St. John’s United Church of Christ, 733 Central Ave., Dunkirk, will present “Christmas Vespers – the Music of Christmas” on Sunday, Dec. 18 at 6:30 p.m., featuring pianist Ann Rose and violist David Rose.

Ann Rose was born in South Korea, and started playing the piano at age 5. She began improvising and composing at a very early age — two skills which she pursued through her early training, achieving a degree in Composition and Piano from Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, Canada. Her teachers have included Sydney Young, Jamie Parker, Glenn Buhr, and Heather Taves. Ann has appeared with the Canadian Chamber ensemble, and has been seen and heard on CBC television. The winner of numerous competitions and awards, her music has been performed and recorded by several artists in Canada, most recently by her former teacher and also by her husband, violist David Rose. She received her Master of Piano Performance degree from the State University of New York at Fredonia, studying under Father Sean Duggan, as well as a degree in Music Education. She is the organist at St. John’s UCC in Dunkirk, and teaches choir and general music at Sinclairville Elementary School. She has toured the Czech Republic and recorded with fellow pianist JirÌ Pazour.

David Rose was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. His principal teachers have been Ernest Kassian, Gerald Stanick at the University of British Columbia, and Atar Arad at Indiana University. He was awarded the position of associate principal viola of the Vancouver Symphony. He served for eight seasons as principal violist of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and violist with the Canadian Chamber Ensemble, as well as teaching at the University of Waterloo. He served as the acting assistant principal violist of the San Francisco Symphony, enjoying involvement in a European tour and the Grammy winning Mahler symphony recording cycle. David has performed at the 1891 Fredonia Opera House as part of the Bach and Beyond festival, and has completed a recording of the six cello suites of J.S. Bach. He is currently associate professor of viola and coordinator of strings at SUNY Fredonia. He teaches at the Rocky Ridge Young Artists Seminar in the Colorado Rockies and at the Fredonia Summer String Festival in the summer.

Also taking part will be Ann and David’s sons, Billy and Manny, with their own musical contributions to the program. Billy is a first-year student at the University of Toronto in the Arts and Humanities. He was in the 2012 Hillman Opera “Gianni Schicchi” at SUNY Fredonia. He plays piano, clarinet, saxophone, and enjoys reading, movies, and drawing. Manny is in 10th grade and enjoys painting, art, video games, writing, and languages. He studies piano with longtime SUNY Fredonia faculty member Phyllis East. Both were members of the cast of Main Street Studio’s 2021 production of “The Tempest” in Fredonia, and Manny a cast member of “Mary Poppins” in 2022.

All are welcome to attend this special celebration of Christmas. Admission is free.

Parking and handicapped access are on the Eagle Street entrance of the church. The church phone number is 716-366-0710.