The venue for our Region 2 conference of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicicans was St. Martin's (ELCA) Lutheran Church which was started in 1883 when a group of about 20 families decided to start a "German Lutheran Church" in Austin. It is the home of two organs. First is the Visser-Rowland Mechanical Action Organ from 1982 with 3 manuals and 36 ranks. Second is the Kilgen Choir organ with a total of 21 ranks.
Opening Worship on Sunday night began with a prelude titled "Prelude For Weary Travelers" and featured St. Martin's Symphonic Winds and Voices, the St. Martin's Ringers (handbells), St. Martin's Reformation Band, St. Martin's Choir, and the Symphonic Winds. The music calmed any jitters left over from traveling and did a beautiful job of preparing us for worship. St. Martin's Cantor and Composer-in-Residence, Thomas Pavlechko, was also our host for the event. He was probably one of the hardest working hosts in ALCM history. (Members of St. Mark's will recall seeing his name on many of the psalm settings that we have used at St. Mark's.) His choir's singing of "Surrexit a mortuis" (Charles-Marie Widor) was a highlight of the conference, so the bar was set high from the very beginning! The evening finished with a reception given by St. Martin's titled "Gifts of Finest Wheat." The table was filled with yellow flowers and loaves of different types of bread, jams, cheeses, and other spreads - all to the accompaniment of the Inside Out Steel Drum Band under the direction of C.J. Menge.
Monday's plenary session was by Dr. Carl Trovall, PhD. whose topic was "Light Is Generous." He said that there is no effort in God's giving, that his gifts simply come. He compared these gifts to light - light, like water, doesn't really have to work because it simply fills in every space. The balance of the day was given to reading sessions and workshops. I attended "SOS (Simple Organ Solutions) For Service Players by Donald Rotemund who shared and demonstrated material from his two books on the same subject. Monday evening was a "Festival of Hymns" led by our host, Thomas Pavlechko. He gave both of the organs a serious workout and we heard them up close and personal!
Tuesday's Morning Prayer Service featured Karin and Joy Gunderson.
Every day should start with Morning Prayer and many of those should be accompanied by harp music!
Tuesday also included Mark Mummert's conversation around the topic of "Being a Lutheran Musician in the Southern United States." It was truly a conversation as attendees recounted their own experiences and talked about regional influences (everything from mariachi to contemporary music) that influenced their own work. On Tuesday I also attended Donald Meineke's workshop "Whole Body Warm-up and Vocal Coaching for Choirs." One of his suggestions: Don't be scared to demand something from your singers; they are capable of more than you think. He used Harold Friedell's "Jesus So Lowly" to demonstrate many techniques. I was happy to come home and find this choral gem already in our library!
Tuesday night was dinner at the County Line Barbeque rounded out with entertainment by Mark Schweizer. If you haven't read Schweizer's Liturgical mysteries, I highly recommend them!
"The Treble Wore Trouble" came to life in a sort of radio drama that kept the audience (and the cast!) in stitches over the demise of a woman named Carrie. . .Carrie Oakey.
Wednesday saw another plenary, this time led by Mark Mummert who talked about "Gifts: Simple, Diverse and United." There was a surprise as a group of children suddenly appeared singing Christian songs with great gusto. When they sang "Deep In the Heart of Texas," it brought down the house. Thomas Pavlechko joked that this was their "first flash mob." It was such a surprise, I didn't even think to get my camera out!
Worship is an integral part of ALCM conferences and our sending worship, which included anointing and blessing, did not disappoint anybody.
I would like to say thank you to everyone who helped make this event possible, especially Carol Henderson (Region 2 Vice President and Conference Chair), Thomas Pavlechko (for whom my great admiration has only grown), Steve Brandt, Rob Gerlach, Donald Meineke, David Thoresen, Aaron Garcia (whose postlude at Sending Worship was simply stunning!) and Renee Kesselring (thanks for the jazz!). I HOPE I didn't forget anybody.
There were many things that happended (all wonderful) that I did not attend or simply didn't have space to write about such as the compline service, ILC Jazz, and the "Luther's Indulgence Bar" sponsored by Thrivent International - it was build your own sundaes!
They say all good things come to an end. Scripture says "All things work together for good. . ." and this conference certainly worked good for the hearts, comfort, and inspiration of all who attended.
This final pic is of Carol Henderson, our hard working Vice President, Conference Chair, Head Cheerleader, etc., etc.
The choir room in the music suite got a major upgrade this summer courtesy of Adam K. and his desire to complete an Eagle Scout Project at St. Mark's. Over the course of one weekend, Adam and his crew completed a project that will help us for many years to come.
He had great help from Justin V., Dennis D., and several adult scout leaders as well as many other scouts. These risers were designed and built from scratch. Due to their stability and durability, they will benefit musicians at St. Mark's for many years to come.
Adam designed the project and was responsible for getting donations, materials, and assistance for its building. Thank you to Adam and to all of those who assisted him!
Please come back to the music suite and check them out!
