Austen Wilson

Depending on where you live, your 2023 – 24 program year/school year may have started already. Or perhaps you’re still preparing for rehearsals to restart. Here in Iowa City, schools will start in late August and ensembles will resume rehearsals after Labor Day. Planning worship services, choosing repertoire, and recruiting for ensembles are in full […]

One of my favorite weeks of the year is attending the Music and Worship Conference sponsored by the Presbyterian Association of Musicians (PAM). This was my third year attending it and from June 25 – 30, it fed my soul and provided practical ideas that I can take back to my context at St. Andrew […]

Over Memorial Day Weekend, I visited friends and family in New Jersey. On the way back to Iowa City, I flew out of Newark Airport, Terminal A. It had been totally redesigned and renovated since the last time I had flown out of that terminal. The entryway met more of 21st century needs with more […]

I’m not sure how the weather has been where you live, but it felt like spring took its sweet time arriving in Iowa City. Thankfully, about two weeks ago, the weather started getting warmer and more leaves on the trees are starting to emerge. It’s refreshing to be able to wear shorts when I’m not […]

Recently I went on a vacation to Seattle and Vancouver for 10 days and returned at the end of last week. It was wonderful to relax and explore two cities I had not previously traveled to. Although it was cloudy and rainy for much of my time in the Pacific Northwest, I enjoyed exploring the […]

This year, I decided to take a vacation after Holy Week and Easter, so I have more mental bandwidth than the past 2 – 3 weeks. As I learned from 2020, if I go too long without time off, stress builds up. With all the activity this calendar year such as The Secret Garden and […]