Festival Choir Annual Advent Photo

The Festival Choir's annual Advent photo was taken last Sunday, Dec. 21st. We rescheduled the photo three times due to various absences, but still weren't able to get everybody in. We missed Viki, Todd, Shirley and Katie. Thank you, as always, to Bill Daugherty, our very patient parish photographer. The festival choir alternates between singing at the early and late services (except on major feast days when we sing both services). We lead the church's song in hymnody and service music and generally prepare a musical offering (choral anthem) each week. Many of our members also participate in Bach Vespers services each year. The choir's literature is varied covering the range from Bach to Spirituals.
Membership is open to all singers of senior high school age and above. The ability to read music is helpful, but not required. (You will learn as you go along!) For information about singing in the choir, contact me by email or talk to any choir member.

Merry Christmas from the Kids at St. Mark's Ark

I was walking to the office today when I heard "Deck The Halls" being sung merrily from somwhere. I followed the sound to the San Marco room where I found children from the Ark, accompanied by Ms. Susan Reister, singing Christmas carols. I sat down for a round of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Frosty the Snowman. I returned a few minutes later to capture this video.

St. Mark's Ark is a preschool and ministry of St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church. For more information, please visit the website at www.classconnection.org./stmarksark.

Mystery and Marvel on Christmas Eve

St. Mark's has a long tradition of a service of music being sung before the 11:00 Christmas Eve Service. This year's service is titled "Mystery and Marvel." The Festival Choir will sing O Magnum Mysterium (Tomas Luis Victoria), Rosa Mystica (Sharon Elery Rogers), and Before the Marvel of This Night (Carl Schalk). The St. Mark's Ringers will play handbell arrangements of Divinum Mysterium ("Of the Father's Love Begotten") and Bring a Torch Jeanette, Isabella.
Mystery and Marvel begins at 10:30. I hope to see you there. Everyone is welcome!

A Visit From St. Nick (Part 1)

My new BFF, Bishop Nicholas of Myra (aka Santa Claus), stopped by to ask what I wanted for Christmas. I didn't hesitate to give him a lengthy list.

A Visit From St. Nick (Part 2)

". . .and I want three new singers on each voice part, twelve new ranks for the organ (including but not limited to French Horn and Festival Trumpet stops), 30 copies of the Augsburg Choirbook for the choir, a lamp for the Yamaha piano, and . . ."

A Visit From St. Nick (Part 3)

"That's a pretty long list, Tony. Tell me, have you been bad or good this year?"

"Well, Santa . . .I can explain EVERYTHING!"




Thanks to Bill Daugherty, Parish Photographer, for the photos. Thanks to Steve and Jenny Hicks for insuring Santa's safe arrival at St. Mark's!

Rejoice and Be Merry - The MTC Has A New Recording!

Looking for a new and exciting recording to add to your holiday music collection? Then get Rejoice and Be Merry! by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir featuring The Kings Singers. If you get it, please don't let it be background music to dinner and household chores. . .at least the first time. Sit down with a cup of coffee, dim the lights, turn off the the phone, and just LISTEN. My favorite cuts: Sussex Carol (1) is an exciting arrangement by Mack Wilberg that really raises the roof. Wilberg's arrangements continue to amaze me year after year, recording after recording. Wonder what his inspiration could be? Perhaps it's the Mormon Tabernacle Choir! La Peregrinacion (The Pilgrimage) (6) is from a 1964 cantata by Argentine composer Ariel Ramirez. The lyrics are by Felix Luna and tell the story of Mary and Joseph making their journey, but relocated to the pampas of northern Argentina. Elements of jazz and latin music combine. The harmonies will make any last remaining "humbug" leave your bloodstream immediately. Read the English lyrics too. In part, "Tread the path, tread the path, Joseph and Mary, with God hidden within. Nobody knew." It's stunning.
O Holy Night (11) will blow you away. I Saw Three Ships (16) is a virtuosic organ piece that will make you think the organist, Richard Elliot, has seven fingers on each hand and an extra foot!
The rest of the album is entirely worth your time.
Disclaimer: I'm not making any money from the sales of this album. Too bad too cause it's gonna be a hit!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Almighty God our Father, your generous goodness comes to us new every day. By the work of your Spirit, lead us to acknowledge your goodness, give thanks for your benefits, and serve you in willing obedience, through Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord. Amen.
Evangelical Lutheran Worship, page 61

Last night's combined Thanksgiving Eve service with All Saints Episcopal church was a success. With about 90 people in attendance, joyful music, good preaching and reverent liturgy, we gave thanks to God for his many blessings. Thank you to all of the Festival choir members who came and sang "With A Voice of Singing." Thank you to our new friends at All Saints for initiating this venture: Father Thomas W. Deppe, Father Gee Alexander, and Interim Parish Musician Sharon Murawski. We look forward to worshiping with you again soon!

As you give thanks today, remember to happily feed the angels and not worry so much about the vacuuming!

A New Carol for Advent Christmas!

Sung to the tune: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

If you like to sing at Christmas, now’s the time that you should come.
Advent, Christmas move upon us, carols dear we start to hum.
If your goal is slightly higher, and you’d like to join the choir,
Learn some notes and tap your feet, join us in the music suite!
Christmas music we’ve begun. Practice is for everyone.

The Festival Choir is beginning to rehearse music for the Advent and Christmas seasons. If you’d like to sing during this special time of the year, please join us for rehearsals on Wednesday evening at 7:30 in the music suite. See Tony Cruz or any choir member for more information. Send email to vespers@comcast.net.

Thank You to Bach Vespers Participants

Another Bach Vespers service is behind us. The most recent service was on Nov. 9, 2008 and featured cantata no. 93 "Wer nur den lieben Gott laasst walten." Our hymns were "Evening and Morning" (Evangelical Lutheran Worship #761), "O Light Whose Splendor Thrills and Gladdens" (ELW #563) and "Lord, Thee I Love With All My Heart" (ELW #750). The first and last are hymns only recently added to the repertoire of St. Mark's (though old hymns to the Lutheran Church), but they were sung as if we had been singing them for years. The service also included the evening canticle (Magnificat) by Heinrich Schutz, and a setting of psalm 141 by Thomas Pavlechko from the St. Martin's Psalter.

The tradition of Bach Vespers, begun by Cantor Jim Rindelaub, is more than 20 years old at St. Mark's. It is also our tradition to invite singers from the community to join in these services and this year we were happy to have about 20 of them! Thank you to all of you for singing with us! Thanks also to the choir members from St. Mark's who participated. I'd also like to thank our orchestra members - and Ellen Olson for hiring them. Thanks to Eric Olson and Edie Hubert for voluntaries by G. F. Handel and Telemann. Thank you to Frank Starbuck for being the choir's German diction coach and for transcribing orchestral parts for the hymns.

Thank you to our soloists for their hard work and dedication : Jane Kilby (soprano), Emily Madigan (alto), William Adams (tenor), and Frank Starbuck (bass).

Hiring an orchestra and purchasing scores is an expensive proposition and we could not do it without the generous contributions from folks at St. Mark's and the community, so I sincerely thank each of you.

Thank you to Bill Daugherty for our pictures above. He does a great job of documenting the life of our parish.

Thank you to Pastor Peacock for leading our worship as he chanted, read the scriptures, and led the prayers. Thank you to Pastor Dow for extending the Welcome in our service.

Thank you to Laurie Aurand for organizing the reception that provided a great opportunity for fellowship. (I'm afraid our rehearsal schedule didn't permit much socializing, so this was a nice chance for our singers to meet each other!) By the way, if you want a good dip for apple slices, mix one cup of caramel ice cream topping with a block of cream cheese.

This year's vespers service was concurrent with the celebration of St. Mark's 70th anniversary. For more information about the history, present, and future of St. Mark's, please visit our web site at http://www.stmarksjax.org/.

If you would like to receive an invitation to sing with us in the next Bach Vespers service, please send an email to Tony Cruz at vespers@comcast.net.

Bach Vespers on November 9, 2008 at 6:00

On Sunday evening, November 9th, there will be a Bach Vespers service at 6 p.m. featuring J. S. Bach's cantata no. 93 "Wer nur den lieben Gott lasst walten." The choir will be comprised of singers from the Festival Choir of St. Mark's and many singers from the community. The orchestra will be instrumentalists from the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra and from the community.

Written for the fifth Sunday after Trinity while Bach was in Leipzig, this cantata is based on the chorale by the same name. It's English title is "If You But Trust In God to Guide You" and is hymn no. 769 in Evangelical Lutheran Worship (the hymnal of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America).

Soloists are Jane Kilby (soprano), Emily Madigan (alto), William Adams (tenor) and Frank Starbuck (bass).

There is no charge, but an offering will be taken and a reception will follow. This service is in conjunction with the celebration of St. Mark's 70th anniversary! Please come and bring a friend!

Interview With A Choir Member

Note: This article appeared in the October "The Messenger." It appears here with Margaret's permission.

Nearly everybody at St. Mark’s knows and loves Margaret W. who has been singing in the choir since some time in the 1950’s. Margaret’s oldest son sang in a boy’s choir under the direction of Hugh Alderman. She found herself sitting next to Mr. Alderman once when it came time to sing a hymn and, from that time on she says, he was “on my case to join the choir.”

Finally, there was a Sunday when there were only a couple of sopranos in the choir and Margaret decided they needed help. . .and she’s been in the choir ever since.

Margaret is a native of Jacksonville and received musical training under Andre Thomas and Robert Shaw when she lived in Tallahassee. Singing with Robert Shaw required four rigorous auditions and she fondly remembers annual concerts featuring requiems by the old masters. She also studied applied voice at Jacksonville University.

Margaret’s husband, Arthur G., died in 1971. Since their sons were both in college, Margaret stopped her studies and worked hard to help them finish theirs. She admits she should have returned to college, but never did.

Margaret, now in her eighties, has considered dropping out of the choir, but people in the congregation (and those sitting next to her in the choir loft!) have told her how much they would miss her - so she keeps on singing. I know we would miss Margaret’s contribution terribly if she stopped singing with us. An excellent reader who is always right on pitch, she is one of our leaders – and she’s just a fun person to be around!

When I asked Margaret if I could do an article about our conversation for The Messenger, she said yes, but added, “I wasn’t ever anything special. I just worked and did what I was called to do.”

That sounds pretty special to me.

Blessing of the Animals for St. Francis Day

Holly, a 2-year-old Boxer, was part of the menagerie in the St. Mark's courtyard for the Blessing of the Animals service as part of the St. Francis' Day Holy Communion Service. Holly brought her humans (Ruth and Sterling C.) as well. Music was provided by the Behind the Pulpit Ensemble under the direction of Roger Feingold, Associate Music Director.

St. Francis was born into a wealthy family, but gave up his inheritance in order to serve the poor. He founded an order known as the Franciscans, charging them to preach the gospel "using words, if necessary." Francis loved God's creation as evidenced in his hymn "All Creatures of Our God and King." (Evangelical Lutheran Worship #835)

Some legends about St. Francis claim that he preached to animals, encouraging them to worship and praise God according to their nature. After these sermons, he would make the sign of the cross over them and send them on their way.

Holly would like to thank Pastor Dow, Pastor Peacock, and the people of St. Mark's for acknowledging and honoring her part in God's creation.

AGO Hymn Festival at St. Mark's on Sunday, Sept. 28th

The Jacksonville chapter of the American Guild of Organists will host a hymn festival at St. Mark's on 9/28/08 at 7:00 p.m. The festival, titled "Water Music: A Hymn Festival for the River City" will feature improvisations by Andrew Clarke of Riverside Presbyterian Church and congregational hymns accompanied by organists from the local area who are also members of the chapter.

Some of the hymns are "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing (Nettleton)," " Eternal Father, Strong to Save (Melita)," " Shall We Gather at the River (Hanson Place) and, "Baptized in Water (Bunessan)". There is no charge, but an offering will be taken for the work of the chapter.

A reception will follow in Hart Hall. Come sing with us! These hymns are old favorites that everyone will enjoy!

Bach Vespers November 9, 2008

This is an invitation to join with the choir of St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church in singing a Bach Vespers service. This event coincides with the 70th anniversary of St. Mark's. We will be singing cantata no. 93, "Wer Nur Den Lieben Gott Lasst Walten." (Sorry, no umlauts available!)

Rehearsals will be from 10:00 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Oct. 11, Oct. 25, and Nov. 1. The dress rehearsal with orchestra will be Monday, November 3rd at 7:00 p.m. The vespers service will be Sunday evening, November 9th, at 6:00 p.m.

If you are interested in singing this music by one of the church's greatest composers, please contact Tony Cruz at vespers@comcast.net.

St. Mark's Welcomes Associate Pastor, Reverend Alan Wesley Peacock

On July 20, 2008 the people of St. Mark's welcomed to its ministry Alan Wesley Peacock who was ordained by The Reverend Edward R. Benoway, Bisohp of the Florida-Bahamas Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Hymns were sung as "Alan" became "Pastor Alan Peacock" and the entire mood of the service was joyfully upbeat. The Reverend Richard Dow, Sr. Pastor at St. Mark's, delivered the sermon. Surrounded by other Pastors of the ELCA, family, friends, and an excited congregation, Pastor Peacock began his ministry among us.

Pastor Peacock was Vicar at Shepherd of the Woods and many people from that congregation (including Pastor Johnson and Pastor Iverson) were in attendance. Several members of the SOTW choir joined members of the St. Mark's Festival Choir in singning "Offertory" by John Ness Beck.

Welcome to St. Mark's Pastor Peacock!

St. Mark's: http://www.stmarksjax.org/
The Florida-Bahamas Synod: http://www.fbsynod.com/
Photo by Bill Daugherty

ALCM Region 2 Conference in Savannah

Savannah, Georgia was the site for the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians Region 2 biennial conference. Our host church, established in 1741, was the historic Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Ascension on Wright Square (pictured above) where Edie Hockspeier, A.I.M, is the Director of Music. Southern Hospitality was all around us. . .even though Edie is really a farm girl from Iowa. People from the congregation were also on hand to assist. Ascension was the site of worship services built around the theme "Hungry. . .Fed. . .Satisfied," plenary sessions, and workshops regarding a variety of topics. I attended workshops on the Psalms, Children's Voices, Organ Repertoire, and others. The sessions I attended were all carefully planned and helpful.

One highlight of the conference was an organ recital by Bruce Neswick at Independent Presbyterian Church. His workshop on Children's Choirs at St. John's Episcopal Church was also worth attending. (Thanks to the choristers from St. John's who acted as a demonstration choir!)

There was lots of good food in Savannah and plenty to see. On Tuesday night there was a riverboat dinner cruise complete with dolphins swimming in the river.

The officers of ALCM Region 2 are: Donald L. Armitage, President; David Rhyne, Vice-President; Kevin Barger, Secretary/Treasurer. Along with Edie Hockspeier, they did an incredible job of planning this conference. All of the venues were within walking distance and we had time to enjoy a bit of the city while we were learning. The attention to detail was evident. Thanks to all of these persons for an inspiring, educational three days!

For information on the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians, a pan-Lutheran orgainization, please visit www.alcm.org.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Ascension's website is: www.elcota.org.
For a great source of information on Bruce Neswick see: http://www.concertartists.com/BN.html

Information (including great photos of their organ) about Independent Presbyterian Church is available at: www.ipcsav.org.

ALCM Savannah: Compline at Christ Church

Recently the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians, Region 2, held its biennial regional conference in Savannah. The first event on our calendar was Compline at Christ Church (Episcopal) which dates from the 1700's. Compline is the last service of the daily offices at about 9:00 p.m. Pictured is the church, but also a poster that sits outside the church announcing the service of Compline. In the Episcopal service of Compline, the congregation's particpation is "inward" rather than outward. Still, the service is not a performance but ". . .it is a transformance of the individual worshipper."

About an hour before the service, persons from the church walk through Savannah's historic squares and invite the people they meet, many of them tourists, to prayer by handing them a post card sized version of the poster below.

The prayers, psalms and hymns are sung by the choir while the congregation follows the service in darkness, save for the light of a few candles. At Christ Church, this ecumenical choir of musicians and choir directors from are churches is under the expert direction of Mark K. Williams, Parish Musician. If you find yourself in Savannah on a Sunday evening, I encourage you to see if the service is being held and then to attend. I promise that you'll be glad you did.

AGO Sunday and Introduction

Wow, my first national AGO (American Guild of Organists) biennial convention! The convention is 5 days packed with organ concerts and education. The site for this year's convention was Minneapolis, Minnesota. When I registered for the convention a couple of months ago, I had to make selections for concerts and workshops. There was a huge amount of events to choose from and there was no way to see and hear everything. So I did the best I could. Following is a list of some of the events I attended and some photos that I took. I hope you enjoy reading about the convention.

Sunday afternoon was spent at St. Paul's Lake of the Isles Episcopal Church in Minneapolis listening to the Rising Star Recitals. These performers are all 22-32 years of age and we heard a total of seven concerts. That may sound like a lot, but each program was about 20 minutes long and we had 5 - 10 minutes between each program to stand and stretch. These young organists were all amazing and have bright futures as concert artists if that's what they want to do! Several of them played pieces I had never heard before including Anton Heiler's Tanz Tocatta played by Keenan Boswell. (I don't remember it now, but in my program I wrote "perhaps the coolest piece of organ music ever!) Marshall Cuffe played Emma Lou Diemmer's I Danced in the Morning and Brent J. Stamey played Petr Eben's Hommage a Buxtehude. The other artists were Jonathan Hehn, Raymond Nagem, Adam Piethmann, and Kirk Rich.

The evening event was our opening worship service at Central Lutheran Church just a short walk from the hotel. Before worship, we heard a carillon concert by David Johnson. The service included the premiere of Steven Stucky's The Kingdom of God (In no strange land) for organ and choir. The choir was made up of several Twin-Cities local choirs. There were more than 1,800 church musicians in attendance, so you can imagine what the singing was like! What a way to start a convention!!
Photo: St. Paul's Lake of the Isles Episcopal Church

AGO Monday

Monday started out the Basilica of St. Mary for a concert on the 1949 Wicks organ by Elke Voelker. Before I talk about the concert, let me talk about the space. It is immense and ornately decorated with incredible stained-glass windows. It's like being in a huge cavern - and it sounds like it too. Before her concert, Ms. Voelker tested the organ for the recording equipment by playing one chord. When she released that chord, it rolled to the back of the church and could still be heard a full five seconds after the release. Ms. Voelker specializes in the organ music of Sigrfrid Karg-Elert, but she played her Wagner transcription and Bach pieces with equal flourish. There were points that the acoustics worked against her. I could see her fingers working in spots that I couldn't hear notes being sounded - they were getting lost in that immense cave. The concert was amazing. If you are ever in Minneapolis and have an opportunity to see this church, you must go!

The next concert was at St. Olaf Catholic church and was played by Stepen Tharp. The organ, a 2001 instrument built by Lively-Fulcher, was well suited to the works of Widor, Jean Demessieux, and Messiaen. It was a very enjoyable concert.

Also at St. Olaf was an Eastern Orthodox Vespers service. (I know, it was only 11:30 am, but when you're at a convention, you have to make allowances for this kind of thing .) The service was sung by the Rose Ensemble and opened with a piece composed especially for the convention by Cary John Franklin, a Minnesota-based composer. As I write this, my program has been misplaced so I can't give you the title, but it was piece for organ and C-instument that was well-suited to opening worship.

Next, the exhibit hall was opened so it was time to go shopping for organ music! Augsburg Fortress and Concordia Publishing were both happy to see me coming. . .

St. Paul's Roman Catholic Cathedral was the site for the evening event: Evensong sung by the St. Paul's Cathedral Choir from London, England! For me, this was like dying and going to heaven. The space is immense and more than accomodated all 1,800 of the AGO attendees. The public was also able to buy tickets to the event. Superlatives can't define the exquisite music-making of this choir. If you ever have a chance to hear them (they did come to Jax once several years ago), then you must go.
Top: St. Paul's Roman Catholic Cathedral Bottom: St. Olaf Catholic Church

AGO Tuesday

The morning started with a continuation of the Rising Star Recitals at Jehovah Lutheran Church on the 1983 Van Daalen organ. Noah Wynne-Morton, a junior at the Julliard School, played a Bach Prelude and Fugue, then a piece titled Hommage a Igor Stravinsky by Naji Hakim (born 1955). Wynne-Morton was followed by Andrew Yeargin of Raleigh, NC who is studying for his master's degree at the Manhattan School of Music. He chose the famous Bach Prelude and Fugue in D Minor, then a piece I'd never heard by Ad Wammes (born 1953) and titled Miroir which was very cool! His program rounded out with W. A. Mozart's Fantasy in F Minor.

After the Rising Star Recitals I was off to Bethel University for a concerto program performed by James Diaz and Stephen Cleobury. It's always exciting to hear the organ played with an orchestra. My favorite piece was Grand Concerto No. 3 played by Diaz and composed by Stephen Paulus, AGO's composer of the year - but the entire concert was amazing!

The next stop was Saint Andrew's Lutheran Church in Mahtomedi, MN. A church with very modern architecture, the organ was built in 1927 by Casavant and then expanded by Schantz in 2001. John Weaver played a short concert including his own Partita on Kingsfold which I enjoyed very much. (Kingsfold is one of my favorite tunes - in fact, we're singing it Sunday!)

The next performer was Cameron Carpenter who has been called "the ultimate maverick of the U.S. organ community." (I borrow from the author Anne Rice and think of him as the "brat-prince of organists.) His playing is simply amazing. John Weaver, one of his teachers, said that Carpenter is a prodigy such as has not been seen since the time of Mozart. He is incredible. If you ever have a minute then just google him and watch some of the YouTube videos. You will be amazed!! I promise. His rendition of Bach's Prelude and Fugue in D Minor is shocking to many organists, but I've heard it played the "right way" so many times that Carpenter's version was incredibly entertaining and I loved every second of it. If you are ever anyplace that Cameron Carpenter is playing a concert, GO. . .and take the family!!

That afternoon I attended a workshop on AGO certification.

The evening event was a concert of music by Olivier Messiaen - and there was not a single organ piece on the program! I don't think I've ever heard any non-organ Messiaen music so this was an enjoyable and educational experience. My favorite was the selections from Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jesus/Twenty Glances on the Child Jesus. This is a work for piano and was played by Lydia Artymiw, a leading piano recitatlist of international fame. We also heard Fete des belles for Six Ondes Martenot. The Martenot is a unique instrument that somehow changes electricity into sound. It can only play one note at a time, so any harmony or polyphony requires more than one instrument. The instument had a unique quality and, although the piece was interesting and well-played, it was a little esoteric and long for my taste. (Perhaps the fact that it was nearly 10:00 pm when it started was a factor.) Still, it was a unique offering and I'm glad I had the chance to hear it.

Top photo: St. Paul's Roman Catholic Cathedral Bottom: St. Andrew's Lutheran Church

AGO Wednesday

Wednesday started the way every day should start - with a service of Matins (Morning Prayer) sung by the choir of St. Paul's Cathedral all the way from London, England. It was a service of organ and choral music with works by Howells, Bairstow, Vaughn Williams, Walton, Elgar and others. The service was held at the Basilica of St. Mary whose acoustics (already discussed) were extremely favorable to English choral music.

The next event was at Hennepin Avenue Methodist Church on its 1979 Sipe organ. This was an enjoyable concert by Todd Wilson who is head of the organ department at The Cleveland Institute of Music, with my favorite piece being one for organ and french horn - Calvin Hampton's Variations on Amazing Grace. The french horn was played by Merilee Kemp.

Then we were off to St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral where we heard perhaps my favorite concert of the week. The original organ was built by Welte (1928) then added to by Moller (1964) and Gould and Sons (1976, 1983). This is an organ whose low tones reverberate in your very soul! The concert was played by Peter Sykes with assistance from Victoria Wagner. They played selections from a transcription of Gustav Holst's The Planets. This piece is generally played by one organist in a normal layout but at some points an additional organist is needed to play one line. In Neptune "at one moment all four manuals and pedal, with four hands, two feet, and even a pencil holding a long note" is required. This was an incredible concert, but it ran a little long so I missed the workshop that afternoon. . . .IT WAS WORTH IT!!

The next event was the annual meeting at which election results were given. Eileen Guenther, DMA became the new president and John Walker, FAGO, DMA became the new vice president.

Finally, that evening we boarded the bus for Wooddale Presbyterian Church where we participated in a recording of Pipe Dreams, the radio show of organ music that is hosted by Michael Barone. The concert had a great deal of variety with many well-known organists but two that I'd never heard of before: Barbara Dennerlein wowed all of us with her jazz improvisation (truly, incredible!) and Isabelle Demers amazed us with Stephen Paulus' As If The Whole Creation Cried, from Triptych. We also heard Ken Cowan, Aaron David Miller, Scott Montgomery, Douglas Reed, Herndon Spillman, and Calvn Taylor. I was really exhausted that night and came very close to skipping this event. . .but I'm sooooo glad I went.

Top Left: The organ at Hennepin Avenue Methodist Church Middle: The facade of St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral (The organ pipes were mostly not visible.)

Bottom: The organ at Wooddale Presbyterian Church

AGO Thursday: Daily Activities

Today I heard two concerts. The first concert was performed at Nativity of Our Lord Catholic Church in St. Paul, MN where Jeremy Filsell, principal organist of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in our nation's capitol, played a newly-installed (2007) Casavant organ. From his program of Rachmaninoff and Dupre, I most enjoyed the Trois Hymnes of Dupre.

Following that was a concert by Stewart Wayne Foster at Augustana Lutheran Church. The organ there was built by Glatter-Gotz and later work was done by Rosales (a builder whose work I much admire!). We heard a varied program of Bach, Buxtehude, Karg-Elert, and others. I particularly enjoyed Brian Sawyers' Rising Sun and selectons from Karg-Elert's Seven Pastels from the Lake of Constance. From the latter, I shall look for a recording of The Sun's Evensong which, to my ears, had lots of jazz influence.


Also on this day I attended a seminar about Scandinavian Organ Music and the regional divisions had their meetings.

Top photo: The organ at Augustana Lutheran Church
Bottom: The organ at Natvity of Our Lord Catholic Church.

AGO Thursday: Closing Concert

The closing concert was an incredible experience. It included music by Messiaen, Stephen Paulus ("Pilgrim's Hymn" from the opera The Three Hermits), and John Taverner. The crowing work, however, was the U.S. Premiere of Te Deum by German composer Siegfried Matthus (born 1934). An epic work of praise, war, re-building, and finally again, praise, it was written to celebrate the reopening of Dresden's Frauenkirche which was destroyed by Allied Forces during WW II. The work featured soloists, the Minnesota Boys Choir, an orchestra, and an SATB choir (at least 200 voices strong) all under the direction of Phillip Brunelle. If you ever get a chance to hear this work, do not miss it. It will make you weep. It was an incredible way to finish a week of great concerts and education!

Picture: St. Paul's Roman Catholic Cathedral, site of the closing concert.

Come Sing In Our Summer Choir!

Summer is here so the usual choral, bell, and instrumental rehearsals are on hiatus. If you love to sing, you are invited to join us any Sunday in our Summer Choir. The summer choir meets at 10:30 on Sunday mornings in the music suite where we rehearse hymns for the day and learn a musical offering that can be put together quickly (usually 2-part or unison singing). All singers are welcome! Feel free to bring a friend!

Today's News

Today's news: cyclone in Myanmawr, tornadoes in the heartland, fires in Florida, and an earthquake in China. Did anyone else place all of this in context of last Sunday's (Pentecost) sending hymn? It was #400 and addresses "God of tempest, God of whirlwind. . .God of blazing. . .God of earthquake. . ." I'm not saying God was in these natural disasters. I know there are those who view natural disasters as God's punishment on individuals. (I think if God wants to take a person or a few people out, his aim could be a lot better than a cyclone that wipes out tens of thousands or a tornado that is a mile wide.)

You're probably asking, "Okay Tony, so does this hymn have anything to do with the natural disasters?" I think it does. Look at the last stanza. We often expect God to do something to help those in harm's way, but this hymn calls on God to "stir in US loves restlessness! Where the people cry in anguish (Myanmawr, Oklahoma, China), may we share your heart's distress. Rouse us from content with evil; claim us for your kingdom's work."

Let us pray for those who have been in the path of these disasters, and let us pray for those who now lead the efforts of rescue and relief. Even the non-Christians among them, though perhaps unwittingly, are doing the kingdom's work.

"God of Tempest, God of Whirlwind" is a text by Herman G. Steumpfle, b. 1923. The copyright is held by GIA Publications, Inc.

Scandinavian Vespers on May 4th at 6:00 p.m.

My Grandfather, Ellef Johannes Everson, was confirmed at Bad Axe Lutheran Church in Vernon County, Wisconsin in 1924 by the Reverend O.J. Nesheim (bottom photo). His father was John Everson and John's father was Jens Iverson (James Everson) who came to Wisconsin with his parents and sisters in the 1860's. They were one of the families that helped to build the church at Bad Axe. (The other picture is from my own confirmation at the same church, about 52 years later.) When Norwegians, Swedes, Danes, and Finns came to America they brought their musically-rich religious heritage with them. We'll be celebrating the music of these peoples as part of a vespers service. There will be Scandinavian hymns and handbell and choral music by Scandinavian and Scandinavian-American composers. A reception will follow. (I don't want to give away any surprises, but my krumkake griddle is warming up. . .) Musical selections will include Finlandia (Be Still, My Soul), Thy Holy Wings, and How Great Thou Art. I hope to see you there! By the way, Grandpa Ellef is in the middle row, third from the left.

Kingdom Choir Goes to Choristers Guild Festival

Last weekend our Kingdom Choir went to Lake Wales for the annual Choristers Guild Festival. We worked hard to learn and memorize several songs for this event. At the Festival, we learned under nationally-known childrens choir director Kathy Evans and performed in a concert with about 126 singers from across the state of Florida. We went down on Friday night, spent the night in a hotel, then spent nearly a full day learning about music. Other classes that were offered included Orff, Drumming, Drama, Puppets, and Dance.

The event was held at First Presbyterian Church in Lake Wales, which is just south of Orlando. You can expect to hear our festival pieces in church soon!

Top: Combined Choirs from across the state of Florida

Middle: Our families came too!

Bottom: back row-Amelia, Sarah; front row-Nolan, Becca, Jordan

Archiglas in Concert on April 18th at 7:00 p.m.

This is one concert you will not want to miss!

Last year Archiglas wowed us with their renderings of Russian sacred and folk music. There is no reason to think this year will be any different.

Dmitry Vorobjev is the music director. He and all of the other singers are professional musicians from St. Petersburg, Russia. They are traveling a long way to share their music with us.

Please invite friends and family. They will thank you for inviting them!

The concert is free and all are welcome. An offering will be taken to express appreciation to Archiglas. A reception will follow in Hart Hall.

Festival Choir Revised Schedule

Click on the schedule for a larger view.

Scandinavian Vespers on May 4th at 6:00 p.m.

St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church will be the site for a Lutheran Vespers service featuring music by Scandinavian and Scandinavian-American composers. When immigrants from Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland began coming to America, they brought their musically-rich religious tradition with them. The service will feature Scandinavian hymns (sung in English!), choral music by composers such as Grieg and Christiansen, and handbell arrangements of music by Scandinavian composers.

If you have a bunad or national costume from either of these countries, we encourage you to wear it!

The service will be on May 4th at 6:00 p.m. and all are welcome! St. Mark's is located at 3976 Hendricks Avenue in Jacksonville. An offering will be taken and a reception will follow. For further information, contact Tony Cruz at 742-5136 or vespers@comcast.net.

Archiglas In Concert on April 18th at 7:00 p.m.

Archiglas, an a capella vocal ensemble under the direction of Dmitry Vorobjev, returns to St. Mark's on Friday, April 18th at 7:00 p.m. in another concert of Russian sacred and folk music. Last year's concert was a memorable event and we are looking forward to hearing them again.

The concert is free and all are welcome. An offering will be taken and a reception will follow. Invite your friends and family!

Orange Park Chorale Returns April 12th at 7:30 p.m.

The Orange Park Chorale returns to St. Mark's on April 12th at 7:30 p.m. in a free concert titled "Soiree with Schubert and Sondheim." Under the direction of Dr. Carole Clifford, Artistic Director, the group is a "performance and education organization for the promotion of choral arts in Clay County and the surrounding Northeast Florida area." They are truly one of the area's finest choirs. All are welcome! (An offering will be taken.) Visit their web site at www.orangeparkchorale.com.

Some Nice Pictures

At left, the afternoon sun shines through the window in Hart Hall. It's a funny picture because it isn't just the sun. Recently we had hamburgers as part of the Wednesdays Together meal and smoke had drifted into Hart Hall through Luther Hall. I couldn't resist the photo op. At right, stained-glass windows are perfectly reflected in the Yamaha piano in the nave. These are just some random photos (taken last week) that I thought people might enjoy.

Power Of Music: "Trio on Trio" Photos

The final concert was a rousing success! At left, Marianne Murray prepares for the concert. In the other photo, left to right: Aaron Brask, Lynne Radcliffe, Marianne Murray, Max Huls. The Brahms Horn Trio was everything that was promised! St. Mark's appreciates the opportunity to provide this concert series with the Jacksonville Symphony Association. Special thanks to Lynne Radcliffe for the programming!

Power Of Music: "Trio on Trio"

Sunday, March 9, 3:00 p.m. (Note time change!)

The final program of the series features each of the three composers, ending with the famous Brahms trio for Violin, Horn and Piano. JSO violinist Max Huls, JSO hornist Aaron Brask and pianist Lynne Radcliffe will perform this powerful work of broad scope, eventually ascending to the heights of the human spirit with a triumphant finish.

Admission is free. An offering will be taken.

Many, many thanks to all of our performers and especially to Lynne Radcliffe for her excellent taste in programming!

Thanks also to the Jacksonville Symphony Association, Lynne Radcliffe and Laura Dwyer, and to the people of St. Mark's for providing refreshments.

Reminder: Time To Set Your Clocks!

Don't let this happen to you!
Last year Sandbakkelse and Strudel (pictured) forgot to set their clocks and did not get up in time to go to church. Their response? "Oh well, it's not like we were going anyway."

This is a friendly reminder to set your clocks ahead one hour before you go to sleep on Saturday night!

Hymn of the Day March 9, 2008

The Hymn of the Day this Sunday is "Lord, Thee I Love with All My Heart," number 170 in Evangelical Lutheran Worship. The text is by Martin Schalling who was a favorite pupil of Phillip Melanchthon, the well-known friend and defender of Martin Luther. It's sung regularly in many Lutheran churches, but perhaps not at St. Mark's. Here is a link to the cyberhymnal which you should be able to open to get a preview of the tune:http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/l/t/i/ltilwamh.htm. Also, here is a link to a brief biography of Martin Schalling: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Lib/Schalling.htm. This is a German tune (not quite through-composed since one of the musical phrases does repeat) and typically longer than many protestant hymns. The text, translated from the German by Catherine Winkworth, culminates in the last verse with the author dying, sleeping peacefully, and then awakening to see Jesus. Hmmm. Sounds like our lenten journey and our life journey have something in common.

Please let me know if you found this information useful!

Also this Sunday, Ellen Olson, St. Mark's member and JSO violist, will play "Were You There?" and Rev. Dale Gatz is scheduled to preach.
In the photo: Spring has come to the courtyard of St. Mark's. This Sunday, be sure to take a moment and enjoy the beauty of our garden! Then thank Rusty Snyder for maintaining the grounds and Marvin "Red" Brown for maintaining the fountain.

Great Music Heard at St. Mark's: Power - Madness - Virtuosity

Clara Schumann would have been happy to hear her music as it was performed last Sunday afternoon by the outstanding musicians above! Left to Right: Betsy Federman, Mary McKee, Melissa Pierson-Barrett and Lynne Radcliffe. Please plan to join us for the final concert in this series on March 9, 2008 at 3:00 p.m. (Please note the time change!) Thank you to these excellent musicians for a concert full of power and virtuosity. . .and, thankfully, very little madness!

Lutheridge Handbell Retreat

About fifteen of our handbell ringers attended the Lutheridge Handbell Retreat February 15 - 17 at Lutheridge in Arden, NC. We left early on Friday morning, realizing at the last minute that we had room for all of the people and our bells. . .but not enough room for luggage! Jane K. agreed to drive so we departed Jacksonville in three vehicles: the van driven by Larry T., an Escalade driven by Loree M., and the SUV driven by Jane. The next couple of days would hold great meals and fellowship together, nearly nine hours of intense rehearsal under our clinician Ed Tompkins, a Pictionary marathon, hastily rearranged sleeping arrangements (segrating those who snore from those who do not), and a final concert on Sunday morning after worship.

My thanks to Larry T. for making travel arrangements and leading rehearsals to help us prepare the music in advance. Thank you to the drivers and thank you to all who attended. It was nice to go away for the weekend and get to know each of you a little better. Several of you commented that previous directors never went to Lutheridge for the handbell retreat. All I can say is that they don't know what they were missing. Well, that and. . .when can we go again?