When Chicago musician Jeffrey Panko joined the staff of Bethel United Church of Christ in Elmhurst two years ago, he found himself enchanted by the church’s acoustics.
“The sound quality in the sanctuary reminded me of Carnegie Hall,” said Panko, who performed at the New York City musical landmark in 1980 as a member of an all-star high school band and again in 1992 after winning an international piano competition. “The acoustics are wonderful.”
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Panko, musical director and organist at Bethel United and a professional classical pianist, quickly volunteered to perform a piano recital to benefit the church. After the show, an audience member suggested to Panko and senior minister Rev. Deborah Jarvis that the church should stage concerts more often.
Within months, Panko and Jarvis had launched the Monday Evening Concert Series at the church with a performance by violinist Rachel Barton. The series, now in its second season, will feature Panko in a solo piano concert on Monday. Proceeds from all performances benefit the church’s youth ministry programs.
“We’re thrilled to have Jeffrey performing as part of the series,” Jarvis said. “He’s not only a highly acclaimed musician, he combines his talents with a deep faith.”
Panko will perform Bach’s Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue, Beethoven’s “Waldstein” Sonata and works by Chopin. The concert also will include selections from Panko’s new compact disc, which features pieces by Bach, Debussy, Mozart and Chopin.
“I have a special affinity for [Polish composer] Chopin, because I am of Polish descent,” said Panko, who was asked by the City of Chicago to perform at a 1989 concert in honor of visiting Polish hero Lech Walesa. “But I haven’t played most of my favorite Chopin pieces in public since the 1992 concert at Carnegie Hall.
“You perform works for a while, then you go away from them and circulate other songs in your repertoire,” he explained. “Now I’m coming back to some of my old favorites.”
According to Panko, Mondays were chosen for the concert series because Monday is traditionally an “off night” for arts ensembles.
“The Chicago Symphony Orchestra usually doesn’t play on Monday nights, so it seemed appropriate for us to present concerts then,” Panko said. “There’s a lot less competition for musicians and for audiences.”
The Monday evening series features four shows per concert season; performances typically draw between 150 and 275 people, by Panko’s estimates.
Though the series’ core audience is from the western suburbs, some shows, including a rare solo concert by musical theater performer Hollis Resnick, have drawn crowds from Chicago.
“By presenting a variety of programs, including baroque, classical and musical theater, we hope to draw audiences from different musical fields,” said Panko, who books the series. “Each concert we do brings in a different group of people.”
Panko, who also teaches piano and coaches opera singers, began studying piano with his grandmother at age 6. He says most children would love classical music if they were exposed to it at an early age.
“I work with a lot of kids, and I think that the music programs in schools are producing some great young musicians,” Panko said.
“But being a [professional] musician requires desire and daily dedication,” he added. “I practice 5 to 8 hours a day, more or less. It takes physical as well as mental discipline. As I explain it to kids, being a musician is like being an athlete. You have to keep your apparatus in shape.”
Jeffrey Panko
When: 7:30 p.m. Monday.
Where: Bethel United Church of Christ, 315 E. St. Charles Rd. in Elmhurst.
Tickets: $20; $18 seniors; $12 students. The concert will be followed by an artist’s reception. For advance tickets, call the church at 630-279-4040.