Fourth Presbyterian Church

Civic Orchestra Tuesdays at Two Concert – Buchanan Chapel – Fourth Presbyterian Church – March 17, 2026


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Over the years I’ve written over two dozen times about the Fourth Presbyterian Church’s Friday Noonday Concerts, which represents only a fraction of the times I’ve attended the events.

The church has now instituted a new concert series, or at at least I hope it will be ongoing, and I have reason to believe it will be based upon my eavesdropping skills, though no future Civic Orchestra Tuesday appearances are yet listed on the church’s concert page. (BTW, eavesdropper dates back to the late, Middle Ages and relates to the two-foot buffer, building regulation, back when regulations were still allowed and seen as a good thing.)

A string quartet from the orchestra created the blueprint for future success of the series by playing a delightful program of Ravel, Shostakovich and Montgomery in front of a full house.

Bloom/Funkhouser Duo: Salute to Duke Ellington – 4th Presbyterian Church – Nov. 17, 2025

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The Funkhouser of Bloom/Funkhouser is not Marty Funkhouser, from Curb Your Enthusiasm, played by the great Bob Einstein, although there was a 2008 movie entitled Einstein and Eddington (not Ellington) about the relationship between Albert Einstein (the scientist, not Bob’s brother, better known as Albert Brooks) and British scientist Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington. Too bad.

Also too bad was that the salute to the Duke was performed on piano (as it should be) and flute (as it shouldn’t be). Just because you can (both members of the duo are accomplished musicians), doesn’t mean you should. See Jurassic Park.

Where’s a saxophone when you need one?

As far as I can tell, the first time a flute was played in Ellington’s band was 1970, 31 years after a 24-year-old Billy Strayhorn penned “Take the ‘A’ Train” for Ellington and only four years before Ellington passed away, though I’m not suggesting that the introduction of the flute into the group was in some way a causal factor. Ian Anderson is still performing at age 78.