From Henry Who? A Life in Cartoons. Illustrations by Kari Hansen.

Join us at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church for an organ recital by George Matthew, Jr.— Henry L. Sheldon’s present-day counterpart as organist. Musical selections are inspired by anniversary concerts arranged by Henry Sheldon in 1882 and 1892 to commemorate his many years as St. Stephen’s organist. During these anniversary programs, Henry accompanied a quartet of St. Stephen’s choir singers on the organ. For this program, Middlebury College Choir singers, led by Ronnie Romano, will perform selections from the 1882 and 1892 programs with organ accompaniment by George Matthew. The recital will also include a demonstration of St. Stephens’ Johnson organ using ten original hymn tunes composed by Henry Sheldon.

Music was central to Henry Sheldon’s life. He could sing and play multiple instruments from an early age. The organ was his specialty, and he even constructed several using his natural skills and talents. Henry’s services as organist or pianist were much in demand throughout Addison County. In 1842, he became organist at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Middlebury, a position he held for 33 ½ years until increasing deafness forced him to resign.  

The recital will take place at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church at 3 Main Street in Middlebury. The Sheldon Museum will open in advance of the concert at 6pm for a pre-concert reception and an opportunity for attendees to explore the Henry L. Sheldon bicentennial exhibit “Henry at 200: Collector, Museum Founder and More.”

This recital is presented in collaboration with St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Middlebury, VT. Free and open to the public, donations welcome.

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This event celebrating Henry L. Sheldon’s bicentennial is offered free to the public, but donations are welcome. Museum founder Henry Luther Sheldon was born 200 years ago on August 15, 1821. In 2021 and 2022, the Sheldon Museum is celebrating his birth bicentennial with programs, events, exhibits, and more.

We encourage you to pre-register with the form below.

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George Matthew, Jr. has been carillonneur of Middlebury College and Norwich University in Vermont since 1985. A church organist since the age of 13, he is currently Organist of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Middlebury, Vermont. Mr. Matthew has made 36 carillon concert tours of the USA and 13 of Europe, performing in Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, France, England, Ireland, Scotland, and Russia. In August 2005, he played two carillon concerts on the new carillon of St. Peter and St. Paul Cathedral, in St. Petersburg, Russia. Mr. Matthew is the first American to play carillon in Russia. In June 2004, he was named Artist of the Year by the Vermont Chapter American Guild of Organists. He has composed and arranged about 100 pieces for carillon, including a number of ragtime piano works; his rather unusual European debut was an all-ragtime program in Ostende, Belgium. He has studied carillon with Arthur Bigelow and Frank Law, organ with Hugh Ross and Ernest White, and composition with David Barnett. He is a graduate of Columbia, Bridgeport, and Wesleyan Universities.

Ronnie Romano is a versatile musician trained as a pianist, conductor, singer, organist, and composer. He has a deep love for choral music and its ability to build empathy and community. He recently became the music director for All Souls Interfaith Gathering in Shelburne, VT, and for the Champlain Valley Unitarian Universalist Society in Middlebury. Ronnie also serves as Music Director for the Wellspring Hospice Singers in Middlebury.