Donegal Presbyterian Church in Mount Joy makes the perfect spot for a concert series, said church member Debra Ronning. "The church is located on a beautiful historic site," she said. "We recently celebrated our 300th anniversary. There is a grand piano and a tracker organ. The wooden case of the organ was built from the 'witness tree' that stood outside the church." Inspired by the church's history, Ronning created Music at Donegal.

The three-concert series will debut on Sunday, Jan. 8, at 3 p.m. and will feature duo pianists Justin Badgerow and Ronning, both faculty members at Elizabethtown College. The program will include Ravel's "La Valse," and Kapustin's "Sinfonietta" as well as solo works by Chopin and Roldan.

The concert series will continue on Sunday, March 5, at 3 p.m., when Rizzetta's Tones will entertain. The group performs Celtic and folk music with a variety of instruments, including dulcimers, whistles, flute and guitar.

The series will wrap up on Sunday, April 16, at 3 p.m., when the Mennonite Children's Choir of Lancaster will perform. "(They) will glorify Jesus Christ through choral singing," Ronning stated. "They will perform a solo program as well as interact with the audience with group singing."

Ronning plans to make Music at Donegal an annual event with a variety of concerts each year. "One will be focused on celebrating our Celtic heritage, another about Christian choral or instrumental music as well as a classical or chamber performance," she said.

Founded in 1721, Donegal Presbyterian Church shares an ancestral heritage with a church in Rathneeny, Ireland. The "witness tree" that once stood on the grounds was the spot where church members met in 1777, when George Washington sent a message asking for men to muster and travel to Philadelphia for the Revolutionary War effort. The tree had to be cut down in 1991 due to disease, but the congregation used its wood to make offering plates, bowls, bells and more, including the organ case.

All concerts are open to the public and will be held at the church, 1891 Donegal Springs Road, Mount Joy. There is no admission fee, but a freewill offering will be received. For more information, contact Ronning at ronnindd20@gmail.com or 717-413-7867.