First Friday Concert 2/6/26 - Bruce Johnson

Bruce Johnson will be the featured singer at the First Friday Concert Feb. 6, at 12:10 p.m. at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 1000 Michigan Ave., La Porte. He will be singing the music of Hoosier composers. John Gouwens, organist and choirmaster at St. Paul's will accompany him on the piano.

Johnson has been singing as long as he can remember. A La Porte native and graduate of LaPorte High School where he sang in many choirs, Johnson graduated from Ball State and Valparaiso Universities and has completed post-graduate work in Comparative Education, History, and Culture at the Universities of London, Paris, Moscow, and Beijing. He taught at schools in the West Indies and Liberia and eventually for the South Central Community School Corporation for 40 years and was guest lecturer in the Education Department at Purdue North Central for 7 years.

A member of the La Porte Little Theatre Club for 54 years, he has performed in 43 different productions. He also performed for several years with Susie Richter and Rose Marie Dure in “Sentimental Journey," with Robert Dure and Matthew Daniel in “Tenors Three” for 20 years, and has been singing at Bethany Lutheran Church for more than 60 years.

Johnson is currently serving as the official County Historian for La Porte County and serves on numerous boards of directors.

St. Paul's is handicap accessible through the Harrison Street door. Attendees are encouraged to bring their lunch for the half-hour program. There is no charge, but a free-will offering box is available for donations to continue the series.

First Friday Concert 1/2/26 - Black Tie

Fred Nesbitt (from left) and Paul Werner, "Black Tie." are the featured musicians at the First Friday Concert at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, La Porte, Jan. 2, 2026.

The First Friday Concert at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 1000 Michigan Ave., La Porte, Jan. 2, 2026, will feature "Black Tie," the duo of Paul Werner and Fred Nesbitt. The concert begins at 12:10 p.m. for half an hour. There is no charge, but a free-will offering box is available.

Werner is a member of St. Paul's who sometimes provides music at the church's twice-monthly community dinners. A keyboardist, he has played in various locations in the Chicago and northwest Indiana areas, including the United Center for pre-game entertainment for Chicago Bulls games, Four Winds Field and the Century Center in South Bend, the Acorn Theatre and the Valparaiso University Jazz Festival. He currently plays with R&B singer J.D. Davis.

Nesbitt was fortunate to be born in the musical instrument capital of the world, Elkhart, Indiana. He was blessed early and often with many great mentors. Musical influences ranged from Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett to Kenny Loggins and John Denver and from Rogers and Hammerstein to Carlos Jobim and sacred music. At 26 he picked up a guitar and taught himself enough chords to play and sing a few folk, rock, and Blues tunes. From him you’ll hear a mixture of jazz standards, American folk standards, 70’s pop ballads, cowboy blues, and who knows, maybe a samba or two.

The church is handicap-accessible from the Harrison Street entrance and people are encouraged to bring their lunches to eat during the concert.

First Friday Concert 12/5 - Pianists Diedrich and Davis

Pianists Donovan Diedrich and Joan Davis will return to the First Friday Concert at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 1000 Michigan Ave., La Porte, at 12:10 p.m. Dec. 5.

Diedrich has played since the age of 16. He enjoys playing ragtime, swing and Christmas music and has played in numerous recitals, concerts, weddings and at businesses. He enjoys baking and has been an overnight stocker at WalMart since 2020.

Davis started playing piano at the age of 8, taught by her grandmother. She earned a bachelor's degree in theater technology at the University of Wyoming, with a minor in music education with an emphasis on voice. She has taught piano and voice since 1991 and has been employed at Roxy since 2006. She has played, sung with and directed choirs at several area churches since 1998.

St. Paul's is handicap-accessible through the Harrison Street entrance, attendees are encouraged to bring their lunch for the half-hour program. There is no charge, but a free-will offering box is available to sustain the series.