Anne Laver, organist, at First Church of Christ * Metro Bis
Another organ concert, and this one was excellent! It was at the First Church of Christ in Simsbury. It is large and beautiful, with a balcony wrapping around three sides of the sanctuary. Most of the attendees sat there, as did we, because the organ is there, and seeing the organist’s hands and feet adds to the enjoyment of the sound. The organist was Anne Laver, the 2005 winner of the competition for the Charlotte Hoyt Bagnall Scholarship. She is pursuing a doctorate in musical arts at Eastman School of Music in Rochester. She is highly professional and played confidently and
beautifully. Her pieces were enhanced with her explanations of their history and place in the liturgical year. She played Bach, Demessieux, Widor, Heinrich, Albright, and Vierne. There were between 40 and 50 people there including a former coworker of mine and his wife. There was a small reception after and we felt very welcomed by the members of the church and enjoyed chatting with several of them and with the organist’s mother, who lives in Woodstock. We had had a late lunch and no supper before the
recital, so we found a bite to eat at Metro Bis, a gourmet bistro in town. It was late, 9:15, but we squeezed in before they closed at 9:30. We both had and shared two appetizers (goat cheese and potato tart and crispy Thai spring rolls), a Caesar salad, and two desserts (vanilla panna cotta and chocolate ganache)—everything except the entrée. Every item was superbly presented 
and absolutely delicious. I have wanted to go there for many years and it was wonderful, finally, to do so.
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