From Generation to Generation: My Experience with the ALCM at Valparaiso University

All professions have their own professional associations to help members keep up with industry trends, maintain standards of excellence, and be part of a community of people who share common goals. For Lutheran church musicians, that organization is the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians.

ALCM, a pan-Lutheran group, nurtures and equips musicians to serve and lead the church's song.

The recent conference titled "From Generation to Generation" fulfilled that mission well. This conference was sponsored and organized by Region One, but members traveled from across the country. We were eager to be in the company of colleagues and friends after two and a half years of travel restrictions and cancelled events.

For me, it was also a reunion with most of my classmates from Trinity Lutheran Seminary.

My classmates from TLS!

Held at Valparaiso University, the ALCM conference coincided with Lutheran Summer Music (LSM). LSM is the nation's premier faith-based music academy for high school students. This convergence of ALCM and LSM brought the generations of church musicians together in a way that doesn't often happen on a large scale.

Daily worship was an important part of each day. Morning Prayer in the famed Chapel of the Resurrection followed breakfast each morning. We returned there each night for Evening Prayer. LSM youth served in many of the leadership roles at these services, serving as cantors, organists, lectors, and more.

One of the most memorable events was an Evening Prayer service that included a hymn festival! Singing hymns with a full chapel was a deeply satisfying way to finish the day.

Most of the day was given to workshops. I chose three sessions on Composing/Arranging for the Assembly. I also attended sessions on choral warm-ups, bulletin design, and copyright concerns. All sessions were led by knowledgeable people who are leaders in the field of church music.

One way to inspire musicians is through concerts - and we heard two amazing groups perform.

Cantus is an American groups whose concert "My Journey Yours" told the stories of immigrants to America through reading first-person accounts. A rich tapestry of choral music, most of it by modern composers, complemented the readings.

Cantus - from the website

The second concert was by the Calmus Ensemble from Leipzig, Germany. The five singers gave an incredible all Bach, all acapella concert. It came in three parts featuring music by J. S. Bach - including sung versions of his organ works! At the center was Bach's famous motet, Jesu meine Freude.

Calmus Ensemble - from their website

Both concerts were made possible through a generous gift from Mark and Kathy Helge who are major supporters of the ALCM.

ALCM membership is one of my most valuable tools as a leader of the church's song. I am proud to serve on its board!

This mural on the chapel wall shows Valparaiso University's motto: In your light, we see light.

Music Week 2022 at Lutheridge - Good News!

Just saying the word "Lutheridge" around St. Mark's is likely to be met with smiles and happy nods. People at St. Mark's have owned homes there, attended retreats, and visited friends who live there. Our St. Mark's Ringers have enjoyed many a handbell weekend there. Lutheridge is also an important part of Pastor Daniel's call story.

Thornburg Hall - My home away from home during Lutheridge Music Week

So, you can imagine why I was excited about participating in my first Music Week at Lutheridge. It wasn't just about the possibility of cooler summer temperatures, but I had my fingers crossed! (We had great weather, by the way, with lows in the 70s and highs in the mid 80s.)

Lutheridge Music Week did not disappoint for experiences. I'll talk about three of my favorites: worship services, singing in the adult choir, and taking in the camp's natural beauty.

Most worship services at Lutheridge take place in Whisnant Chapel. The walk is not a long one, but it's quite steep. I found myself making that trek three times most days - for morning worship, an organ workshop ("Creative Song: Leading from the Organ & Piano"), and then again for evening worship.

Whisnant Chapel is about as rustic as you can get. It has a simple wooden construction. Instead of windows, there are large open spaces in the wall. This allows the cool mountain breezes (and the occasional mosquito) to pass through freely.

Whisnant Chapel is surrounded by a forest of trees. No glass in the "windows."

Each worship service was well-planned and beautifully accompanied by piano and/or organ - sometimes by one person and other times by a team. (The organ is rented for Music Week.) The preaching, by Pastor Todd Cutter (University Campus Minister and Director of Spiritual Life at Lenoir-Rhyne University), was reverent and meaningful. The assembly laughed at his humorous stories - like being chased by a rooster while enjoying a morning run, and being attacked by a loft of starving pigeons.

Preparing for worship

A special communion service called for some special decorations.

One early morning worship service, accompanied by recorders and guitar, was a Thanksgiving for Baptism at the lakeside. I almost slept in for this one - after all, the walk down the hill isn't so bad, but the hike back up is another story! Fortunately, I found out I could drive there. Arriving a little early, I took a moment to enjoy nature's beauty and a wet bench. (Note for the future: take something to sit on at the lakeside!) The recorders and guitar, complemented by assembly singing, seemed like the most natural thing in the world. I'm glad I didn't miss it by sleeping late!

The lake at Lutheridge. Does anyone know if it has a name?

Handbells and preaching were part of the order of worship for Thanksgiving for Baptism.

                                                     

The biggest worship service was on Friday night with singing by the adult choir and music from the advanced and intermediate handbell choirs. It was a glorious evening!

The adult choir rehearsing for the final service.
Photo by Karol Kinard Kimmell

The highlight of the week for me occurred away from the camp. Jeremy Bankson (the organ clinician) led a hymn festival titled "Good News to Sing About." It included choral and instrumental music - most of it composed/arranged by Bankson whose organ accompaniments were dazzling! The venue was First Presbyterian Church in Asheville. My one regret for the week is that I didn't sing in the hymn festival choir.

First Presbyterian in Asheville was a wonderful place for singing hymns. 
Hymn festivals happen to be one of my favorite things.

It's been awhile since I sang in a choir. Our choir was led by Eric Nelson, Professor of Music and Director of Choral Studies at Emory University. Read his bio here: music.emory.edu/home/people/nelson-eric.html. About 65 excellent musicians sang in the choir, rehearsing two or three times each day. At first, I wasn't thrilled with all the literature he selected, but by the end of the week I had warmed up to all the pieces - and even came to love a couple of them. Singing in this choir was pure joy! We learned 5 pieces in total, and sang them all at the final worship on Friday night.

Singing under someone else's direction, especially someone as accomplished as Nelson, is a great way for a choir director to learn new approaches to leading their own choirs. Observing how another director deals with diction, singing in tune, and artistic expression is a rare and prime opportunity. I look forward to trying out a few new tricks on our Festival Choir!

A good variety of anthems to sing! I loved the Hagenberg and Craig Courtney pieces. "O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing" (Eric Nelson's own arrangement) was very stirring - especially with such a good-sized choir!

Mark Johanson (Christ Lutheran, Charlotte, NC) accompanied the choir - and he was a dream! He seemed to read the director's mind, skillfully anticipating his every move - all while playing with artistic precision!

Finally, I found some time to enjoy a walk on one of the nature trails. The one I chose has an entrance close to the chapel and is called "The Quiet Way." It was a warm day, but the mountain breezes made for a centering walk in the woods. I used to love being in the woods while I was growing up on the family farm in Wisconsin - and the North Carolina mountains made me feel right at home.

The theme for the week was "Good News!" - so let me share some good news. Lutheridge Music Week isn't just for directors! I would love to return with singers from our Festival Choir and handbell players from our St. Mark's Ringers. There are also opportunities for people who play just about any instrument you can think of.

There are also activities for children and youth. We didn't see them during the week (except during meals), but we heard all the groups perform before the week was out.

Thank you to Karol Kinard Kimmell and Ed Tompkins who serve as program directors for Lutheridge Music Week. It is a testimony to their hard work that people return year after year for this mountain top experience. I recommend Lutheridge Music Week to people from all denominations who enjoy church music or work in music ministry.

On a free night, I had a wonderful dinner with new friends at the Grove Park Inn.

Thank you also to the staff of Lutheridge for being the stewards of this special place, and for taking care of us "campers."

Thank you to First Presbyterian Church in Asheville for opening their church and organ to us. It was an amazing place to worship.

I was also grateful to have the chance to share information about the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians. Our table had free copies of past editions of ALCM's "Cross Accent" journal and "In Tempo" - a practical resource for church musicians. We also had some free cds to be enjoyed for the journey home.

Now when someone at St. Mark's talks about Lutheridge, I'll be one of those people smiling with a wistful look in his eye.