Ich leb’ allein in meinem Himmel, in meinem Lieben, in meinem Lied (I live alone in my heaven, in my love, and in my song) Friedrich Rückert, trans. Emily Ezust Just north of Times Square, on West 46th Street, stands the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, since 1895 a peaceful haven just steps away from the busiest intersection in the world. It’s here that Sarah Pillow and Jeffrey C. Johnson recorded their 3rd Form Records release, Grace in Time, a recording of spiritual songs for voice and organ featuring works by Mozart, Mahler, Hugo Wolf, Arthur Sullivan, Louis Vierne, and Duke Ellington on themes of love, immortality and heavenly life. Jeffrey’s playing on “Smoky Mary’s” celebrated Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ in this spacious acoustic forms the perfect backdrop for Sarah’s joyful, ethereal singing. This venture represents a spiritual journey for both Sarah and Jeff: church music has been a major part of their careers, and Jeff is currently studying to become a Lutheran minister. It is Sarah’s firm belief that “musical liturgy in any faith is key to bringing peace to the soul”. Along with such ever-popular pieces as Mozart’s Exsultate, jubilate, Sir Arthur Sullivan’s The Lost Chord, and David Charles Walker’s beloved hymn, “King of Glory,” Sarah and Jeff perform transcriptions for organ and soprano of Hugo Wolf’s settings of three poems by Eduard Mörike and Gustav Mahler’s exquisite setting of Friedrich Rückert’s poem, “Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen.” Also included is Louis Vierne’s rarely-performed song cycle, Les Angélus, on meditative texts by the little-known 20th century French poet and novelist Jehan le Povre Moyne. Rounding off the program is Duke Ellington’s “Come Sunday,” from his Sacred Concert No. 1. The composer referred to his three Sacred Concerts as “the most important thing I have ever done.” “Come Sunday” originally formed part of Ellington’s 1943 “jazz symphony” Black, Brown and Beige. The song gives Sarah a perfect opportunity to display her other talent as a jazz vocalist. All together, this music serves as a perfect counterpart to the famous quote regarding peace: It does not mean to be in a place where there is no trouble, noise, or hard work. it means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart. Hailed as “splendid” and with “a lovely, natural-sounding tone and versatile gift for interpretation” by The New York Times, soprano Sarah Pillow has built a unique career by drawing on her equal expertise in jazz, classical, and early music repertoire. Sarah has toured over 30 cities in the United States with both her jazz quartet and her crossover project, Nuove Musiche. She also directs her own group, Galileo’s Daughters, and has eight recordings available of both jazz and early music repertoire. She recently joined The Phoenix Vocal Quartet, and has also just released and album with the group titled Fairytales and Lullabies. Recent performance highlights include Messiah at The National Centre for the Performing Arts in Mumbai, India, and the role of The Queen in The Play of Daniel at The Cloisters and Trinity Wall Street in New York City, a program of early Scottish music with The Baltimore Consort at the Santa Cruz Baroque Festival, Gabriel and Eve in Haydn’s The Creation, Monticello Miscellany (music from the library of Thomas Jefferson) with Harmonious Blacksmith in Williamsburg, VA. Performances of Perpetual Motion, Galileo’s Daughters’ multimedia collaboration with author Dava Sobel has been presented in New York City, as well as venues in the US and Canada. In October, Galileo’s Daughters presented its first performances of The Consilient Realm of Copernicus, a new live transmedia production with Dava Sobel, narrator and Marc Wagnon, video artist; the next in their series of programs celebrating the interconnectedness of science and music. www.sarahpillow.com, www.galileosdaughters.com, www.buckyballmusic.com. Jeffrey C. Johnson has served as Associate Organist at Grace Church in New York, Organist and Master of the Choirs of Immanuel Church on the Green in Historic New Castle, Delaware and parishes in Mobil, Alabama; Louisville, Kentucky; and Orlando, Florida. While in Orlando, he directed the Orlando Deanery Girls Choir, which toured and performed throughout the United States and the Bahamas. Mr. Johnson received his bachelor’s degree from Florida State University where he studied organ with Michael Corzine and piano with Karyl Louwenaar. Graduate studies were at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey where he studied organ with Joan Lippincott and Eugene Roan and choral conducting with Joseph Flummerfelt and Frauke Hassemann. Jeffrey Johnson currently studies at the Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary. www.elm.org/profiles/johnson-jeffrey-c. Recorded in July and November, 2009 at Saint Mary the Virgin Church on West 46th Street, New York City Recorded and edited by Marc Wagnon Produced by Jeffrey C. Johnson and Sarah Pillow Executive Producer: Marc Wagnon Cover Design: Marc Wagnon Photography: Aline Wagnon and Marc Flajolet