Lifting Hearts - Joining Hands - Raising Voices: The Campaign for The Center for Congregational S ong
Hymn Society Job Opening: Director of The Center for Congregational Song We have great news to share! Our campaign to build our endowment and fund The Center for Congregational Song has reached it's first milestone.
After careful review of budgetary needs, the Executive Committee determined that our endowment campaign has reached the point where a full-time Director for The Center for Congregational Song can be supported. We believe it is important to move forward to enlist a Director for The Center for Congregational Song so that the positive steps we've already taken with our new initiatives continue to happen in an intentional, and well-coordinated way. Our campaign still has a way to go, but we are confident that the person who takes on the role of Director of The Center for Congregational Song will help us move toward fulfillment of our campaign goal. Enlisting a full-time Director is an initial step toward launching The Center for Congregational Song. The CCS, when fully launched, will be the vehicle for all The Hymn Society's programmatic and outreach activities, thus serving as the primary forum which embodies our mission: to encourage, promote, and enliven congregational singing.This is a very exciting time for The Hymn Society. This new position is the first addition to our staff since 1975! It marks a new step through our "threshold moment" to making our dreams for an expanded vision of The Hymn Society a reality. The full job announcement is attached here. Please pass this along to persons who may be interested in applying. Job announcement Help us identify candidates, pray for the committee reviewing the applications, join us on this new adventure! |
Together We Did It!
Thanks to your generous help, we ended 2014 "in the black" and on solid financial ground. The work continues and we'll certainly need your generosity going forward, but I wanted you to know that we're in good shape, using your gifts carefully and to their full advantage.
It's not too early to consider becoming a conference sponsor for our New Orleans gathering in July. You'll receive more information soon about those options, but over the past four years, wonderful support has helped us keep costs as low as possible and still meet our financial commitments for the conference.
Also please remember the option to enter Amazon through
Amazon Smile and register The Hymn Society as your favorite charitable organization. A percentage of your purchases will be donated to us!
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2015 Annual Conference in New Orleans
The Hymn Society Annual Conference
Loyola University, New Orleans
July 12-16, 2015 Dr. Roy Belfield, Jr.
Plenary Address:
"Spirituals and Gospel Song
in African-American Congregational Singing"
Roy L. Belfield, Jr., a native of Petersburg, Virginia, began his undergraduate studies in music at Dillard University in New Orleans, Louisiana. He earned a bachelor of arts degree in music from Morehouse College in Atlanta, master's degrees in music education and organ performance from Florida State University in Tallahassee, and the doctor of musical arts degree in organ performance from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music. He has done additional studies in vocal pedagogy and choral conducting at the University of Alabama and Pennsylvania State University.
As an educator, Dr. Belfield has taught students from pre-school to college. As a church musician, he has served six denominations throughout the country. As an accompanist, Belfield has collaborated with numerous choirs, vocalists and instrumentalists. As composer and arranger, Dr. Belfield has written works for chorus, voice and piano, and organ. His choral and organ works are published by Hal Leonard Corporation, MorningStar Music, GIA Publications, and Wayne Leupold Editions. Dr. Belfield's scholarly articles have been published in The American Organist and the Choral Journal. Dr. Belfield is Director of Choral Activities and Associate Professor of Music at Texas Southern University in Houston.
Dr. Belfield will also join Dr. Melva Costen in leading our Wednesday evening hymn festival at the Cathedral of St. Louis, King of France, in the French Quarter.
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Emerging Scholars Forum at New Orleans Conference
The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada invites current graduate students and those who have graduated within the past three years to submit proposals to present their research effort on congregational song during the Annual Conference at New Orleans, Louisiana, July 12- 16, 2015. Submissions are to be guided by the research parameters of Practice, Philosophy (Theology), History, and/or Context of congregational song. Up to three presentations will be selected for presentation in a sectional entitled, Emerging Scholars Forum. One research paper will be selected to win the Emerging Scholar prize of a $150 gift certificate redeemable at the conference bookstore at the annual gathering and consideration for publication in The Hymn.See the attached form for application details. ESF application |
Church Music Position at Samford University
Samford University, Birmingham, AL, announces a new faculty position in music and worship. This position comes as a response to the recent retirement of Dr. Paul A. Richardson, Professor of Music, as well as a flourishing music and worship program at the undergraduate and graduate levels. For more information, see the attached announcement: Samford faculty position |
New Website Under Construction
Be watching for our new website that will launch around February 1. Several factors came together to move this new initiative in our endowment campaign to the front of the line. A major factor was our inability to re-establish after the December "computer crash" the web payment format we had been using to take online memberships and donations. EC member, Brian Hehn is setting up the new site which will accept memberships and donations through PayPal. We expect this website to be a temporary one in use for 12 to 18 months. One of the tasks of the new Director for the Center for Congregational Song (CCS) will be website design. Our present website has been in use with just minor revamping since 2000 so we are deeply grateful to webmaster Carlton Higginbotham, Life Member, for his diligent work to post new information quickly and address any problems with the site in a most timely manner. He's decided to retire so we wish him well on his new adventures and thank him heartily for 14 years of service in this capacity to The Hymn Society!! Though he's retiring as webmaster, we know his heart is still among us. When you see him at upcoming conferences be sure to tell him how much you appreciate all he's done.  Carlton's Facebook photo! |
Photos from the 2014 Conference in Columbus, OH
The Columbus Conference photo flash drives were mailed on October 22nd. If you signed up for a photo flash drive but have not received a flash drive, or did not sign up and would like one, please contact Glen and Judy ( glenarich@aol.com) with a complete shipping address and they can send out a flash drive to you. The available supply of Columbus Conference photo flash drives of these special manufactured flash drives is limited on a first-come, first-served basis.
We are especially grateful to Glen and Judy Brown Richardson who volunteer their time and expertise each year to provide us with great conference memories!
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Wanted: Hymns from World War I
We recently received a forwarded request from Heather Josselyn-Cranson:
I'm looking to unearth hymns written between 1914 and 1918 which reflect the concerns of the Great War. I had hoped that I could search the hymnary website for hymns using dates, but I believe they only allow date searches for hymnals, not for individual hymn texts.
If anyone has any ideas about how to continue my search, I'd be most grateful. (A brief explanation - I'm teaching a class on WWI and music, and the topic was suggested by a student, so I'm working from scratch. There's a fine book called Proof Through the Nighton music and the Great War, but the bits on hymnology are thin, and primarily deal with how previous hymns were used. I'm certain there must be a body of hymn texts and tunes written during and reflecting the war, but I'm unsure how to find them.)
Dr. Heather Josselyn-Cranson, OSL
Director of Music Ministries
Northwestern College
Dale G. Rider, Life Member, wonders if anyone, especially Lovelace Scholars have turned their research attention to this topic? If so, he'd love to hear from you.
proorgo53@aol.com
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2015 George Black Scholarship Recipients
Each year, students in Canadian universities are nominated to receive a one-year membership in The Hymn Society through the George Black Scholarship, honoring our first Hymn Society President from Canada. Don Anderson, Margaret Leask and Nancy Hardy reviewed the nominations and selected the following students.
Liya Dunlap, MSM, Emmanuel College, University of Toronto Catherine Gray, M. Mus. Ed, University of Western Ontario Peter G. Merrick, MSM, Emmanuel College, University of TorontoDavid Patterson, BA in music, Concordia University College of Alberta Marta Ree, BS, Concordia University College of Alberta Congratulations to these students!
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Hymn Contest Winner
The winners of the Hymn Contest seeking new hymns on labor and faith have been announced. First place was awarded to Heather Josselyn-Cranson, OSL, for "Loving God Means Seeking Justice." Second place was awarded to Carolyn Winfrey Gillette for "Christ, When Were You a Stranger?" Honorable mention was awarded to William Pasch for "Good Work Begins With Our Great God" and Douglas E. Norton, "A Good Day's Work" Judges for the contest were C. Michael Hawn, Jann Aldredge-Clanton and
See the attached for the full contest announcement. Hymn Search Winners
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Continuing Contests
Pullen Memorial Baptist Church, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA, is pleased to announce its first Church Music Search, a contest for composers and authors. This annual and international search calls for the creation of congregational hymns, choral anthems and orchestral music that engage and exclaim liberal Christian theology and associated themes. Each year a different musical category and theological theme will be selected to resource Pullen and other theologically-liberal congregations with artistic and meaningful church music.
The 2015 search is for an SATB choral anthem suitable for adult choirs with keyboard accompaniment (organ or piano). Other optional instrumental parts may be included. The text of the anthem should express the meaning and celebration of Easter from a theologically-liberal viewpoint.
An award of $1500 will be given to the creator of the winning selection (or divided equally between author and composer). Though the Pullen Music Ministry will retain the right to print and use the winning selection in perpetuity, copyright will remain with the creator(s) and a publisher will be sought for the winning composition.
Entries are submitted electronically and will be accepted through February 1, 2015. Find submission guidelines and enter at: www.pullen.org/musicsearch .
For additional information contact Larry E. Schultz at lschultz@pullen.org.
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News of Members
The Hymn Society was well-represented in the December issue of Reformed Worship. Joyce Borger, as editor of the journal is always present, but this month there was also an article by Martin Tel, Emily Brink, FHS, conducts an interview with Eric Sarwar on Punjabi psalms, and David Music, FHS contributes an article on the music of Dan Damon. Donald P. Hustad, FHS, (posth.) will be added to American Choral Director's Association's Wall of Honor at the convention in Salt Lake City, UT, February 25-28. 2015 Lovelace Scholar, Samson Tarpeh, will be hosting a benefit concert to aid the re-opening of the music academy he founded in Liberia, the Agape National Academy of Music. The Academy tragically lost two students and one instructor to the Ebola epidemic that ravaged that country and the Academy was forced to close along with all other schools. Clearance has been given for schools to re-open in Liberia. The concert will be Sunday April 19, 2015, 5pm, at the Wesley United Methodist Church in Lexington, Kentucky. Those living in the Lexington, KY area are cordially invited to attend. Anyone wishing to assist with the re-opening costs for ANAM are invited to contact Samson by email: sstarpeh@yahoo.com On Sunday, January 11, The New Orleans Chapter of AGO presented a concert, "Alice Parker Conducts Alice Parker" Among the compositions were texts by Gracia Grindal, "Sorrow and Gladness" and Shirley Erena Murray, "Centering"
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Recent Events
December 28, 2014 -- Jonathan Hehn and Brian Hehn led a "Big Sing" for Dillon Road Presbyterian Church in Thomasville, GA. The event was centered around the Birth Narrative, and sought to introduce the congregation to new ways to sing old favorites as well as introduce a few new Christmas texts and tunes.
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Upcoming Events
February 7, 2015 -- the second-annual Joining in Song: A Festival of Gospel Music and Hymns, led by Jonathan Luhrs will take place at Bethel AME Church in Tallahassee. This event seeks to celebrate both unity and diversity through the song. Jonathan became a Hymn Society member through our new initiative, the Ambassador's Program.
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Music from Down Under
Mr. Laurie Williams, a musician in Adelaide, Australia, contacted the office to offer our members access to his original hymn tunes, harmonies, arrangements and a descant composed over the last 30 years.
His music may be viewed and listened to at this site:
http://lauriewilliamsmusic.com/composers/laurie-williams/
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2015 Joint Meeting with HSGBI and IAH
It's time to register! We have just received the booking form from England for the conference. There is a discount for registration prior to February 15. Registration form
Please note that the college accommodations are single rooms. I am checking on other accommodations for couples who wish to attend.
The joint meeting of our Hymn Society with HSGBI and IAH will be held at
Robinson College, Cambridge. The conference will begin with registration on Sunday, 26th July 2015 with the Conference program beginning on Monday and concluding on Friday 31st July. It is anticipated that there will be at least one optional outing day on Saturday, 1st August. The Conference theme will be: Hymns in Liturgy and Life.
Speakers from our own Hymn Society are:
Robin Knowles-Wallace: "Congregational Singing and Everyday Life"
Kenneth Hull: "Do We Become What We Sing? Congregational Song and Spiritual Formation"
Geoffrey Moore: " Hymning the Kingdom: Originating - Resonating - Consummating"
Jan Kraybill: Hymn Festival coordinator
The third biennial conference of Christian Congregational Music: Global and Local Perspectives will be held at Rippon College Cuddesdon, Oxford on August 4-7, 2015. Details
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