I loved some of the worship changes we made this spring, especially adding a cantor for every service. For me, it makes hymn selection more flexible because we can add choices from the new hymnal All Creation Sings (or even less-familiar ones from ELW) and know that there will be a strong voice to lead them. (We usually pick hymns that match the day’s texts or themes, using ELCA resources to guide us.) In addition, Pastor Sarah has shifted the emphasis on special music to the beginning of the service, so that our prelude time is longer and there is no formal postlude, at least for now. I’m excited about this because it allows us musicians the chance to play music we don’t have licenses for at the very beginning of the prelude time (before streaming starts), and opens up new inspiration for making the sending hymn more interesting. One example of two of these changes came on May 11, when I picked an entirely new-to-us closing hymn from ACS, “Ten Thousand Reasons,” asked cantor Sian Whitney to sing the verses, and had the congregation sing along on the very melodic refrain. Scott Cook played the bass line all the way through on cello to underlay the sound and add interest. While it wasn’t a wild sendoff, it had a lot of energy in its newness and message. Watch for more extra touches on sending hymns whenever the opportunity arises. And don’t worry, the old favorites will still be in the rotation throughout the service.
For Easter, much of the music team’s energy went toward the Hallelujah Chorus and a small pre-Easter concert. For the Easter morning service, we had a small orchestra of five strings and myself to accompany the choir (and congregation members who chose to sing!) on the Handel. But besides the Hallelujah Chorus, Ben found a sweet piece that incorporated both handbells and children along with the chancel choir. I thought it was a beautiful day for music as well as the great joy of Easter.
The handbells played a processional and a hymn accompaniment for Pentecost, and we’ll do a piece later in the summer as well. (Please talk to Dulcie if you’re interested in ringing bells this summer, this fall or at Christmas!) I have found a two-day Augsburg Fortress music clinic in Chicago in August that I hope to attend.
I will continue to try to be more creative with the sending hymn and look for new music to extend the prelude time. I also have been selecting much of the music for violist Julie Roubik and providing hymn embellishments for her, and I will be exploring to see if I can find more religious music for us to play together.
Personally, I’m looking forward to a 2-1/2-week trip to Norway and Scotland with my daughter in mid-June.
Thank you for your support.
Dulcie Shoener, Minister of Music