The Highland Performing Arts Series invites the community to experience a variety of musical performances, building on a local legacy that blends tradition with a new vision. With a lineup that spans genres and generations, the summer 2025 season promises an inspiring mosaic of live music for audiences of all ages.
The Series
The Highland Performing Arts Series was created to present musical concerts and events featuring local, national, and international artists, while providing enriching experiences for both the Highland congregation and the surrounding community. The series represents the merging of two long-standing traditions at Highland Presbyterian Church.
The Dorothy Rose Smith Concert Series, founded in 1999, commemorated the church’s acquisition of its Wicks Pipe Organ and honored Dorothy Smith’s 29 years as Director of Music. This series brought outstanding organists and ensembles to Highland and regularly featured the church’s own Chancel Choir in large-scale works.
The Lemonade Concerts, born out of the Lancaster Opera Workshop in the mid-1970s, offered a relaxed and community-focused summer program showcasing local talent and emerging performers.
In 2024, these two beloved traditions were unified under the Highland Performing Arts Series banner. A newly expanded committee, including members from both previous series and the broader church community, now oversees a year-round program designed to preserve the artistic integrity of the past while embracing new audiences and diverse performances.
October 5, 2025: Steven Courtney
3:00 PM in the HPC Sanctuary
Bring the kids! Steven Courtney has been called a shining light in music for families and children. His performances are fun, upbeat, and humorous, with a wink to remembering what it was like to be a kid. He’s a natural-born storyteller, who draws kids in with his clever and catchy tunes.
November 2, 2025: LBC Community String Orchestra
3:00 PM in the HPC Sanctuary
Doris Hall-Gulati leads an ensemble of Lancaster Bible College students and musicians from the Lancaster community.
December 14, 2025: Lancaster Heritage Chorale
3:00 PM in the HPC Sanctuary
The Chorale’s mission is to inspire listeners to a renewed appreciation of choral tradition. From madrigals to spirituals, all choral styles are represented. Their bel canto style emphasizes purity of tone, contoured phrasing, and vocal blend. Barry Sawyer directs the group in both a capella and accompanied works.
February 4, 2026: Highland Keyboard Extravaganza
7:00 PM in the HPC Sanctuary
Dr. Paul Thorlakson, Director of Music Ministry at Highland, joins Jonathan Lefever and other performers to celebrate the art of keyboarding. Highland’s Steinway D concert grand piano and
Wicks organ take center stage as the sanctuary comes alive with sound.
March 21, 2026: Paloma School of Irish Dance
7:00 PM in the HPC Sanctuary
It’s time for something new – Irish Dancing! “Paloma” means dove, highlighting the school’s focus on building dancers’ integrity, humility, and relationship with God. The goal is to help everyone reach their highest potential no matter what age, ability, or commitment. Some pursue Irish Dance competitively, others through performances, or simply as a hobby.
April 22, 2026: Penn Square Opera
7:00 PM in the HPC Sanctuary
Sacred Voices in Song
Highland’s own Abigail and Jeff Martin perform with friends and colleagues from Penn Square Opera in a concert of sacred songs and oratorio arias from a variety of composers including Mendelssohn, Handel, Verdi, and many more. Join us as we worship the Lord with our gifts!
May 13, 2026: Cat’s Pajamas
7:00 PM in the HPC Sanctuary
The Cat’s Pajamas are an old-school jazz band featuring the classic sounds of New Orleans and Chicago with a side of Blues and Dixieland. They specialize in retrofitting modern hits from Wham! to Guns N’ Roses and Justin Timberlake. The Cat’s Pajamas love to have fun on stage and share it with an audience.
May 27, 2026: Highland Chancel Choir and Orchestra
7:00 PM in the HPC Sanctuary
The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace
Composed by Welsh composer Karl Jenkins, The Armed Man is dedicated to victims of the war in Kosovo, Yugoslavia in the late 1990s. It tells of the horrors of war, but ends with the hope for peace. Under the direction of Dr. Paul Thorlakson, the Highland Chancel Choir and Orchestra features church members and local guest musicians.
June 10, 2026: Reji Woods and Company
7:00 PM in the HPC Sanctuary
Music of Broadway
Reji has performed throughout the United States and in Paris, Amsterdam, and India! He has also enjoyed an extensive acting career Broadway/Off Broadway and at Sight & Sound Theatres in Lancaster, where he has performed in stage recordings of Jonah, Noah, Moses, and Voices of Christmas