The Church of Beethoven is "...a 'church' with no preaching, just uplifting music, poetry and two minutes of silence in an all-too-busy world." The goal of the Church of Beethoven is to build a "family friendly" sense of community around the arts, by removing the typically formal atmosphere of classical music, by breaking down the proverbial "fourth wall" between the audience and the performers. Featuring intimate Sunday morning performances by professional poets and musicians, it is located in the Arts District of Oak Park Illinois on Harrison St.. 

The original Church of Beethoven was founded in Albuquerque, New Mexico by Oak Park native and classical cellist Felix Wurman in an abandoned gas station on historic U. S. Route 66. The Albuquerque Church grew out of its humble beginnings and moved into The Kosmos, a larger arts space. Felix Wurman died of cancer in 2009, but the Church of Beethoven lives on in Albuquerque and has sprouted new branches in Durham, North Carolina, Tuscon, Arizona, Washington DC and here in Oak Park, Illinois. 


Get a brunch discount at Eastgate Cafe, 102 Harrison Street , after the show. 

Here is Felix Wurman's obituary from the Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/jan/13/felix-wurman-obituary
Albuquerque Church of Beethoven:http://www.churchofbeethoven.org/index.html Now called "Sunday Chatter"
Durham Church of Beethoven: http://www.churchofbeethoven-durham.net/
See the story of Church of Beethoven Here:

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