A Feast for the Ears: Christ by the Sea’s popular Concert Series returns

It started off as an experiment, but 18 seasons later, the Concert Series at Christ by the Sea United Methodist Church has grown so popular that the 400-seat church is frequently forced to add extra performances.

Jean Ueltschi, chair of the concert series, credits the rise in popularity to Marcos Daniel Flores, director of worship arts, who she calls a “great pianist and choir director.”

“Our concert series has enriched our town with outstanding talented musicians who love performing at Christ by the Sea,” she says.

Flores, who was born and grew up in Puerto Rico, says he was “raised in the church.” His father was a Baptist minister and his mother, who loved listening to classical music, was very involved with their church congregation. His brother, Jose Daniel Flores, is also a church music director, for a while at the Community Church of Vero Beach, and frequently plays the organ for the New York City Ballet and the Philadelphia Symphony.

“We were known as the Flores brothers,” he says. “We played organ and piano concerts. That allowed me to create a large network of musicians and artists.”

Flores attended the renowned Eastman School of Music and got his doctorate in musical arts from Arizona State University. He had barely gotten his feet wet at Christ by the Sea before launching its annual concert series, just a year after his October 2004 arrival at the church.

He says even though the sanctuary is a relatively small venue, its sound quality is big, due in part to a large concert grand Steinway piano and the Brazilian cherry wood chancel, which adds rich resonance to the acoustics.

The music series features five programs, each lasting from 60 to 90 minutes with intermission. Three of the programs are instrumental classical music concerts; one of them is a “monster concert” with multiple pianists.

In addition, the series presents two large seasonal cantatas that use a 30-piece orchestra, a 35-member choir, narration and liturgical dancers led by his wife, Debora. Flores says the cantatas are more like “a musical play.” He brings in college students from around the state to perform in them.

Here is the schedule:

Majestic Grand Piano Concert, Sunday, Nov. 19, at 3 p.m.

This concert features Flores performing a program designed to show off a traditional repertoire on that grand Steinway.

“This is a rarity to perform solo,” Flores says. “It’s a dying art to do a solo piano concert.”

The program includes the Prelude and Fugue by Bach, the full Beethoven Sonata No. 21 in C Major, “Waldstein,” which Flores says is demanding in that it is 25 minutes non-stop. Also on the program is an Albéniz composition, which Flores likens to taking a trip to Spain.

“It’s going to be almost like a flamenco guitar and a dancer,” he says.

The program finishes with Chopin’s highly emotional first nocturne and one of his most famous pieces, the “Heroic” Polonaise, Op. 53.

“It’s very difficult to play,” Flores says. “The hands will be all over the keyboard. I’ll be losing 10 pounds.”

Christmas Cantata, Saturday, Dec. 16, at 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Written by Joseph Martin, this piece is called “The Song Heard Round the World.”

Performers wear traditional costumes from any country of their choosing as a visual representation to promote “unity and diversity.”

Flores will conduct the orchestra and there will be super titles, which are like subtitles, but instead are projected above the performers rather than below. There will also be a candlelight moment when the audience is invited to sing “Silent Night.”

Seven Pianos Monster Concert, Sunday, Feb. 18, at 3 p.m.

This will mark the biggest monster piano concert yet at Christ by the Sea with seven pianos and 70 fingers playing together on stage. Flores will be joined in the performance by local pianists Jacob Craig, Kelley Coppage, Becca Harrison, Joanne Knott, Andrew Miller and Rochelle Sallee.

The program includes two works from Holtz’s “The Planets,” the first movement of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, works by Schumann and a special arrangement by Salles.

Instead of having strings, percussions and woodwinds, the pianos will take on the different musical parts.

“It’s so popular; in the past we’ve gotten sold out,” Flores says.

Easter Cantata, Saturday, March 30, at 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Like the Christmas cantata, Flores conducts the 30-piece orchestra and 35-member choir, and there are also scenes, liturgical dancers and costumes to express the Passion of Christ.

“It’s highly emotional,” Flores says. “It’s more sullen but very celebratory especially with the resurrection.”

Tango, Rags & Classical Extravaganza, Sunday, April 7, at 3 p.m.

This concert features an international group of musicians performing as a piano quintet, with Flores on piano. The first violin is Henry Hutchinson, a Juilliard graduate who was concertmaster with the Puerto Rican Symphony Orchestra.

“He is the son of my piano professor in Puerto Rico and part of a famous musical family,” Flores says.

The second violin is Matt Stott, former orchestra director at Vero Beach High School and now music director at Kings Baptist Church. The violist is Russian-born Viera Borisova, who studied at the Moscow Conservatory and now lives in Miami. The cellist is Ana Ruth Bermudez, who came from Cuba and studied at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory of Moscow.

“She is very energetic,” Flores says. “She’s almost acrobatic, hugging the cello. She will melt your feelings. She makes that cello sing.”

Music in the program comes from Piazzolla, Scott Joplin and Cesar Franck. While the quintet only gathers a couple times before playing, they have been performing together for so many years that they know each other well by now.

“It’s very demanding on each instrument,” Flores says. “We play every year together, so we know each other very well. Each of them is an incredible musician.”

All concerts will be held in the sanctuary at the Christ by the Sea United Methodist Church, 3755 Highway A1A, Vero Beach. Tickets to the classical music concerts are $30 for adults and $10 for children. The cantatas are free, but donations are appreciated. For more information, call 772-231-1661 or visit CBTSUMC.org.

Photos by Joshua Kodis and provided