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.

First Friday Concert 11/7 - Organist John Gouwens

The First Friday Concert at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 1000 Michigan Ave., La Porte, at 12:10 p.m. Nov. 7, will feature organist and carillonneur John Gouwens.

John Gouwens served as Organist and Carillonneur at Culver Academies from 1980 to 2019. He is now Organist and Choirmaster at Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church, and Carillonneur at The Presbyterian Church, both here in La Porte. He is very active in every aspect of the carillon field, including composing and arranging music, authoring a method book for teaching, performing throughout North America and Europe, and consulting on carillon installations (including The Children’s Carillon at The Presbyterian Church). He studied organ at Indiana University (with Clyde Holloway), The University of Michigan (with Robert Glasgow and Robert Clark), and at The University of Kansas. At the latter, his main emphasis, ultimately, was carillon, which he studied with Albert Gerken. He proceeded directly from Kansas to his position at Culver. He has made eight recital tours in Europe, most recently in the summer of 2023, playing recitals in The Netherlands, Belgium, and Poland.

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