Association of Lutheran Church Musicians
January 1, 2016 e-newsletter

Christmas greetings from Central NY!
 
I hope by now that all of you have had some quiet, non-church time after this busy season. Whether you had one service or ten over the last weekend, I know that your church was blessed with your contributions.
 
And now that the craziness is waning, it is a perfect time to head to Corpus Christi for the National Conference  for Sacred Music. ALCM is a co-sponsor of this event, and we are pleased to sponsor the Rev. Susan Briehl as a presenter. ALCM member David Cherwien is  also presenting - you don't want to miss them!
 
As 2015 comes to a close, and we look forward to a new year, please know that we on the board of ALCM wish you a happy and healthy 2016! Cheers!
 
Julie Grindle
ALCM President-Elect

January 6-8, 2016
Corpus Christi, TX

There's still time to register!
 

NEW IN 2016: Sounds of Summer Institute (SOSI)!
June 26-July 10, 2016 at Luther College
Lutheran Music Program is now offering a 2-week option 
that will allow students in grades 8-12 to experience
large ensemble, private lessons, and more!
 
We are also excited to celebrate our 35th summer of 
Lutheran Summer Music (LSM)!
We will be hosting our 4-week summer academy on the campus of
 Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. June 26 - July 24, 2016.
 
Encourage a young musician to apply to either of our incredible
summer programs founded in musical excellence, 
Lutheran faith, and supportive community.
If you would like to learn more our summer programs,
please email [email protected] 
for more information!

Special ALCM Discount
LSM applicants can use the discount code ALCM16 to receive a $100 discount on tuition! Additional scholarships and discounts are also available to help students get to LSM.

NLC 2016 Choral Tune-Up with Dr. Ren� Clausen
Saturday, January 23, 2016 - 9:00am-12:00pm
St. Michael's Lutheran Church, Bloomington, MN

TuneUp your church choir with Dr. Ren� Clausen and the National Lutheran Choir!
 
Choir members and individuals are invited to learn music and work on choral technique alongside the 63 members of the NLC. The goal is to help choirs prepare specific pieces for presentation in their own parishes. 

NLC is pleased to welcome back Dr. Ren� Clausen, acclaimed composer and conductor of the Concordia College Choir (Moorhead, MN), to lead the 2016 Choir TuneUp. This year's literature features SATB works of well-known Minnesota composers including Matthew Culloton, Charles Forsberg, clinician Ren� Clausen and Dr. Kenneth Jennings (1925-2015).
 
The TuneUp will be followed by an optional lunch for choir directors, where there will be time to ask questions and visit with Dr. Clausen, David Cherwien and others. The luncheon is a great opportunity to connect with colleagues and we warmly invite all directors to attend.
 
Registration deadline is January 8.  Click here to register.


The American Guild of Organists announces the start of the application period for the 2016-2017 Ronald G. Pogorzelski and Lester D. Yankee Memorial Scholarships. The scholarships support the education of talented young organists who are dedicated to making significant contributions to the field of organ playing. Applicants are expected to have existing talent and be able to demonstrate achievements in the field of organ playing along with an expressed commitment to post graduation teaching, performing, or other serious endeavor with respect to the organ. Each student applicant must also demonstrate a verifiable financial need to be eligible to receive a scholarship.
 
For the 2016-2017 academic year, the AGO will begin accepting online scholarship applications on January 1, 2016 from qualified students entering their freshman year in college and starting their first year of graduate study. Complete details of the Pogorzelski-Yankee Memorial Scholarships can be found on the AGO website, https://www.agohq.org/education/pogorzelski-yankee-memorial-scholarships.
 
For more information, contact Harold Calhoun at [email protected] or 212-870-2311, ext. 4318.


Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW) Music Department seeks a full-time faculty with a superb skill set in handbell conducting. This position is located at the Mequon, WI campus.
 
The ideal candidate will conduct both a touring and non-touring handbell choir. The touring ensemble (Alleluia Ringers) has established a celebrated reputation both domestically and internationally by its recording and live performances. Candidates will be expected to display evidence of superb musicianship, organizational acumen, interpersonal skills and departmental collaboration. In addition to the handbell aspect to the position, the preferred candidate will possess choral conducting abilities as they will conduct a non-touring choral ensemble within the department. The final aspect of the teaching load will be assigned within the candidate's area of expertise and area of interest such as applied music (organ), music history or other areas of interest and/or mutual departmental need.
For full description visit www.cuw.edu/employment
The Center for Church Music at Concordia University Chicago, in partnership with the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians, presents the new "Richard Hillert Award in Student Composition," which will be awarded every other year to a current student at a Lutheran university or seminary.
Clarke University Offers Free Descants

Clarke University is happy to make available descants to 50 popular hymns and carols for both school and church use.  They are available in C (High/Low), Bb (High/Low), Eb (High/Low), F and Bass Clef Editions. The descants in this collection will work with any standard piano, organ or guitar accompaniment, choir (any voicing) or as standalone duets or trios (performed with both the melody and descant parts). Any combination of instruments can be used (i.e. flute, clarinet, trumpet, saxophone, violin, trombone, etc) for added flexibility. Some combinations will, however, prove more pleasing than others. The individual duo/trio versions can be performed consecutively to form a larger instrumental work. Both high and low versions are supplied in order to accommodate as many types of player, professional, student and community, as possible. Certain adjustments to the descant musical lines were necessary to accommodate the various instrumental families. The "high" versions are the original versions of the descants and are recommended for advanced players. You can download them here: