Music provides us with yet another path to express our spirituality. That's why we incorporate both traditional church hymns and contemporary music to our Sunday service for congregation members to sing along in worship.
Art presents another vehicle to express our faith and spirituality. No better example of that exists than our beautiful stained glass window.
At First Parish in Malden Universalist, we've taken art as a means of expressing spirituality one step further, opening our own art gallery, Gallery at Elm Street, in our church building at 2 Elm Street in Malden, MA.
Using a grant from the Malden Cultural Council, First Parish created the gallery and hired local artist and owner of artSPACE@16 owner Sand T to serve as curator. "The Gallery at Elm Street" opened its first exhibit in September 2006. With the works of 22 artists from Malden on display, First Parish's inaugural was well received by both members of our congregation and the greater Malden community.
For information on the artists on display at our initial exhibit, please go to the Malden Contemporary home page. Stay tuned for an upcoming announcement on the next exhibit at The Gallery at Elm Street.
Mariko Matsumura, Director of Music
A graduate of the University of Montana and Longy School of Music in Cambridge, Ms. Matsumura holds several degrees in vocal performance. In addition to her duties as First Parish music director, she also serves on the voice faculty of the Franklin School of the Performing Arts and sings with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus. Prior to her appointment as music director, Ms. Matsumura served as First Parish's soprano soloist.
Janna Bruene, Organist and Pianist
An accomplished keyboard player, Ms. Bruene studied at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, the Westphalia School of Church Music in Herford, Germany; and the Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey. Since 1981 she's served several churches in the Boston area, including First Parish in Norwell. Presently, she teaches piano lessons both on the South Shore and in Jamaica Plain, and is an active member of the New England Piano Teachers' Association.
Ken Clark, Organist and Pianist
A versatile musician and composer. He also leads the Ken Clark Organ Trio with his Hammond B3 and has performed in many jazz and blues festivals and venues throughout the country. The trio recently released their first CD, "Eternal Funk," on the Severn label. The group has performed live on the jazz programs on radio stations WERS-FM and WGBH-FM. Clark attended Berklee College of Music.
