San Marco Chamber Music Society: Sunday, September 13th at 7:00 p.m.

The first concert of the San Marco Chamber Music Society's 2009/10 season will be a benefit concert for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. It will be held Sunday, September 13 at 7PM at St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church, 3976 Hendricks Avenue, Jacksonville 32207.Come and enjoy the fine acoustics of St. Mark's as we play the music of Reger, Bach, Eichner, Telemann, Britten, and Saint-Saens. Eric Olson, oboe; Karen Pommerich, violin; Ellen Olson, viola; and Edith Moore-Hubert will be the featured performers. The concert is free, and there will be a free will offering to benefit JDRF. The first $200 raised will be matched by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. After the concert, please enjoy refreshments in Hart Hall with the musicians.

An Invitation to Singers: Bach Vespers on November 8, 2009

Singers from the community are invited to join St. Mark's in singing a Bach Vespers service, with orchestra, on November 8th at 6:00 p.m. This year's cantata is Bleib bei uns, denn es will Abend werden (Stay With Us For Evening Falls), written for Easter Monday and first sung nearly 300 years ago on April 2, 1725. There is no charge to be a part of the choir. Rehearsals are on Saturday mornings from 10:00 to 12:00 on October 17th, 24th, and 31st. The dress rehearsal with orchestra is on Saturday, November 7th at 2:00 p.m. (I put the dress rehearsal in bold type because it is not our usual time; however, it's a busy week for many of our orchestra players and was the only available time.)
For more information, contact Tony Cruz at vespers@comcast.net, or by calling the church at 396-9608 x18.
St. Mark's has a long tradition of singing Bach Vespers as part of its musical outreach to the community. We hope that you will become a part of the tradition this year!

Be A Disciple: Serve in the Festival Choir

Have you been listening to the sermons about the Six Marks of Discipleship and wondering where you might be able to serve at St. Mark's? Perhaps you could serve by singing in the Festival Choir! Our committed group of singers meets in the music suite on Wednesday evenings at 7:30 where we rehearse to support the church's song. In addition to the hymns and liturgy, we learn a repertoire that covers a a wide variety of music: plainsong, renaissance polyphony, English cathedral, music from the German tradition, spirituals, and music by living composers.

The choir sings each Sunday, alternating between the 8:30 and 11:00 a.m. worship services. (On major feast days, we sing at both services.) We're on our summer break now, but rehearsals will begin August 26th so that we will be in place for Rally Day.

If you are considering joining the choir and have questions, contact Tony Cruz or any choir member.

Photo: The Festival Choir annual Advent photo from 2008 by Bill Daugherty

Sewanee Church Music Conference - A Taste of Things to Come

Many of you have heard me say what I believe our lives will be like once Jesus returns to establish his kingdom on earth. It's a glorious vision of choir practices by day and concert and worship services by night! That's part of the appeal of the Sewanee Church Music Conference at the University of the South in Sewanee Tennessee - because they already live that way! (Many of you will remember that this is where Nancy R. -who grew up at St. Mark's - went to college.

A good part of the day was spent in rehearsals with Thomas Foster (Parish Musician at Epiphany Episcopal Parish in Seattle Washington) and Dr. Janette Fishell (Professor of Organ and Chair of the Organ Department at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University). The purpose of these rehearsals was to prepare for a Friday Choral Evensong (vespers) and a Sunday Morning service of Eucharist. My favorite piece was "If Ye Love Me" by Philip Wilby. I've ordered it for our choir and believe it will become a staple of our repertoire. (The piece is available on ITunes if you'd like to give it a listen.)

All Saints Chapel on the University Campus is an incredible space for choral music, especially when that music has been prepared by 120 musicians dedicated to leading the best worship possible. The church seemed full of our Magnificats and Glorias in a way that can't be described. It was uplifting and worshipful in a way I simply cannot describe.

There were also workshops to attend on Psalm singing, organ performance, choral techniques, and more.

I have attended this conference before, but the last time was in 2003. Still, I was able to reconnect with old friends and make some new ones. There were several people from Jacksonville that I knew, including one of my former organ teachers.

Until Jesus returns, it's nice to get away to the Sewanee Church Music Conference now and again!

If you would like to see more pictures, they are available on my FaceBook page at:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2028678&id=1473301698&l=10b6205de7

Pictures: Me with Russell, Lawrence, and Chip. Me with Fay L. and Bill P. (my former organ teacher), an inside view of All Saints Chapel.

June 7, 2009 at 5:00 pm Church Music Celebration!

The Church Music Celebration marks the end of the rehearsal season for most of the music ensembles at St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church. To mark this important time, all of our musical ensembles gather to present their favorite muscial pieces from the previous year. This means there will be music from all liturgical seasons and in a variety of styles. You'll hear The Festival Choir, Kingdom Choir, St. Mark's Ringers, Alleluia Ringers, Renaissance Men, and The Behind the Pulpit Ensemble. This year there will also be a special appearnce by Eric and Ellen Olson from the San Marco Chamber Music Society, St. Mark's newest musical ensemble.

This is an informal concert event and everyone is invited. Please invite your friends! We'll have time for fellowship and refreshments after the concert.

An offering will be taken to help build Lutheran churches in Haiti!

The Experience Youth Choir June 22nd at 7:30

The Experience from Christ Lutheran Church in Charlotte, NC

Each summer this group of young people takes a summer tour. In all, about 80 youth and adults make the tour as they share the good news of Jesus Christ through contemporary music, signing, technology, and drama. The group is directed by Mark Glaeser. Many will remember their visit to St. Mark's several years ago.

The concert is free and all are welcome! An offering will be taken to help the group cover expenses of the tour.

Everbody is invited to this concert! Please plan to come and invite your friends!

Music 101: Learn The Basics of Reading Music

Do you ever open Evangelical Lutheran Worship on Sunday morning, see a hymn you don’t know, and have difficulty participating in the singing? Do you wonder why we bother to print the music for psalm refrains and psalm tones? Do you think all of those lines, circles and stems above the lyrics are a secret code forever lost to you? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then Music 101 might be for you!

Music 101 teaches the basics of reading music from rhythm to notes in a fun six-week course. It is designed for the novice music reader to make your worship and musical experiences easier and more meaningful. The class will meet on Wednesday evenings beginning June 10^th, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. Location to be announced.

Each session will also include a Church Music Appreciation module with a different topic each evening.

There is no charge and the class is open to all interested participants from St. Mark’s and the community. Feel free to bring a friend. Each class will build on information from the previous class, so make-ups will be available if a class is missed.

Contact Tony Cruz to register.