Join us for First Unity’s special Sunday service music for the month of January 2022, featuring performances by leading members of the St. Louis musical community. January’s schedule is as follows:
January 2, 2022 — Burning Bowl Service
Brian Clarke — Vocals and Guitar
Brian Clarke is perhaps the most beloved New Thought musician in St. Louis. He is most recently the recipient of the St. Louis Magazine “A-List” Award as Best Vocalist and Best Musician.
Yes, this is the same Brian Clarke who played at The Opera House / Train Wreck and Dorsett Inn.
Brian has toured the U.S. many times as a bassist and vocalist with Kinky Friedman and Billy Swan. He has played with Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker and many other well-known artists. As a solo performer, Brian has opened shows for The Little River Band, Poco, Leon Russell, David Crosby, The Outlaws, Tom Chapin, Donovan and many others.
Currently, Brian continues to confidently share the skills born of his tremendous experience. His stage presence is unique, spontaneous, fresh, alive and of the moment. He connects with you. Brian works to see that you get exactly what he intends for you to have…a great time, every time!
January 9, 2022 — White Stone Service
Dan Rubright, Guitar
Guitarist and recording artist Dan Rubright recently received a prestigious 2019 Arts Fellow grant from the St. Louis Regional Arts Commission for his work as composer and leader in the arts. In addition to composing and performing, Dan leads a workshop called The Hidden Jazz of Teams.
January 16, 2022
Chuck Flowers, Vocals with Steve Schenkel, Guitar
Chuck Flowers is a veteran singer/entertainer. He has recorded with the Gospel Symphonic Choir, The O’Neal Twins and the Interfaith Choir and the Golden Gospel Singers. He performed in Porgy and Bess with Union Avenue Opera Theater.
Steve Schenkel is the guitarist and orchestra manager for the Fox Theater, guitarist for the Muny Opera and the St. Louis Symphony, and a freelance jazz musician. He recently retired after 37 years at Webster University, where he founded the Jazz Studies program, the Webster Jazz Concert Series, and the Jazz Studies/Music Technology program. Steve serves as the Music Director of First Unity Church of St. Louis.
January 23, 2022
Kim Portnoy — Piano — with Steve Schenkel, Guitar
Pianist and Webster University faculty member Kim Portnoy is recognized as a versatile composer in the classical and jazz idioms. His compositions have been featured nationally and internationally at the Eastman Summer Trombone Institute in Rochester, New York; the Choral Music Experience Institute in Arvika, Sweden; the Guitar Foundation of America Conference at Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio and two International Association of Jazz Educator’s conferences: New Orleans and Atlanta.
Steve Schenkel is the guitarist and orchestra manager for the Fox Theater, guitarist for the Muny Opera and the St. Louis Symphony, and a freelance jazz musician. He recently retired after 37 years at Webster University, where he founded the Jazz Studies program, the Webster Jazz Concert Series, and the Jazz Studies/Music Technology program. Steve serves as the Music Director of First Unity Church of St. Louis.
January 30, 2022
Opus 38 is one of St. Louis’ most innovative and virtuosic string quartets.
Violinist Hannah Frey, originally from Clinton, South Carolina, received both her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Violin Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studied with Linda Cerone and William Preucil.
Carolina Neves is a Brazilian-American violinist living in the St. Louis area. She is concertmaster of the St. Louis Civic Orchestra and plays with the Missouri Symphony Orchestra, Illinois Symphony Orchestra, and the Rosewood Ensemble. She holds degrees in violin performance from the University of Missouri.
Violist Sarah Borchelt was a long time member of the Laclede Quartet. She maintains an active teaching studio and performs in orchestras and chamber ensembles throughout the Midwest.
Stephanie Hunt teaches cello in the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Suzuki program, is the cello instructor at Lindenwood University, and maintains a private studio in St. Louis. Her students have been accepted into the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra and Illinois All State orchestras. A versatile musician, Stephanie performs on both modern and baroque cello. She is a member of the Persied String Quartet and La Petite Brise, an early music ensemble. Stephanie has participated in numerous music festivals, including the Nederlandse Orkest- en Ensemble-Academie, Royaumont Formations Professionnelles (France), the Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme, and two summers as a Tanglewood Music Center Fellow. She received a B.Mus. from the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music and a M.Mus. from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. Following her American studies, Stephanie moved to Europe and earned both a B.Mus. and M.Mus. in baroque cello from the Utrecht Conservatory in the Netherlands.