Church of Beethoven

The Church of Beethoven is a weekly Sunday concert series founded by former New Mexico Symphony Orchestra cellist Felix Wurman. He was inspired to create a "church that has music as its principle element" after performing at a church service and being more moved by  the partitioners reaction to the music than the theology. What I remember most about Felix, and watching him play the cello, was the expressions on his face while he was performing; you could see the intense concentration put into playing such an instrument. Every part of his face would move, as if it was being sculpted in time with the piece of music as the bow slid back and forth across the strings; it was fascinating. Housed in the Kosmos at the Factory on 5th warehouse in downtown Albuquerque, the hour-long CoB concerts include two musical performances, a poetry reading, and a two-minute celebration of silence (the closest thing it comes to real church); there is complimentary coffee and espresso, you can get a massage, and I have seen dogs running through the rows of folding chairs. The first time I went was about a year ago, where I heard performances by an oboe player from the Symphony and a guitar professor from the UNM Department of Music. I attended the concert again two weeks ago; it was a morning filled with Native music and poetry with a performance by Joy Harjo, an accomplished Native American musician, accompanied by Larry Mitchell and Tony James. I've been waiting somewhat impatiently for two weeks now for the video to be uploaded to the CoB YouTube channel and haven't seen it, so the one above will have to do for now.