Last night, St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church on Greenwich Village’s Christopher Street hosted one of the last events for the 2015 Chelsea Music Festival, a celebration of Finnish and Hungarian art, culture, music, and food, now in its 6th season. The event, titled ‘Sibelius and Ida’ was a musical retelling of the relationship between famed Finnish composer Jean Sibelius and one of the classical singers he composed a number of pieces for, Ida Eckman.
The church has stood in Greenwich Village since 1855. The Federal-style building, built some thirty years earlier, is one of the oldest religious buildings in Greenwich Village. in 1842, the property was sold to St. Matthew Episcopal Church, who worshipped there until its current German Lutheran owners purchased the location. It was noted recently for hosting a number of events in conjunction with NYC Pride 2015.
A pre-performance discussion with playwright Tuomas Hiltunen
The Chelsea Music Festival, which closes Saturday with a jazz performance at St. Pauls Church on West 22nd Street, is a weeklong series of events detailing Finland and Hungary’s history and culture, inviting musicians and visual artists to perform and showcase their work.
Next, read about the the Starrett-Lehigh Building in Chelsea, the host of the Chelsea Music Festival’s opening gala. Get in touch with the author @jinwoochong.
