: The Church of the Epiphany had its beginnings around 1894 in the informal gatherings of like-spirited Atlantans in the city’s first planned suburb, Inman Park. (Epiphany’s logo, a five-pointed star, serves as an apt reminder of the parish’s first neighborhood, Little Five Points.) The chapel’s cornerstone of Stone Mountain granite was laid in March of 1898, and the first service was held in the building in May. Ten years later, Epiphany was admitted to the year-old Diocese of Atlanta as a parish and called its first rector. In 1922, having outgrown its first building, the parish sold the Little Five Points property and moved to nearby Seminole Avenue. 

 

Under the leadership of Epiphany’s sixth rector, the Reverend Dr. Norman Gore, the congregation moved to its present location, having purchased the property from nearby Emory University in 1956. The first services were held in the new chapel in October 1957. 

 

Epiphany supports numerous Community Engagement ministries such as Decatur-area Emergency Services, Hagar House and Emmaus House, as well as Interfaith Engagement, Racial Justice, Feeding Ministry, Refugee Ministry, among others. Epiphany offers formation for all ages on Sunday mornings with even more and specific offerings on weekdays. The heart of our parish life is worship and sharing in the Eucharist which feeds us spiritually as a community. The liturgies are supported by the worship guilds: Altar Guild, Flower Guild, Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, Vergers, Acolytes, and our all-volunteer Choirs.

Epiphany’s Earth Guild joyfully practices environmental stewardship to care for God’s Earth and our communities. We partner with one another and with Georgia Interfaith Power and Light (GIPL) to provide ongoing education about issues pertaining to environmental injustice, earth care, and the climate crisis. We also provide opportunities to encounter God in creation, by organizing hikes, field trips, and other outdoor activities.

Epiphany's Community Engagement ministry aims to build relationships and strategic partnerships through deep listening and collaboration. These methods of engagement reveal the ways in which God is already at work in our communities and help us to discern how we can best collaborate in that work through friendship and service.

 

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Julie Ryder

BACH/BIBER PROJECT ORGANIST JULIE RYDER: 

Julie Ryder has served the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany as Organist and Choirmaster since 2012. She coordinates the entire music program including rehearsing 5 choirs and handbell ensemble to support the Sunday services, and choosing and preparing the hymns, service music, and voluntaries for all liturgies. Before coming to Epiphany, Julie served 10 years as Associate Director of Music and interim organist at Fairfax (VA) Presbyterian Church and directed summer MAD (Music and Drama) camps for the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia at Shrinemont. She was the Director of the Fairfax Choral Society Children’s Choruses for 8 years, growing the young program from one choir to a graded program of 3 choruses. She also served St. John United Methodist Church in Atlanta as Director of Music Ministries for 13 years. 

 

Julie received the Bachelor of Music in Sacred Music at James Madison University with a major in organ performance and a minor in voice, and a Master of Music in Church Music from Westminster Choir College with concentrations in organ and conducting. Her teachers include Chris Ward, Richard McPherson, and Joan Lippincott.

Each Presentation begins with a Solo Bach Partita or Sonata. A scripture reading then introduces each of the Rosary Sonatas, which depicts an event in the life of Christ, followed by a more contemporary reading related to each of these moments. There are periods of silence in between that allow for contemplative reflection.

You have the opportunity to watch previously recorded Presentations as well as to livestream them if you cannot attend in person. Simply go to the Virtual Experience page                             where you will find each complete Presentation by the clicking the "Presentation Video" button. To hear selections of the music, click the "Program Music" button. The text for each Presentation can be found by pressing the "Programs" button.

We hope that these community offerings have value to those who seek them. If you are so moved, please consider a donation to help our community reach its environmental caretaking and contemplative practice goals.

Click here to make an online donation to the Bach/Biber Project. If you would prefer to write a check, please make it payable to Church of the Epiphany and mail it to the address listed below. Be sure to note "Bach/Biber Project" in the memo field.

 

Church of the Epiphany

2089 Ponce de Leon Ave., NE

Atlanta, GA 30307

PRESENTATION No. 3

2089 Ponce De Leon Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30307

Sunday October 6, 2024, 4 PM

Donations welcome

Bach/Biber Project

J.S. BACH Sonata No. 2 in a minor for Violin Solo, BWV 1003
H.I.F. BIBER Rosary Sonatas: VI. Agony in the Garden, VII. Scourging at the Pillar, VIII. Crown of Thorns

BACH/BIBER PROJECT

2089 Ponce De Leon Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30307

October and March

YEAR 2

Bach/Biber Project

J.S. BACH Sonata and Partita No. 2
H.I.F.
 BIBER Rosary Sonatas:
The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary

PRESENTATION No. 4

March 16 at Big Canoe Chapel:

226 Wolfscratch Village Ci., Jasper, GA 30143

March 23 at Church of the Epiphany:

2089 Ponce De Leon Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30307

Sunday March 16 and 23, 2025, 4 PM

Donations welcome

Bach/Biber Project

J.S. BACH Partita No. 2 in d minor for Violin Solo, BWV 1004
H.I.F.
 BIBER Rosary Sonatas: IX. Jesus Carries the Cross, X. Crucifiction

The Performers' Reflections on Year One

JUDITH COX, violinist

 

From a career as an orchestral musician, the process of separating my individual voice from the collective whole of the larger group in order to prepare for the Bach/Biber Project has been challenging, to say the least. To get there, I have to remember what it felt like to pick up the violin for the first, second, or even 50th time. I almost have to imagine the wonder of a small child who must have been fascinated by the sounds that this ornate wooden music box could produce. But the wonder really began when the instrument spoke, and I recognized her voice.

As captivated as I am by the music I hear, create or imagine, I am also aware that the voices that emerge from the works of musicians such as Bach and Biber are not separated from us by centuries, but connected to us by our shared humanity. As a musician, to play this music is to be the medium that channels their intentions, and to know how to allow my voice to express that connection in the present moment. 

Beyond the many technical challenges that this music presents, finding its “soul” is part of the journey of the Bach/Biber Project. Connecting with the spiritual depth of this music often means stepping away and being silent until the deeper meaning begins to show. Only when it surfaces from time to time do I realize what a privilege it is to be on this path.

JULIE RYDER, organist 

Like so many others, I have always been fascinated by the career of J.S. Bach, especially his time in Leipzig when his work was primarily at St. Thomas School and St. Thomas Church. While preparing choirs, teaching students, and practicing his instruments he was composing the greatest orchestral, organ, choral, and solo instrumental works of his time and to this day. His musical genius is highlighted every week in worship services, and his name and compositions are celebrated daily in recitals and concerts throughout the western world. 

Much of Bach’s choral music is sacred given its marriage to the biblical texts and religious prose and poetry of his time; the audience may be moved by the text or the music or its combination. Inspiration for Bach’s instrumental music, though sometimes explicit, is often left to the listener’s imagination, and the beauty and genius of the solo works that Judith performed this year assure me (whether this is true or not) that Bach was inspired by the Divine.

Having studied and performed the first 5 of Biber’s Rosary Sonatas this year, I am not only struck by Biber’s virtuosity but also his innovation in making the alternate violin tunings (scordatura) an essential part of the compositions; the creative, intellectual and spiritual framework cannot be denied. Sharing this 300 year-old music is a privilege that I am only beginning to grasp and I look forward to exploring the Sorrowful and Glorious mysteries in the coming years.

PRESENTATION No. 1

2089 Ponce De Leon Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30307

Sunday October 15, 2023, 4 PM

Donations welcome

Bach/Biber Project

J.S. BACH Sonata No. 1 in g minor for Violin Solo, BWV 1001
H.I.F. BIBER Rosary Sonatas: I. Annunciation, II. Visitation, III. Nativity

BACH/BIBER PROJECT

2089 Ponce De Leon Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30307

October and February

YEAR 1

Bach/Biber Project

J.S. BACH Sonata and Partita No. 1
H.I.F.
 BIBER Rosary Sonatas:
The Five Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary

PRESENTATION No. 2

2089 Ponce De Leon Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30307

Sunday February 11, 2024, 5 PM

Donations welcome

Bach/Biber Project

J.S. BACH Partita No. 1 in b minor for Violin Solo, BWV 1002
H.I.F.
 BIBER Rosary Sonatas: IV. Presentation of the Baby Jesus in the Temple, V. The Finding of Jesus in the Temple
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