First Friday Jazz & Classical Concerts Sponsored by Dedham School of Music and First Church presents its fifth concert of the 2024-2025 season, a Valentine’s Cabaret featuring Katie Jillson and Linnea Bardarson at First Church and Parish in Dedham 670 High Street, Dedham on Friday, February 7, 2025 at 7:30 pm in the Parish House Dining Room. (There will be refreshments for purchase). Tickets are $20 and are available online and at the door. Doors open at 7:00 pm. 

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Celebrate love this Valentine’s season with an enchanting evening of music performed by vocalist Katie Jillson, accompanied by the talented Linnea Bardarson. Set in an intimate cabaret-style atmosphere, this performance will sweep you off your feet with a romantic blend of Broadway showstoppers, jazzy standards, and heartfelt ballads, alongside a touch of playful comedy and dramatic opera flair. Perfect for a date night or an evening with friends, this cabaret promises to capture the many moods of love—passionate, tender, wistful, and joyful. Don’t miss this chance to indulge in an unforgettable night of music, just in time for Valentine’s Day!

Katie Jillson, a vocalist originally from Sabattus, Maine, has been performing throughout New England for over 20 years. With classical soprano training as her foundation, Katie has sung with esteemed ensembles such as the Boston Cecilia, Masterworks Chorale, and Metropolitan Chorale. Her career as a liturgical musician has also taken her to numerous parishes across the region. Currently, she serves as the Music Director at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Jamaica Plain.

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In addition to performing, Katie is passionate about teaching and nurturing the next generation of musicians. She owns and operates The Growing Musician in West Roxbury, where she offers voice and piano lessons to students of all ages and levels. Katie believes that anyone can find their authentic voice through music with curiosity, vulnerability, and an open mind. She is also on the faculty and board of the Dedham School of Music, where she continues to teach and inspire.

Audience members may know Linnea Bardarson from her many years as choral accompanist for the Dedham Public Schools.  You may have seen her playing banjo recently at places like Big Bear and Mocha Java.   A resident of Dedham for over twenty years, she served as Music Director at First Church and Parish from 2007-2018, and currently serves as organist and pianist for First Unitarian-Universalist Society of Newton.  She teaches piano at Dedham School of Music and UMass Boston. She is thrilled to accompany her dear colleague and friend Katie Jillson in tonight's Valentine's Cabaret. 

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First Church and Parish Dedham Unitarian Universalist was gathered in 1638 and is located in Dedham Center at 670 High Street. Its lively music program includes choir at Sunday services, the Parish Players theater troupe, Friday Folk Coffeehouse, as well as our First Friday Jazz & Classical Concerts in conjunction with Dedham School of Music, founded in 2008 and providing an environment for people of all ages, abilities, and means to learn, play, and enjoy music.