A History of Bluegrass

A History of Bluegrass

This Thursday, April 30, at 8:15 PM, join our very own Michael Daves and Jen Larson as they teach us the history of bluegrass through Porch Stomp. Join via Facebook Live, on the Porch Stomp Facebook page here. In addition, you can visit the event’s Facebook page here. It should be very exciting to hear Michael and Jen talk.  But until then, you can hear […]

Good Friday – St. John’s Bluegrass Passion

Good Friday – St. John’s Bluegrass Passion

This Friday, April 10th, at 7pm, join Old First for our annual Good Friday bluegrass service, led by Michael Daves and Jen Larson.  It will feature classic gospel music, as we read and reflect on the Passion story. The service will be done over Zoom.  If you would like to attend, the link to the service and bulletin are both below: Service Bulletin If you […]

May 18-19: Sacred Sites Open House and A Celebration of Arts at Old First

May 18-19: Sacred Sites Open House and A Celebration of Arts at Old First

Join us Saturday and Sunday, May 18-19 as we participate in the New York Landmarks Conservancy Sacred Sites Open House and celebrate the reopening of our sanctuary with A Celebration of Arts at Old First. On Saturday, May 18, our sanctuary doors will be open from 10am to 5pm for the New York Landmarks Conservancy Sacred Sites Open House. We’ll welcome those touring sacred sites […]

Holy Week and Easter 2019: Schedule of Services

Holy Week and Easter 2019: Schedule of Services

The week leading to Easter is full of richly meaningful events at Old First.  All events take place at Old First. Thursday, April 18, 7:00 PM Maundy Thursday: Dzieci Theatre’s “A Passion” Theatre Group Dzieci presents a unique and immersive passion play, incorporating Hebraic song and chant and ritual elements of Judaism, and set in the shadow of the Warsaw Ghetto. Join and share on […]

Jen Larson’s “The Garden of Gethsemane” Recorded at Old First

Jen Larson’s “The Garden of Gethsemane” Recorded at Old First

Last month we posted (here and here) about the history of our annual Bluegrass Good Friday service – how it evolved and why we love bluegrass on Good Friday. Here is a one of the highlights from that service: Jen Larson’s original song “The Garden of Gethsemane”, composed for this very service back in 2013.  Jen lives in Nashville now where she works as an […]

Jennifer Nelson Lends Her Voice To Our Bluegrass Good Friday Service

Jennifer Nelson Lends Her Voice To Our Bluegrass Good Friday Service

Again this year, Old First member Jennifer Nelson brings her beautiful voice to our bluegrass-themed Good Friday service. Although Jennifer sang in churches all her life, she was never quite keyed in to the typical Good Friday service. “I grew up in Oklahoma,” she says. “[For Good Friday services], they just covered everything in black. We would have the service, and then we would walk […]

Michael Daves Brings A Touch of Bluegrass To Our Good Friday Service

Michael Daves Brings A Touch of Bluegrass To Our Good Friday Service

The idea of incorporating bluegrass music into our Good Friday service is not as original as it sounds. “There is a tremendous amount of gospel music within the bluegrass tradition,” says Old First member and musician Michael Daves. “A lot of it draws from old Scots-Irish ballads, shape note singing, American rural hymnody, and some more recently composed work.” Michael helped bring bluegrass performance to […]

Holy Week 2018: Schedule of Services

Holy Week 2018: Schedule of Services

The week leading to Easter is full of richly meaningful events at Old First.  RSVP to help the organizers get a sense of attendance, or use the link to share with friends.  All events take place at Old First. Thursday, March 29, 7:00 PM Maundy Thursday: Dzieci Theatre’s “A Passion” Theatre Group Dzieci presents a unique and immersive passion play, incorporating Hebraic song and chant and […]

Holy Week 2017: Schedule of Services

Holy Week 2017: Schedule of Services

April 9: 11:00 am, Palm Sunday Festival and St. Matthew’s Passion We bless the palm branches and celebrate the Triumphal Entry, and we follow that with our annual readers’ theater presentation of the whole Passion of Christ. April 13: 7:00 pm, Maundy Thursday – “A Passion” by Theatre Group Dzieci  Theatre Group Dzieci has refined their text from the earliest existing translations, relying heavily on the Aramaic Peshita, […]

Michael Daves: Bluegrass and Electric At Vinyl Release Event

Michael Daves: Bluegrass and Electric At Vinyl Release Event

The vinyl edition of Michael Daves’ latest album has just been released – and it’s coursing with electricity! The reason: for his original February 2016 2-CD release (Orchids and Violence) Michael took 12 traditional traditional songs and interpreted them in contrasting styles: first bluegrass and then electric. Switch around the original CD title, mash up the contrasting bluegrass/electric versions of five songs on vinyl, and […]