Taylor Concert Series
With Alice Bemis Taylor’s gift in 1928 of a magnificent pipe organ and endowment to provide concerts in memory of her husband, Frederick Morgan Taylor, a vast richness of musical opportunities became possible. The Taylor Memorial Concert Series has presented many world-renowned organists, singers, chamber ensembles, and choirs in concerts and services to national and international acclaim. Many premieres of major choral works have taken place in Grace and St. Stephen’s beautiful space.
If you are interested in joining the email list which shares news about the Taylor Memorial Concerts, please click
here. We will only send you news about those concerts, nothing else -- and we do not sell our email lists.
Plein Aire Chamber Ensemble
Sunday, September 7, 2025 at 3pm
The Plein Aire Chamber Ensemble returns to the Series, playing Dohnanyi’s String Sextet in B-Flat Major and Tchaikovsky’s ‘Souvenir de Florence’ played by Elisa Wicks, Jacob Klock, Michael Sabatka, Esther Nahm, Emma Patterson, and Jennifer Yopp.
“An Afternoon in Vienna”
Katie Mahan, piano
Sunday, October 12, 2025 at 3pm
Katie Mahan takes listeners on a journey to Vienna, with Beethoven’s ever popular ‘Moonlight’ Sonata, Schubert’s posthumous Impromptus op. 142, Mozart’s beloved Eine kleine Nachtmusik, and Katie’s own arrangement of one of Gershwin’s most famous concert works.
Deux Voix
Justin Langham, trumpet
Stephen Distad, organ
Sunday, November 16, 2025 at 3pm
Known for their engaging and creative programming, Deux Voix (“Two Voices”) presents an eclectic blend of music spanning Bach to Bossa Nova, with many surprises in store. Join Justin Langham and Stephen Distad for a musical journey through time.
Advent Lessons and Carols
The Taylor Choir
The St. Nicholas Choir
Sunday, December 7, 2025 at 3pm
The combined choirs of Grace and St. Stephen’s offer the traditional service of Advent Lessons and Carols, followed by an Advent Family Festival in the Parish Hall.
The Muse Duo
Sunday, January 18, 2026 at 3pm
Collin Holloway, guitar
Luke Benedict, piano
This one-of-a-kind duo brings listeners through classical repertoire, folk song, and modern chamber music written expressly for the Muse Duo. Works by Manuel de Falla, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, and Malcolm Arnold are heard alongside new music by emerging composers Robert Luke Benedict and David Leach.
Colorado Vocal Arts Ensemble
Sunday, February 15, 2026 at 3pm
Under the direction of Deborah Jenkins Teske, the Colorado Vocal Arts Ensemble sings a program of masterworks from five centuries of choral tradition, including the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, and Joanna Marsh.
Fauré Requiem
Sunday, March 8, 2026 at 3pm
John Herman, conductor
Joseph Galema, organ
The Taylor Choir and Compline Choir combine to offer a program of French choral music, including Fauré’s Requiem and works by de Séverac and Duruflé.
David Pickering, Organ
Sunday, April 19, 2025 at 3pm
Professor of Music at Kansas State University, David Pickering performs works by Bach, Sowerby, Richard Purvis, George Thalben-Ball, Dudley Buck, and Daniel E. Gawthrop, showcasing the wide breadth of orchestral tone available on the Taylor Organ.
The Taylor Memorial Organ:
A Special Part of our Music and Worship
The Taylor Memorial Organ at Grace and St. Stephen's is recognized as one of the finest organs in the country. Built by the Welte Organ Company of New York, New York in 1928, the instrument was a gift of Mrs. Alice Bemis Taylor, who was “persuaded by the rector and organist that a splendid organ for Grace Church would be an addition to the community as well as a fitting memorial” to her husband, Frederick Morgan Taylor. For the most part, the specifications of the instrument remain intact from the original project.
The overall style of the instrument is American Romantic, meaning that the design creates a warm, rich sound with many orchestral colors, making it ideal for choral accompaniment as well as solo recitals. In 1998, the organ was selected for recognition as an instrument of exceptional historic merit by the Organ Historical Society.
The organ has four manuals (keyboards): Solo, Swell, Great and Choir (from top to bottom on the console); the façade pipes seen in the chancel and nave of the church are purely for decorative purposes. Every speaking pipe of the instrument is enclosed behind shutters, presenting the organist with many expressive possibilities.
In total, there are 55 stops and 3,994 pipes. The stoplist can be found here.
A very generous gift by a Grace and St. Stephen's parishioner has made possible the addition of an antiphonal division at the back of the church, which was completed by Schoenstein and Co. of San Francisco in July 2020. The case, in white oak, was made by New Holland Church Furniture, PA. This marvelous addition to the main organ was designed to complement the 1928 Welte both aurally and visually, and includes a harmonic tuba stop of great power.
