Holy Trinity in Medina will host concert Oct. 25 featuring Spanish music

Provided photo: Aaron Grabowski will play the organ at St. Mary’s Church in Medina for a Spanish concert on Oct. 25.

MEDINA – The historic St. Mary’s Church (Holy Trinity Parish) will be the site of a first-time concert of Spanish music on Oct. 25, performed by organist Aaron Grabowski, who will also perform on harpsichord and bass. The concert includes special solos by soprano Bradeen Walders-Erekare, alto Susan Walders and tenor Sebastian Erakare.

Titled “Ecos de Espana,” the concert will begin at 7 p.m., and is free and open to the public.

The idea for a concert of Spanish music was born after Grabowski performed a concert of French music at the church last November.

“It was so well received, my wife said, ‘Why don’t you do a Spanish program,’ and I started investigating it,” Grabowski said. “I had previously done French, German and English repertoires, but it became obvious there was a lot of music that came from Spanish colonies in the South and Central America and it influenced how our liturgy (Mass) unfolded musically. This will be an exciting program – something a little different. It will show the richness of the Spanish contribution to classical music.”

The concert will showcase music from the 16th to the 19th centuries.

Grabowski holds a bachelor’s degree in organ performance from SUNY at Buffalo and studied with Michael Burke and Davd Fuller. He has been principal organist and music director of St. Mary’s Church (Holy Trinity ONE Catholic Parish) since December 2007.

In July 2024, Grabowski restarted his performing career with a concert at Old Fort Niagara and has since performed concerts at St. Mary’s Church and, most recently, at Barker United Methodist Church. He has held teaching positions at St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church School in Kenmore and at the Eastman School of Music as professor of Organ History and Maintenance. He offers lessons in both organ and harpsichord.

In addition, he is a tuning foreman and organ builder with Parsons Pipe Organ Builders in Canandaigua, specializing in historic organ restoration. He joined the firm in 2013 and is a member of the American Institute of Organ Builders.

Grabowski is also an avid re-enactor who regularly volunteers with his family at Old Fort Niagara in Youngstown, portraying a French Royal Artillerist of the French and Indian War era. He is a member of the Artillery Niagara and Campagne LeBeouf.

Soprano Bradeen Walders-Erakare is a musician and artist who lives in Batavia. She has been performing vocal music for 15 years, both professionally and recreationally. Since receiving a bachelor of fine arts from Niagara University for Theatre Performance in 2016, she can most often be heard singing with the choir at St. Joseph’s Church in Albion.

Art and music are two of the most important parts of Bradeen’s life and she is delighted to be a part of this special performance.

Susan Walders is an alto and a flutist at Holy Family Parish in Albion. Her background in music extends to founding a wind ensemble, E-Yah-Pah-Hah, which aims to honor American indigenous composers. She is a former music educator and is the founder and president of Cycling Without Age of Orleans County, an organization aiming to help people of limited mobility using trishaws (tricycle) feel the freedom of moving about accompanied by a companion driver.

Sebastian Erakare trained as a tenor in college and has spent most of his life writing, arranging and performing in various ensembles as both a vocalist and instrumentalist. He has performed at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, N.C., and took part in a performance of the opera Il Trovotoreby Guiseppe Verde as a member of the gypsy chorus and anvil chorus.

Currently, he is part of the choir at St. Joseph’s Church in Albion and is a regular participant in open mic nights near his residence in Batavia. He has most recently been invited to join the Rivertree Singers in a future engagement as they perform Dan Forrest’s Creation at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

The concert is sponsored by Orleans Renaissance Group with support from Go Art!

Grabowski added he will also be doing his annual program for Advent and Christmas in mid-December.