North Market Street in Wooster has long been known as home to many of the citys oldest and most historic churches, and one of those churches is hoping it is becoming home to some of the citys most interesting and enjoyable musical performances.
Wooster United Methodist Church is now home to Music on Market, a free monthly concert generally scheduled for the third Wednesday of the month from September through June.
The final performance before the summer break is scheduled for Wednesday, June 12, at 7 p.m. and will feature the Hall of Fame Chorus, according to Nancy Franck, the churchs director of music.
The concert idea got its start in 2010 when Franck went to Rocky River to see a performance of the Burning River Brass and was so impressed she invited them to perform at Wooster UMC over the Christmas season. Theyve been back each season since, she said.
By Easter of last year, church organist Stephen Leslie had come on board and the music series idea was under way. By October, a fall music series came to life with a performance of Music by Two, a piano duo composed of Sharon Johnson and Nancy Davis.
Somewhere along the way, Franck said, there was discussion about a name for the series. Senior Pastor David Wilcox suggested Music on Market and the idea was launched more formally in the community. Franck credits Margo Freed for her design of the treble clef in the Music on Market logo, which was designed by College of Wooster student Ashle Williams.
The bottom line, Franck said, is it is free to the community in a historic downtown location. The series also receives marketing support from the Wayne Center for the Arts and Main Street Wooster.
Franck said, We want to be as broad spectrum as we possibly can, and the performance line-up over the past several months is indicative of that, from Sonnenberg Station to Standard Time Jazz to Clark Wilson, a silent film organist who played along to a screening of Buster Keatons Steamboat Bill, Jr.
During the off months of the summer, Franck said she will work on putting together the 2013-14 Music on Market schedule, saying people have an idea of what they want to hear so Im talking to everybody and anybody to see what we can get. So far, she said, she is working to get a multi-media Bach presentation on next years calendar, as well as a performance by the Baldwin-Wallace University Chorus
She also hopes to locate corporate sponsorships for the series. Currently, a free will offering is accepted and no ticket sales have been necessary. All concerts are held in the sanctuary of the church, which seats 500. Audience numbers have ranged anyway from 100 to 485.
Music on Market is sure to offer something for any music lover, said Franck, adding that the church looks upon the endeavor as another way to do outreach in the community. Each performance includes an intermission, she said, with refreshments and plenty of chat time and chance for meeting new people.
