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 The Verse
A monthly newsletter |
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The Hymn Society
in the United States and Canada | March 2011 |
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Greetings!
Springtime is arriving! Although temperatures here in Richmond have been cooler than usual lately, flowers are blooming and trees are getting green--a sure sign that the seasons are changing and bring us closer to summer. That reminds me that the time for our annual conference is drawing ever closer. I hope you're making plans to join us this July in Colorado Springs! You'll soon be receiving your Winter issue of The Hymn and the spring issue of The Stanza. Both are in final preparation so be watching your mailbox-- April 28-30, I will be attending Polyphony, a conference for Baptist pastoral musicians, with the Hymn Society exhibit. My last visit there encouraged several attendees to join the Hymn Society! What denominational conferences are you planning to attend? Should the Hymn Society be there? If you think so, contact the office and let's talk about the options and possibilities! The more visible the Society is at gatherings of church musicians, the easier it is to spread the word about who we are and what we do! Sincerely, Deb Deborah Loftis 
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Summer Conference Update
Registrations are coming in for our summer conference, "Touch the Earth Lightly." Be sure to get your registration in early to save on the fees and guarantee your spot! Conference program information and registration are available online. Click on the link to check out the details! conference information and registration
You'll soon be receiving the printed brochure in the Winter issue of The Hymn. If you've already registered online, pass along the brochure to a friend, or send them the link to the website.
Morning Prayer
This year our morning worship will be led by former Lovelace Scholars. The services and leadership are being coordinated by Anissa Bacon, Lovelace Scholar, class of 2001, now Pastor of Plymouth Church in Sugarcreek, Ohio. A significant number of our Lovelace Scholars have continued to be active in the Society. You'll enjoy Andreas Teich's article on the history of the scholarship and its recipients in the Winter issue of The Hymn. You'll be inspired as you experience their leadership in worship this summer.
Night Prayer
Crystal Jonkman, Director of Music and Arts and Organist at St. Michael's Episcopal Church in Bon Air, Virginia, will lead Compline for us this summer. On Monday and Wednesday evening, Night Prayer will be held on campus at Colorado College. On Tuesday, it will be held at St. Paul's Lutheran in Denver, the site of our evening hymn festival. There will be buses back to campus directly after the festival, but also bus transportation for those who wish to remain for Compline.
Recognize and respect the altitude!
As you make your travel plans, take into consideration the altitude of Colorado Springs. At just over 6,000 feet, most of us will need some time to acclimate ourselves to the thinner air. Most people get along just fine with only a short adjustment time needed. When you first arrive, plan to take it easy! Luckily the terrain in the city is fairly flat but you may feel feel some exertion as you walk around. Drink lots of water!! Staying well-hydrated is an important factor in acclimating more quickly. We will have golf cart shuttles available for those who need help getting around, but if you have significant heart or breathing issues, please consult your doctor to make sure you can handle the climate. |
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News of Members
Happy 80th Birthday to Shirley Erena Murray, FHS! On March 26, family and friends gathered in Wellington to celebrate Shirley's birthday. Greetings from The Hymn Society were shared as part of the festivities.
St. Andrews's-Wesley United Church and the Cunningham Theological Foundation recently announced the winners of it's first-ever international hymn competition, "New Ways to Sing Praise Project." The contest sought new texts for the Easter season. Brian Wren, FHS, won the competition with his text, "If Christ is risen" set to LIBERTY STREET by Dan Damon. Shirley Erena Murray, FHS, shared second place with her text, "Thank God for bursting life." The other second place winner was "Christ Sophia" by Archdeacon of Burrard and Priest Associate of Christ Church Cathedral, in the Diocese of New Westminster, the Ven. Dr. Ellen Clark-King.
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In Remembrance
The Hymn Society office has just learned of the death of Randall Giles on August 27, 2010. Randall served with the Episcopal Church's Office of Mission Personnel as Director of the Deparment of Music and Liturgy for the Church of South India's Madras Diocese. He presented a sectional at our Halifax conference in 2003 on the hymnody of India and composed three tunes published in Wonder, Love and Praise.
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Hymns for Japan
Check the bulletin boards on our website to find texts by Andrew Pratt and Manley Olsen that may be helpful to your congregation in remembering the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Both of these poets offer these texts for use at no charge.
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| Hymn Contest
St. Peter's Catholic Church in Charlotte, NC is sponsoring a hymn contest in celebration of 25 years of Jesuit leadership. The content should include the qualitative aspects of Ignatian spirituality and ministry. Financial prizes for first, second, and third places will be $1000, $500 and $250, and will be awarded for both text-only and music-text submissions (priority being given to commonly used metrical settings). Deadline is June 6, 2011. Details available from Bill Rainey, music director at St. Peter's j_s_bachorgan@hotmail.com |
| Attention Hymnal Collectors
William Snider, a used book seller in Homestead, Florida has accquired several hundred gospel songbooks and hymnals. You can contact him through the website bulletin board if you'd like to see what he has available. |
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Upcoming Festival in Central Ohio
Cantor Connection, the Central Ohio chapter of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians, is preparing for its third annual spring hymn festival honoring the great cantors of the church. In 2009 Cantor Connection featured the music of Paul Manz, in celebration of his 90th birthday. In 2010 Carl Schalk was honored for his contributions to the music and worship life of the church. This year Cantor Connection celebrates the legacy of Donald Busarow, who retired this past year as director of the Wittenberg Choir after 35 years of service.
"Lord, Thee I Love With All My Heart: A Celebration of the Music and Ministry of Donald Busarow" will be hosted by Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Dublin, Ohio, on Sunday, May 22 at 7 p.m. The evening is composed of a selection of Busarow's most beloved choral and congregational settings, including "Praise My Soul, the King of Heaven" (unpublished original version), "Lord, Thee I Love With All My Heart," "Holy God, We Praise Your Name," "Abide With Me," "God, Who Made the Earth and Heaven," and many others.
As is Cantor Connection's custom, musicians for the evening will be drawn from the rich body of those engaged in music ministry across the state. Busarow himself will play the last two numbers on the program and will close with a "Reflections" postlude as has been his custom at worship services for decades. His grandson, Jonathan Busarow, will conduct the Festival Choir, which likewise will represent a cross-section of choirs from across the region.
For more information, see www.cantorconnection.org.
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Recent Hymn Festivals
Look for updates each month on recent festivals that have come to our attention. The Stanza will continue to provide a cumulative list semi-annually. If your congregation or community holds a hymn festival, please the office know about it and send copies of the program if possible.
February 6, 2011 - "Celebrating Grace: Signing Our Faith," a hymn festival featuring the Celebrating Grace Hymnal, was held at Riverside United Methodist Church in Macon, Georgia. It was co-sponsored by the church and the Macon Chapter of The American Guild of Organists. The service was led by Mark Edwards and Dr. Michael McGhee was organist. The festival choir,with singers from Riverside United Methodist, All Saitns Episcopal, First United Methodist and St. Luke's Episcopal, was led by Alan Benson and the Mercer University Children's Choir was conducted by Lea Anne Walters.
February 13, 2011 - First United Church of Oak Park, Illinois presented a Service of Hymns which premiered a new hymn tune by Philip Gehring, LAKE STREET, for the text by Lawren Tuttiett, "O grant us light."
*February 20, 2011 - "Lead Me, Guide Me: Hymns that Inspired our Nation's Leaders" was the title of the hymn festival sponsored jointly by The Hymn Society and The Western North Carolina Chapter of The American Guild of Organists. The festival was hosted by Black Mountain Presbyterian Church and led by Mary Louise Bringle and Michael Barker, Director Music and Worship Arts at Black Mountain Presbyterian.
February 27, 2011 - "O For a Thousand Tongues To Sing" was the title and also the dream of music director Dan Stokes at Christ Church United Methodist Church in Louisville, Kentudy. The dream was realized on February 27th when 1,033 voices gathered in the beautiful sanctuary ably supported by the Letourneau organ, an 18-piece orchestera, handbells, 100+ voice choir and children's choirs. Singing six of the title hymn's seventeen stanzas printed in the hymnal was the climax of the festival. Dan gave informative comments with light but poignant remarks regarding the history, composers, and theology of the 14 hymns on the program. David Eicher and Joe Smith report that Dan plans an annual Christmas concert event well-worth a trip to Louisville. The dates are December 11, 14, 18 and 20. More details may be found on the church website: www.ccum.net
March 1-3, 2011-The new Methodist supplement Worship and Song premiered in Nashville and during that time, Michael C. Hawn, FHS, delivered a plenary address and led a hymn festival, "O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing: A Festival of Songs for the 21st Century Church." His plenary address, "Time Matters," is available upon request at the Hymn Society office.
March 5, 2011 -Jan Robitscher reports that the St. Mark's Choir Association held a "Hymnathon" from 8 am to 6:30 pm to raise scholarship funds for the upcoming choir tour to England, where the choir will be in residence for a week at Salisbury Chathedral and a week at Truro Cathderal. "At the Hymnathon we sang at least the first verse of all 720 hymns in the Hymnal 1982 in all sorts of fun and creative ways. We had several organists in addition to our Music Director, George Emblom. A good time was had by all who attended-some all day, some for a few hours, and we raised about $10,000 in pledges and about $2,100 in bids on verses during the day."
* Contact the office for a full script of the festival.
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