THE THIRD SUNDAY CONCERT SERIES
Christ Episcopal Church, Covington
120 S. New Hampshire Street
Covington, Louisiana 70433
36th season of Third Sunday Concert Series will kick off
Sept. 20 at Christwood with Matt Lemmler
The Third Sunday Concert Series will begin its 36th season as an outreach of Christ Episcopal Church, Covington, on Sunday, Sept. 20, with a performance by noted pianist Matt Lemmler, accompanied by percussionist and drummer Pedro Segundo. The September concert will be held at The Atrium at the Christwood Retirement Community in order to accommodate ongoing renovations underway at the Christ Church, Covington, campus.
The gated entrance to Christwood is located on Christwood Boulevard, just off East Brewster Road near its intersection with Louisiana 21. After entering Christwood look for signs directing traffic to The Atrium.
The one-hour Third Sunday Concerts are held monthly from September through May. Admission-free and open to the public, they offer a variety of musical genres performed by professional artists. Each concert is followed by a reception with refreshments for the artists and audience members. The performances begin at 5 p.m. (doors open at 4:30 p.m.).
At the Sept. 20 concert at Christwood, titled “New Orleans Stride Songs and Psalms,” Lemmler will use his New Orleans perspective for a jubilant exploration of how the classic stride piano style can embrace a variety of different songs, including sacred pieces.
Raised in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans, Lemmler has a bachelor of music degree from Loyola University, New Orleans, and a master’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music in New York City. During his early years he honed his musical prowess by collaborating with esteemed bandleaders from New Orleans, including Bob French and The Original Tuxedo Jazz Band, Herb Tassin and The Blue Room Orchestra, and the renowned jazz clarinetist Pete Fountain.
Presently, he performs at concerts and several New Orleans venues, including aboard the Steamboat Natchez with the John Mahoney Little Band, and at Sunday morning jazz services at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Harvey and at the 5 p.m. service at Christ Church, Covington. Lemmler is also a professor of jazz piano/improvisation at Loyola.
Lisbon-born Segundo has a rich background spanning classical orchestral percussion (including working as a guest timpanist with the Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields in London) and deep roots in jazz, funk, and world rhythms. He is also a prominent fixture in the New Orleans music community, frequently performing at Tipitina’s, Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro and the Maple Leaf Bar, and often collaborating with Jon Cleary and The Absolute Monster Gentlemen.
The Third Sunday Concert Series will return to its regular venue at Christ Church’s Covington campus on Oct. 18 with selections by the Loyola Opera Workshop. Other concerts scheduled for 2026-27 include harpist Patrice Foster and Arpa on Nov. 15; holiday selections by Louisiana Brass led by Erik Morales on Dec. 20; classical pianist Diana Tracher on Jan. 17; New Orleans jazz by Oscar Rossignoli on Feb. 21; selections on flute and piano by Sarah Schettler and Lillia Oliinyk on April 18; and, Louisiana Blues by Chris Thomas King on May 16.
The concerts are offered at no cost through the generous support of the Christ Episcopal Church, Covington, congregation and the community at large. For information on how to contribute to the Third Sunday Concert Series contact the church office at 985.892.3177.
