Lessons and Carols at St. John's Episcopal Cathedral

This annual service includes lessons and music for the Christmas season presented by the Cathedral Choir under the direction of Tim Tuller, Canon for Music.

The cathedral is located at 256 East Church Street in Jacksonville and the the service will be held on December 31st at 5:00 PM, on the Feast of the Holy Name.

This is one of Jacksonville's finest annual offerings and you won't want to miss it. (Hint: Arrive early. It's often very packed!)

Organ Concert at All Saints Episcopal Church

Brenda McNeiland, Organist and Choirmaster of All Saints Episcopal Church sends the following invitation:

All Saints is hosting a fine organist in recital Sunday January 13 at 5 p.m. See the attached poster for more details.Dr. Tompkins is the Organ Professor at Furman University, as well as Organist at First Baptist Church in Greenville SC, a recording artist (Solemnity and Joy CD on Pro Organo) and frequent performer (Kennedy Center, Piccolo Spoleto, National and Regional AGO conventions, MTNA, College Music Society, American Public Media's Pipedreams.) in national circles.You are cordially invited to attend.Best wishes,Brenda McNeiland

This concert will be a benefit for Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church after the loss of their sanctuary on the morning of December 22nd.

(Click on the poster for a larger view.)

Decorating the Nave and the Sanctuary

Scenes from the Festival Choir's "Norwegian" Gift Exchange

Jane K. was our hostess for the evening. (Click on the pictures for a larger view.)There was lots of good food and a couple of people asked for the recipe for the butterscotch dessert, so here it is:

You'll need 60 Ritz crackers, 1 stick of butter, 1 1/2 cups of milk, 2 boxes of instant butterscotch pudding, 1 quart vanilla ice cream (don't try to substitute ice milk or yogurt or you'll have a disaster!), an 8 oz tub of Cool Whip. Crush the crackers and mix in melted butter. Lay this in the bottom of your pan (reserve a little for the topping). Mix the pudding and milk, then mix in the ice cream. Spread pudding/ice cream mixture over the crackers. Put Cool Whip on top, then sprinkle on the remaining cracker/butter mixture. Freeze or refrigerate. It's delicious either way.

You can use any flavor of instant pudding, but butterscotch is the best.

First Coast Ringers and the Jacksonville Children's Chorus in Concert Together

Festival Choir Annual Advent Photo

Members of the Festival Choir posed for the annual advent photo this morning (12/16/07) after the 8:30 Service of Lessons and Carols. Bill D. took the photo again and did a great job. There is not a single person who can say they don't look great in this picture. Thanks Bill!!

Handbell Choirs Ornament Exchange

The handbell ringers had a party/ornament exchange hosted by the Tallmans. The ornament exchange was the kind where ornaments come wrapped. Once you unwrap an ornament, you can elect to keep it or to "steal" one from someone else. In these games, I almost never go home with the gift I like the best, but this time I got a winner. The top photo is of the ornament that I brough home - a hand made glass ornament by Charleston artist Heather Martinez.

In the next photo, Laurie A. and Reagan (unsure of spelling) guard the stairway.

Next: (L to R) Partygoers Brian M., Lynn M., Roger F., Sharon F., Deborah P., Bob W.

Next: Leslie A., Karen R., Laurie A., Rose T.

Last photo: Lynette and Mark W., Missy D.

Thanks to the Tallmans for a fun evening.

Bach Vespers Photos

Thank you to Bill Daugherty for taking these pictures of our Bach Vespers Service. The top photo shows the choir with orchestra. The bottom photo is of our incredible soloists: Lindsey Tuller and R. Hugh Patterson.

Bach Vespers: December 9th, 7:00 PM

J.S. Bach's Cantata No. 140

"Wachet Auf, Ruft Uns Die Stimme"

On Sunday evening, December 9, 2007 at 7:00 PM, members of St. Mark's and several singers from the community will present "Wachet Auf" within the context of a service of Lutheran Vespers (evening prayer). The choir of 25 voices will be accompanied by an orchestra.

The cantata is based on the hymn "Wake, Awake, For Night Is Flying."

Our soloists are Lindsey Tuller and R. Hugh Patterson.

If you are already feeling overwhelmed by the "Christmas" season, this will be a chance to slow down and appreciate the message of Advent.

Please invite all of your friends and family to attend this special worship service.

An offering will be taken and a reception will follow the service.

Celebrate Children on 11/18/2007

Celebrate Children!

On Sunday, November 18th, at 5:00 pm, St. Mark's will host a concert by the Orange Park Chorale under the direction of Dr. Carole Clifford. Appearing with the chorale will be two children's choirs: Voices of Grace (from Grace Episcopal Church) and Voices of Patterson (Patterson Elementary School).

The concert, titled "Celebrate Children," will feature John Rutter's "Mass of the Children" and will include other works as well. The concert is free and all are welcome. A reception will follow in Hart Hall.

An Invitation to Sing Bach!

This is an invitation to join the Festival Choir of St. Mark's in the singing of a Bach Vespers service for Advent.

The service will be held at 7 PM on December 9, 2007 at the church (3976 Hendricks Avenue in Jacksonville, FL).

The rehearsal schedule is as follows:
Nov 10 10 AM - 12 PM
Nov 17 10 AM - 12 PM
Dec 1 10PM - 12 PM
Dec 6 7 PM (Dress rehearsal with orchestra)
Dec 9 7 PM Bach Vespers service

The service will feature the Lutheran service of Evening Prayer (Vespers) with hymns and the Bach Cantata No. 140, "Wachet Auf, Ruft Uns Die Stimme."

Please contact Tony Cruz (vespers@comcast.net) for more information and to register!

(Stained Glass Window Photot by Bill Daugherty)

Scenes from Hawaii

These are just some random photos that I took while on vacation on the island of Oahu. I hope you enjoy them!

Back from Hawaii

Aloha! I'm back from my vacation in Hawaii and thought I would share a couple of photos. The first photo is on me at the Polynesian Cultural Center. It's sort of a theme park with educational displays about Hawaii and other Polynesian cultures. The lei I'm wearing is made from plumeria flowers. I remember making leis from this same kind of flower when I live in Hawaii as a child.

The second photo is of The Lutheran Church of Honolulu where I attended the service on October 7th. Carl Crosier is the Choirmaster and his wife, Katherine Crosier, is the organist. It was a fantastic service. The prelude was the Grave and Adagio sections from Mendelssohn's Organ Sonata No. 2. The postlude was the Fuga from the same work. Within the service, the choir sang a setting of Psalm 37 by Peter Hallock that was gorgeous. Most impressive was that I understood every single word. The Gospel Acclamation, I Will Proclaim Your name to My People, was written by Carl Crosier and I enjoyed it very much. At the musical offering, O Lord, Increase My Faith by Ricard DeLong was sung. The communion music was the best as the choir sang O Rest In the Lord (from Mendelssohn's Elijah) and Kate Lingley, soprano, gave a beautiful rendering of He That Shall Endure to the End from the same work.

This congregation has a unique way of saying "welcome" to its guests. Guests receive a lei made from ribbon and adorned with a kukui nut. There is also a card with directions to the church and service times. I will hold onto my lei. The church's Pastor is Reverend Jeffrey Lilley. I've already received a nice letter from him inviting me to visit when I'm in Honolulu again. If you find yourself in Honolulu, I heartily recommend a visit to this church!

I had a picture taken with Carl and Katherine, but something happended to my camera and I lost all of my pictures for that day. I had to return later in the week to take the picture above.

On Vacation

Hi Readers, This is just a quick note before I go on vacation. Your organist on 10/7/2007 will be Jane Daugherty who will also lead the choir in the musical offering. (No rehearsal on 10/10 for Festival Choir or Ren Men; however, St. Mark's Ringers will rehearse under the direction of Larry Tallman). Thank you, Jane and Larry!

The Kingdom Choir will not rehearse on 10/7 but will be back in place on 10/14 with Jane K providing lunch.

October 15th at 7:00 pm: Kathie Fink Solo Handbell Concert
Kathie will be touring in October with Legacy, a program and tribute to her father, Larry Fink Sr. and the Fink Family HandbellRingers. Between solo pieces performed by Kathie, black and whitetelevision film clips from 1961-66 of the Fink family and historicalinterviews with Larry and his wife Wilma will be shown.
http://www.kathiefink.com/index.php

Bach Vespers: The service will be held on December 9th (Advent II) at 7:00 PM with an orchestra and J.S. Bach's Cantata #140 "Wachet Auf." As usual, singers from the community are invited to join our Festival Choir in the singing of this music. Rehearsals will be Nov 10, Nov 17, and 12/1 from 10 AM to 12 PM. The dress rehearsal will be 12/6 (Thursday) at 7 PM and the service will be on 12/9 at 7 PM. My deepest thanks to Ellen Olson for hiring the orchestra. Please contact me for more information about singing with us!

Finally, thanks to Bill Daugherty for the photo that accompanies this post!

Chamber Music Concert on Sunday, September 9th at 7:00 p.m.

Eric and Ellen Olson, along with friends from the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra will present a concert of chamber music to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation on September 9th, 2007 at 7:00 p.m at St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church. The program will include the Marcello Oboe Concerto and the Mozart Oboe Quartet. An offering will be taken with additional funding being provided by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church is located at 3976 Hendricks Avenue.

Juvenile Diabetes, also known as Type 1 Diabetes, is generally diagnosed in children, teenagers, and young adults.

A reception will follow the concert. All are welcome!

Thanks to Bill Daugherty for use of the photo accompanying this article!

Rally Day (August 26) is a Bluegrass Liturgy

August 26th is Rally Day and to celebrate we'll have a bluegrass liturgy accompanied by the Jubilee Jammers, St. Mark's own bluegrass band-in-residence.

We'll be singing "Lord, Have Mercy," "This is the Feast," "Holy, Holy, Holy," and "Lamb of God," all in a bluegrass style as composed by Dr. Ronald Rodman, Professor of Music at Carleton College in Northfiled, Minnesota.

The Jubilee Jammers will also play, "God Spoke His Name," "I Saw the Light," and "Hallelujah, I'm Ready To Go!" The Festival Choir will sing "Walkin' Up The King's Highway" by Jerry Ulrich.

Don't forget there is only one service at 10:30 and it's followed by a potluck supper, games, line-dancing, activities, and lots of door prizes.

How often do you come to church and hear fiddles, guitars, mandolins, a dobro, and even a bass fiddle! This is sure to be a fun day, so bring the whole family!

The Youth of Saint Mark's Have Their Own Page

The youth of St. Mark's have just established their own presence on the web. Stop by and see some great pictures. A "must" is to visit the "Just Stuff" page to read "You might be a Lutheran if. . ."

The address is freewebs.com/saintmarksyouth

Tell the Tony sent you. . .

Hymn Requests are Welcome!

Since hymns are chosen to complement the readings and themes for Sunday morning worship, it can be some time before you have the opportunity to sing a favorite.

This Sunday's "Lion's Roar" will have a convenient form that you can use to make hymn requests. Completed forms can be left on the organ or given to Tony Cruz personally. (You don't have to use this form. It can be written on any piece of paper, but don't forget to include your name!). You can also e-mail your request to Tony at vespers@comcast.net.

I will do my best to let you know when your hymn will be sung.

Your hymn does not have to be in Evangelical Lutheran Worship to be considered.

The picture that accompanies this article was taken by St. Mark's own Bill Daugherty when the ELW was dedicated.

ALCM: Houston - Look Who I Ran Into and Thank you

Look who I ran into at the ALCM conference! Jim R. was there representing the Chorister's Guild of which he is the Executive Director. He asked me to extend his greeting to everyone back at St. Mark's. Later, in the hotel lobby, I ran into his wife Stephanie and their son Matthew. Stephanie also sends greetings back to the St. Mark's family.

Finally, I would like to say thank you to the people of St. Mark's for sending me to the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians biennial conference. It was an extremely valuable experience and I learned a great deal. The 2009 conference is set to be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

ALCM: Houston on Wednesday 7/11/2007

On the final day of the conference, Morning Prayer was sung at Trinity Lutheran (LCMS) Church (home of a 1954 Holtkamp organ) using the new hymnal "The Lutheran Service Book."
That afternoon held a final workshop session, the last chance to shop the exhibits, and closing Eucharist at Palmer Episcopal Church. Palmer boasts an organ built by the Charles Fisk Company. The service, accompanied by the the 1990 AGO National Young Artist Competition winner Matthew Dirst, included the annointing of our hands for service in the song of the church. I have included two pictures of Palmer, one of the front high altar and one of the pipe organ in the balcony.

ALCM: Houston on Tuesday 7/10/2007

Tuesday was probably the busiest day. It began with Jazz Morning Prayer at First Presbyterian Church (bottom)and included a plenary session with Reverend David Miller and two workshop sessions.

In the afternoon we went to Christ the King Lutheran Church, home of 1995 Noack organ (middle picture) where we heard a recital by the German organist Ludger Lohman.

After that, there was a visit to The Shepherd School of Music at Rice University (top photo). The organ is a Fisk-Rosales installed in 1997 in the Edythe Bates Old Recital Hall. As you can see, the room fits the organ perfectly (and it should, it was built for the organ!). The acoustics were incredible. Especially suited to French organ literature, it had some of the most beautiful string stops that I've ever heard. Now I know what I want for my birthday. . .

As if that wasn't enough, we went back to to Christ the King for a Bach Vespers Service featuring the Bach Society and J.S. Bach's Magnificat. With an orchestra, a full choir, and a singing assembly of around 300, this was definitely a highlight of the week. Now I know what I want for Christmas. . .

ALCM: Houston on Monday 7/9/2007

Monday morning's featured speaker was Don Saliers and he spoke regarding the conference theme of "From Generation to Generation." Dr. Saliers' daughter Emily is one of the singing duo known as the Indigo Girls. His address included taped coverage of their interaction as it related to music of the church and music promoting social concerns.

In the afternoon we went to Via de Matel, a Roman Catholic convent which is the mother house for the Sisters of Charity. We heard an organ concert by Robert Bates, held an evening prayer service in the manner of Taize, then had a delicious Texas barbecue dinner!

The evening was finished in the Via de Matel Chapel (pictured) with a concert by the Houston Chamber Choir. Their presentation included "The Souls of the Righteouss" by David Cherwien who was also one of the conference clinicians.

ALCM: Houston on Sunday 7/8/2007

The day started at 12:00 pm with registration and reading sessions (an important way for Music Directors to find new music). In the afternoon we headed to St. Paul's United Methodist Church for a hymn festival. The organist was Aaron David Miller playing the Schantz organ that was installed there in 1981 (with additions in 1996 and 2004). About 300 Lutheran Musicians attended the conference and we filled every venue not only with glorious singing, but with our presence!

The day finished with a fiesta back at the hotel complete with a mariachi band.

ALCM: Houston on Saturday 7/7/2007

As most of you know, I just returned from the Association of Lutheran Musicians Biennial Conference in Houston. The next few posts will give you a brief description of the activities for each day. Saturday was centered at St. John the Divine Episcopal Church where we particpated in workshops ("Can't Wait to Sing - Directing Children's Choirs," "Cooking with Spice") and finished the day with a hymn festival by two of the Lutheran Church's most talented musicians, David Cherwien and Mark Sedio. The hymn festival was titled "Come, All You People" and covered a range of the church's song from traditional hymns to African songs. It also featured the choir of St. Luke's Methodist Church.

Organ Tuning Day at St. Mark's

Today was organ tuning day. Our organ tuner/technician is Dave Klug who is often assisted by his mother Fran. Here is a picture of the organ console from a perspective that most people at St. Mark's will never see it from (and are probably happy to keep it that way!).

Also, there is a picture from the inside of one or the organ chests.

Dave uses a digital tuner. He showed me how it told him one of the pipes was "three cents sharp." I asked how much that was in real money and he told me a cent is roughly 1/100th of a step.

Ringers Needed for the New Season!

Wanted: Musicians to ring handbells in the St. Mark’s Ringers, our advanced handbell group.

As the result of adding a fourth octave of bells, we have positions for three more ringers available. Ringers should be able to read notes in treble and bass clefs accurately, read simple and syncopated rhythms, and be able to follow (but not play) more than one note at a time, as in a piano or choral score.

The St. Mark’s Ringers will begin its usual Wednesday night rehearsal schedule in the Fall and provides music for worship services about once per month in addition to playing for major festival days.

If you are interested in ringing with us, please contact Tony Cruz or any member of the St. Mark’s Ringers as soon as possible.

More Pictures from Lake Junaluska