Austen Wilson

Often a title of a blog post comes easily. Today, I wrestled with a few other words starting with the letter R: Repair and Restoration. I find myself reflecting on these words after a profound concert presented by the University of Michigan Men’s Glee Club, the Viking Chorus of St. Olaf College, and the St. Olaf Choir. The highpoint of the concert was the Minnesota premiere of a piece called To Repair by Dr. Tesfa Wondemagegnehu. Watch the concert when you get a chance. It is powerful!

To Repair Concert: https://www.stolaf.edu/multimedia/play/?e=3828

In my own life, renewal is what I feel I need this summer. Personally, I’m not interested in restoration, in going back to what had been. As I feel that I have a lot of mental fog built up from the part two years, I need renewal in order to think clearly about repair and what that looks like for our communities. Learning and spending time with other church musicians, singers, and conductors are renewing experiences for me. This summer, I’m attending three conferences and workshops that will help me find experience renewal. I thought I would share information for those experiences in case you’re looking for similar opportunities.

Illinois Bach Academy (June 11 – 18)

https://publish.illinois.edu/bachacademy/

According to the website, the Academy is designed for musicians of all experience levels, united by their interest in the music of Bach. Each day begins with the participants gathering for a lecture exploring the historical and liturgical context of the works being studied. The rest of the morning and early afternoon are spent in rehearsals. In the late afternoon, participants divide into tracks with daily events geared toward their particular interest and experience. The week also includes seminars on Baroque performance practice, as well as related concerts, including an Academy Faculty recital. The week’s work will culminate in a final concert. This year’s focus is the St. Matthew Passion by J.S. Bach. The Academy faculty includes some of the country’s leading experts in the study and performance of 17th and 18th-century music, including musicologists Jeffrey Sposato and Chet Alwes, conductor Andrew Megill, and several other experts.

This will be my third time singing the St. Matthew Passion, the second time with Dr. Megill. With the grief and suffering of the pandemic, I imagine it will be a profound and moving experience.

Worship and Music Conference at Montreat (Week 1: June 19 – 24, Week 2: June 26 – July 1)

https://www.presbymusic.org/2022conference

The Worship and Music Conference is an intergenerational conference for children, youth, adults, pastors, directors, organists, pianists, instrumentalists, dancers, ringers, worship leaders, choir members, and anyone who loves and takes part in the worship and music of the church. There are two dozen faculty in a number of areas, including clergy, organists, artists, instrumentalists, handbell directors, choral directors, and others. Choral clinicians include: André Thomas, Brandon A. Boyd, Tucker BIddlecombe, Mary Biddlecombe.

I will be attending Week 2. Last summer, I attended this conference in person for the first time. I was so inspired that I knew I wanted to return this summer.

Conference on Theology, Worship, and the Arts at St. Olaf College (July 25 – 28)

http://www.stolaf.edu/cwta

In even-numbered years, St. Olaf College hosts the Conference on Worship, Theology, and the Arts. It is a profoundly moving week-long church music conference attended by both church musicians and clergy from a variety of denominations. Nationally-renowned faculty from the college and around the nation provide a rich environment for learning and worship. One of these conferences would have happened during the summer of 2020. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, it was cancelled. In July 2021, a few of the organizers held a half-day online conference. It was inspiring and thought-provoking, despite it being held through Zoom.

Themed Scatter the Imagination of Our Hearts, the 2022 conference invites participants to explore how the power of imagination can challenge, change, and inspire, especially as churches respond to the twin pandemics of COVID-19 and structural racism.

Thankfully, the conference is in person this summer. I am excited to attend and experience the conference on the beautiful St. Olaf campus. There are two dozen faculty, including choral conductors Anton Armstrong, Therees Tkach Hibbard, Heather Potter, and Tesfa Wondemagegnehu, and others.

For any church musicians in Florida or close to Florida, I highly recommend the Workshop of the Florida Chapter of the Fellowship of United Methodists in Worship Arts. (June 12 – 17) https://flfellowship.regfox.com/2022-church-music-workshop

For over 65 years, the Florida chapter has hosted its own weeklong summer workshop, which includes worship services, choir rehearsals, reading sessions, and a variety of elective classes. An important part of the event is concurrent Adult and Youth (grade 6 – 12) workshops with some intergenerational activities. Clinicians this year include Andrew Minear, Mark Burrows, Claudia Dew, and Brian Hehn. Unfortunately, I will be unable to attend, but I highly recommend the workshop.

What conferences or other events are you attending this summer that will help you find renewal? Are you attending of these events? Comment below!

With Holy Week and Easter Sunday in the rearview mirror, I’m already starting to wind down for the season and anticipating summer activities. This year has had its share of ups and downs. I’m feeling weary and definitely in the need for vacation and other rejuvenating experiences. Perhaps you feel the same.

I was reading some earlier blog posts from this year and I almost felt some déjà vu. In September, I mentioned that one day I was at the beach and the waves were too rough to swim. Since the beginning of spring, I’ve gone to the beach more regularly. However, the ocean has been a little too rough to swim in for my taste.

So I often sit and watch the ocean, read, or at times stood ankle deep in the water. Since I live 25 – 30 minutes from the Atlantic Ocean in Jacksonville, FL, I’ve been to the beach many times. I was reminded that sometimes the waves feel like they’re going to drown us. Other times, it’s smooth sailing. Right now, it feels like life’s waves are rougher rather than smoother. Perhaps you can relate.

The hymn O God Our Help in Ages Past came to mind. Here is an excellent rendition of an arrangement by Jeremy Bankson from First Plymouth Church in Lincoln, Nebraska.

A book that helped me survive some rough patches was The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker. On page 3, I found a passage to be particularly insightful. “When we don’t examine the deeper assumptions behind why we gather, we end up skipping too quickly to replicating old, staid formats of gathering. And we forgo the possibility of creating something memorable, even transformative.” While the book doesn’t mention choral conducting or rehearsals, there are so many concepts in the book that can transform rehearsals and each piece my choirs sing.

Here is a TED talk she gave that illustrates her wisdom:

Looking back at my purposes for the year, I haven’t been consistent with all of them. However, I’ve been mostly satisfied with one of the priorities I set back in August: “Enable transformational experiences in rehearsals and in worship”. Yes, there were ups and downs and sometimes I didn’t always hit the mark. On the other hand, there have been some incredible transformational experiences this year.

Throughout the year, I’ve kept the following saying in my head: “Comparison is the thief of joy.” Oftentimes, I’ve heard it in context of comparing myself to another singer or comparing a choir I direct to a choir at a different organization. Especially since there are so many choral performances online, it’s so tempting to think or ask “I wish I had that many singers” or “Why can’t my choir sound like that or do that kind of repertoire? I can’t seem to get it together.” Whoever our singers are, they are deserving of our very best energy and teaching. While the balance of our ensembles may not be what we wish, or we yearn to do certain types of repertoire, we can help enable our choirs to have inspiring, emotional experiences. We can teach technique, musicality, etc. no matter the repertoire we choose. Those are things we can rejoice in.

I’ve also thought of another context of “Comparison is the thief of joy”. Especially with the pandemic having disrupted so much, it is so easy to compare our current situation to “back then”. Perhaps our numbers in our choirs may have diminished. Perhaps we haven’t been able to do certain types of large-scale musical events because of protocols related to the pandemic. Since I’m in a full-time church setting, I can focus and communicate to my choir members that God moves and speaks in this time period. Today. In each rehearsal and worship service. The more I can do to communicate that message, the more I believe that singers are less tempted to make those comparisons to a former time. And the more singers can focus on God and lead the congregation in worship.

As it is the Easter season, I thought I would include a link for one of my favorite Adult Choir pieces: With a Voice of Singing by Martin Shaw. With all its Alleluias and the message, it is a joyful and lively piece. May you find strength and wisdom to lead your choirs faithfully at this point in the program year.

If you’re a church musician, I’m guessing you’re feeling the pressure of this time of year with Holy Week and Easter just around the corner. I thought I would revisit a previous blog post that talked about rest and pause. This time of year, I would love more rest and pause, a very challenging task in such a hectic time of the year.

Just a few years ago, December 25 was on a Sunday. At the church I served at the time, all were encouraged to wear their PJs to church, including staff. As it turns out, only staff dressed in that way, including me! I dressed in PJ bottoms, t-shirt with a fleece, and slippers. Definitely not usual attire for a Sunday morning at church.

Since it is a rarity to have Christmas Day on a Sunday, I wanted to mark the day in a special musical way. As a Bach enthusiast and baritone, the aria “Großer Herr, o starker König” came to mind. It’s from the first Cantata from the Christmas Oratorio, written for Christmas Day. I had sung it several times in the past, so I thought it was a good addition, even the day after leading multiple Christmas Eve services. With the unique attire that morning, it was probably the most comfortable I’ve been singing music by J.S. Bach. If you’re unfamiliar with the aria, here’s a recording:

Perhaps you noticed a lot of fast and seemingly endless notes. In the aria, finding places to breathe that are not obvious took time and practice. If there was a place where I had to take a quick breath, I would practice the first and second passages by themselves, then gradually over time connect them so I could sing at the desired tempo. Similarly, finding moments to pause or breathe in our lives sometimes takes time and practice. From my perspective, we’re living in a long, fast, extended piece with seemingly endless melismas in sight. It’s only through close examination where we can find those short moments of pause and breath that help us keep going.

I was observing a masterclass once and a performer sang a fast piece by Bach. After they were finished singing, the teacher asked where the points of rest were. After some confused looks from the performer, the teacher pointed out “notice how there’s a quarter note after so many sixteenth notes” or “consider lifting after this particular eighth note”. Perhaps we could find those metaphorical moments of pause amidst a rapid torrent of sixteenth notes? Just as it takes practice to find those spots in a piece, so it takes practice to find those spots in life.

In music, I find that a few things go into practicing a challenging piece include, but are not limited to: making mistakes, slowing down, persistence, finding the exact spot(s) giving me trouble, stepping away for a time, or finding the right tempo. Maybe quarter = 80 isn’t doable today. Perhaps quarter = 70 is more realistic. From my experience, life isn’t that much different. Finding those brief points of rest or pause may involve making mistakes, slowing down, persistence, or stepping away. Or rather than overhauling everything, perhaps there’s one specificpart of my life I can pinpoint where I can slow down?

In addition to thinking about pauses and rests for myself, perhaps I can think about rehearsals as pauses and rests for our singers and ringers. What could I do to give that gift every rehearsal? How can I intentionally give ensemble members space to slow down? Sometimes I’ve had ensemble members breathe in and out three times before moving on to the next piece. Perhaps if I did that consistently, that would provide a sense of spaciousness without taking a whole lot time out of rehearsal. I love engaging singers on the meaning of a text we’re singing or why a composer set the text a particular way. After such a conversation, I usually learn more about the text and the piece.

Other than tweaking rehearsals, a few things have really helped. Spending a minute focusing on my breath and taking slow singers breaths help to slow my mind down. An app called Yours has a number of great breathing exercises that are timed. The link on the app store is:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/yours-app/id1543920949

Or if you prefer in a browser: https://yoursapp.com/

I’ve encountered a number of lengthy, soothing instrumental music videos on YouTube. I’ve especially enjoyed this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRrVtFnG_x4&t=10578s

I’ve also enjoyed listening to a lot of music by George Winston. There’s something about his album Forest that calms me down.

Are there activities that help you rest and pause, even briefly? Is there music that helps you find rest and pause? If so, comment below! May we all find moments of rest in chaotic and busy times.

One of my favorite things to do is search for repertoire for my ensembles. There is nothing like introducing a piece, rehearsing it, and have it transform listeners and singers. As a church musician, I also spend quite a bit of time connecting hymns, anthems, and liturgy to the theme, Scripture passage(s), and liturgical season of a worship service. At my church, the pastors sometimes choose a specific theme for a month instead of preaching on the Lectionary, depending on the season. In early January, themes were selected through Lent. At the time, peace was selected as the theme for Lent. It’s eerie how relevant that theme has proven to be.

A Leonard Bernstein quote comes to mind, “This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.” With that in mind, I thought I would share some anthems I am planning on conducting in Lent or other anthems based on peace. All of the links lead to a good audio recording of each respective anthem.

It Is Well With My Soul. Arr. John Ness Beck. SATB and Piano.

https://beckenhorstpress.com/it-is-well-with-my-soul-beck-digital-download/

This arrangement is a very straightforward and musical setting of this hymn. The accompaniment has arpeggios throughout that in my opinion represent gentle waves of the river in the text. Both sopranos/altos and tenors/basses have solo verses. The harmonies are very satisfying. Towards the end of the last verse, there is a very effective climax before the anthem ends gently with the refrain.

Prayer for Peace. David Cherwien. Two-part Mixed Choir and Organ.

https://www.morningstarmusic.com/prayer-for-peace-cherwien-50-9209.html

In this original composition, both sopranos/altos and tenors/basses get the opportunity to sing the melody, which mostly covers the range of a perfect fifth, except for a few notes. However, within that limited range is a tune that has lots of possibilities for expression. This anthem would be effective as a standalone choir anthem, or an anthem to include the congregation.

God’s Peace. Words by Marva J. Dawn. Choral Setting by C.J. Adams. SAB and Piano.

https://www.hopepublishing.com/W3514_GODS_PEACE

Set to the melody of BEACH SPRING (Lord Whose Love in Humble Service), this anthem contains a profound text by Marva Dawn. It starts with the following words: “Come away from rush and hurry to the stillness of God’s peace: from our vain ambition’s worry, come to Christ and fine release”. All voice parts get to experience the melody at some point. There is also an SATB voicing of the piece.

Take Me to the Water. Arr. Rollo Dilworth. SATB and Piano.

https://www.jwpepper.com/Take-Me-to-the-Water/10010513.item#.Yh2M4TZKjvU

This anthem combines the spirituals Down By the Riverside and Wade in the Water with the original Take Me to the Water in a gospel style. While it doesn’t mention peace, I included this on the list because of the inclusion of Down By the Riverside, especially with the following words “Gonna lay down my sword and shield”. There is also an SSAA voicing of the anthem. Highly syncopated rhythms throughout make this a joy to sing and share with the congregation.

Lord, Make Me An Instrument of Thy Peace. Jody W. Lindh. SATB and Piano.

https://www.choristersguild.org/store/cga612-lord-make-me-an-instrument-of-thy-peace/711/

This setting of the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi includes a flowing piano accompaniment throughout the anthem. While technically SATB, much of it is unison, two-part, or three-part and all voice parts get to shine. This is a great anthem to work on breath support, staggered breathing, and shaping line.

Be Still. Karen Marrolli. SAB and Piano

https://www.morningstarmusic.com/be-still-50-6175.html

The text of the anthem is original by the composer and based on Psalm 46:10. “Be still and know that I am God” serve as almost a short refrain throughout the anthem. The piano accompaniment supports the choir well and helps to create a full sound in an SAB accompanied context. There is also a two-part and solo version of the anthem.

Have you conducted any of these anthems? What other anthems centered around peace has your choir enjoyed? Comment below!

In addition to serving as Director of Music and Worship Arts at Mandarin United Methodist Church in Jacksonville, FL, I also sing in the Festival Singers of Florida, a 100-voice auditioned choir comprised of music educators and conductors from all over Florida and beyond. Thankfully, my church had the privilege of hosting this inspiring choir in a concert last weekend. Much of the repertoire is by living composers and the choir has a history of commissioning new choral works. During the 2021 – 2022 season, one of the pieces that had a profound impact on me was I Will Stand With You by Dr. Marques Garrett. It reminded me that music has the great potential to speak to contemporary and relevant themes in a profound way.

The genesis of Dr. Garrett’s piece was truly collaborative. In May and June 2020 when there were a series of shootings of unarmed Black persons throughout the United States, Dr. Kevin Fenton, Artistic Director of the ensemble, had a conversation with the composer. As a director of a predominantly white choir, Dr. Fenton wanted a piece that would stand for racial justice and speak to a relevant issue of our time. The text came from the singers in the ensemble in a process created by Morgan Luttig, who is pursuing a PhD in Music Education – Choral Conducting at Florida State University. For the initial prompt, she wrote the following.

“Through the grief that we feel over the losses of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and too many other black lives, Festival Singers of Florida (FSOF) is striving to not only say more, but also do more to fight racial injustice. Most of the membership of FSOF is from the majority population. As such, we want to hear your responses on what we can say, and what we can do, to enact change. Using selected responses to the prompt below as the textual foundation, FSOF is commissioning a new work as a response and as a call to action. If you are willing, please submit your response using the provided Google Form. All responses will remain anonymous.” 

Based on the prompt, Dr. Garrett added his own thoughts in the comment of the post soliciting responses. “Our world seems to have been turned upside down. Some of us have known about and lived through prejudiced experiences our whole lives. (There are black and brown people who constantly wonder if people are looking at them longer than usual while on a trail; if that store clerk really is following them; or if they got the job as a diversity hire. Some more direct experiences include being asked if they live in this country, neighborhood, or building; being asked to show identification as proof; and hearing racial slurs.) Others of us have known about what’s happening and have enacted change. Sadly, others have sat on the sidelines watching everything play out. In recent weeks, many more people have come to the realization that the time of passive activism is over. It is time for those of us with privilege to enact change.”

Finally, a little reminder/encouragement was added with the following to get final responses: What are some things that you wish you knew before now? What would you like to say to the majority population, especially if you are a member of that population? What do those in the majority population need to know in order to create the change that we as humans need in order to build a more unified world?” Based on the prompt, Dr. Garrett took phrases submitted by the choir and crafted the musical portion. In October 2021, I interviewed the composer about the piece. He mentioned how during the pandemic, there has been an awakening of racial awareness. During performances of I Will Stand With You, Dr. Garrett wanted audience members to reflect, put themselves in the piece, and ask themselves questions. In addition, he wanted to communicate that it’s OK to search for answers and that both a group effort and individual contributions are vital to end racism. Especially towards the end of the piece, the choir sings “I will stand with you” as an ostinato with various ensemble members saying short phrases such as, “I want to speak up; I just don’t know how” and “We cannot stand for peace without first standing for justice”. The composer mentioned that the statement of “I will stand with you” is intended as a personal statement both for the singers and the audience. To get a hold of Dr. Garrett, go to https://www.mlagmusic.com/. 

As a singer or conductor, it’s a thrill to premiere a brand new piece of choral music. From my perspective, it was incredibly moving to sing in a piece that was so relevant and could make a difference. Finally, I thought you would enjoy watching it. Enjoy the premiere of I Will Stand with You from October 2, 2021.

In our local contexts, we might not have the funds to commission a brand-new work, especially in lean financial times. On the other hand, there are a wealth of new resources that speak to relevant topics of our time. From a church musician’s perspective, I keep finding living authors whose hymns I have used. Three who I highly recommend are:

Carolyn Winfrey Gillette – http://www.carolynshymns.com/

Stephen Fearing – http://www.stephenmfearing.com/

Mark Miller – Roll Down, Justice! Songbook. This resource can be found on choristersguild.org (CGBK72). 

What are other resources have you found that speak to social issues of our time or have been a relevant vehicle for social change?

As a church musician and choir director, I believe that much of one’s success is based on the repertoire and hymnody we select, along with adapting to the needs of the ensemble and the congregation. While I strongly believe in expanding a congregation’s body of hymns they know, if I choose too many unfamiliar hymns, I’m not honoring their history and their beloved favorites. On the other hand, if I strike just the right balance between familiar and unfamiliar hymns, I’m more likely to have buy-in on the unfamiliar hymns, which in time can eventually become familiar. Similarly, anthems need to fit the needs, interests, and skill level of the ensemble. Even if an anthem comes recommended from numerous choir directors, if may or may not fit my context.  

Part of enabling transformational experiences is selecting the right hymns and right anthems for a particular context. As a Director of Music in a church, I always want to strike a balance between favorites and familiar anthems and expanding awareness of less familiar genres and composers. My philosophy is that in a given year, the music should represent the Body of Christ. For example, not relegating music by Black composers to solely Black History Month, Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, or Juneteenth, but by including music by Black composers throughout the whole year. With that in mind, I thought I would do something a little different for today’s blog post. In honor of Black History Month, here are several anthems I highly recommend that can be used throughout the whole year.

Advent

Keep Your Lamps arr. Andre Thomas, SATB, A Cappella, Hinshaw Music, Inc.

Christmas

Jesus What A Wonderful Child arr. Rollo Dilworth, SATB, SAB, SSA, or TTBB, Piano, Drums, Bass, 3 trumpets, Hal Leonard

Epiphany

Walk in the Light arr. Andre Thomas, SATB or Unison/2-part, Piano, Choristers Guild

Lent

I Want Jesus to Walk with Me arr. Rollo Dilworth, SATB with some divisi, Piano, Drums, Bass, Clarinet or Soprano Sax, Trumpet, Trombone, Hal Leonard

Oh, That Bleeding Lamb arr. Undine S Moore, SATB with divisi, A Cappella, Augsburg Fortress

Pentecost

Ev’ry Time I Feel the Spirit arr. William Dawson, SATB with divisi, A Cappella, Neil A. Kjos Music Company

General

Amazing Grace arr. Keith McCutcheon, SATB with divisi, Piano, Earthsongs

Ascribe to the Lord by Rosephayne Powell, SATB, SAB, SSAA, or TTBB, Piano, Gentry Publications

I Choose Love by Mark Miller, SATB or SSA and Piano, Choristers Guild

We Shall Walk Through the Valley in Peace arr. Undine S Moore, SATB, A Cappella, GIA Music

We Shall Walk Through the Valley in Peace arr. Moses Hogan, SATB with divisi, A Cappella, Hal Leonard

Except for We Shall Walk Through the Valley in Peace arr. Undine S Moore, I’ve conducted all the other pieces in worship. In December 2022, the Youth Choir at my church sang the SAB voicing of Jesus What A Wonderful Child. I used piano, drums, and bass and that combo helped create memorable presentations of that anthem. If you have access to a fantastic clarinet or soprano sax player, I highly recommend I Want Jesus to Walk With Me arr. Rollo Dilworth. That setting truly gets at the grief and yearning of the hymn. With that in mind, I thought I’d post a recording of the piece. I hope it inspires you!

Have you conducted any of the pieces on the list? Post below if you have!