Association of Lutheran Church Musicians
April 1, 2019 e-newsletter

Dear Colleagues,
 
I have a confession to make. Professionally, the last seventeen years of my life would be inconceivable without ALCM. I have been a member of this wonderful organization since 2002. However, only two years before that, in what I'd like to call my year in the wilderness, I had given up on the idea of finding a sense of purpose within the church. Fortunately, today I have a clearer understanding of the role and the vocation of the cantor, and that is due in part to the many inspiring experiences, friendships, and resources I have encountered by just being an active member of ALCM. So here is my invitation: Would you be willing to share how ALCM has enriched your life and how we can further help your ministry? Would you like to get more involved in ALCM? Please, let us know. You can send an email to office@alcm.org.
 
Blessings on your journey!
 
Omaldo Perez
Board Member at Large
Part-Time Remote Position Available
ALCM Events Coordinator

ALCM is seeking a high achieving and collaborative part-time (quarter-time) employee to serve as the staff coordinator of conferences and workshops. The individual will work with ALCM's executive director and business manager as well as planning committees to insure tasks related to ALCM's educational programs are executed in a timely and high-quality manner. Essential qualifications: detail oriented; excellent written and verbal communication skills; successful project management and time management track record; proven ability to meet deadlines. Click here for a full job description. Exceptional candidates email cover letter and resume to jimrindelaub@alcm.org with "EVENTS COORDINATOR APPLICATION" in the subject line. Interview scheduling to begin April 22. Position available until filled.

April (53 second) Survey

This month's survey invites you to share your opinion about the importance of choral, keyboard, and handbell reading sessions at national and local events. Your input will help us finalize plans for reading sessions in Portland and at one-day events.  Results will be shared in the May e-newsletter.



Join your 278 colleagues . . .

. . . who have already registered for the Portland biennial conference June 24-27! According to TRAVEL + LEISURE, "Airlines don't really begin managing their domestic flights until about three months in advance-that's when they start releasing the more affordable seats." That means now is a great time to book flights to Portland.
 
Register today so you don't miss these highlights:
  • The Glorious Sound: Church music leaders singing together is a rare sound not to be missed!
  • Drawings: Three lucky conference attendees will receive $1,500 each to fund a one-week sabbatical of their choosing.
  • Sunday, June 23: All arriving on Sunday are welcome to attend an evening Bruce Neswick hymn festival at beautiful Trinity Cathedral with its 87-rank Rosales pipe organ.
  • Monday, June 24: Three special pre-conference workshops, vendor fair, publisher reading sessions, and opening worship.
  • Tuesday, June 25: Evensong at Trinity Cathedral with the Cathedral Chamber Singers.
  • Wednesday, June 26: Trips to the wonderful worship spaces at Zion Lutheran Church, St. Mary's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Congregation Beth Israel, and The Grotto including organ and choral presentations.
  • Thursday, June 27: Closing Eucharist at St. Michael's Lutheran Church and an optional afternoon winery tour.
  • Presentations and workshops: Enjoy keynotes by Susan Briehl, Robert Buckley Farlee, and Samuel Torvend. Then choose between 20 practical workshops on worship and music.
  • Arrive early or stay late: Vacation in the beautiful Portland area with all it has to offer: View a list of things to do in and around Portland 
Visit https://alcm.org/2019-portland/ for information and registration. Please tell your musician and pastor colleagues of all denominations that now is the time to register and make flight arrangements!
Last Chance to Apply for Scholarships for Portland

Scholarships to attend the Portland conference are available for current college and seminary students and cover registration, dormitory housing, transportation, and meals as well as a one-year student membership in ALCM. The deadline for application has been extended to Friday, April 5.

Even More Sunday/Monday Portland Opportunities

I f you are arriving in Portland on Sunday, plan to attend a Bruce Neswick hymn festival open to the community at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral on Sunday evening, June 23. Also, in addition to the vendor fair,  on Monday morning the Church Music Institute is presenting a workshop at Concordia entitled, " Planning Through the Church Year: Thinking Liturgically and Musically ." The hymn festival is free and open to the public. The Monday morning workshop requires separate registration. 

Another optional Monday morning activity will be a workshop entitled "Hosting a Hearts * Hands * Voices Event." ALCM president-elect Kevin Barger will guide attendees through the planning process, both the practical considerations as well as designing a program. Whether you've already hosted an event, would like to host one, or just want to know more about what's entailed, you'll find many good ideas in this one-hour workshop.
Portland Conference Sponsorship Opportunities

Would you like to contribute to ALCM and support our June biennial conference in Portland? Gifts are welcome to support the conference, either undesignated or to "sponsor" particular people, workshops, etc.  Gifts received by May 1 will be gratefully acknowledged in the conference book. More information is available on the  ALCM website .
 
ALCM Webinar - Registration Now Open


May 16, 2019

2:00 pm Eastern time

Basic Principles of
Worship & Music
in the Lutheran Tradition

Presented by Carl Schalk

ALCM members: $25
Non-members: $39

ALCM Members: Be sure to log in to the members area of the ALCM website and follow the link on the members area page to get the discounted member rate.

Can't make the live webinar? All ALCM webinars are archived and available for purchase in the Marketplace on the ALCM website. If you sign up ahead of the webinar, you will receive a link to the recorded webinar as soon as it is available, usually an hour or two after the webinar. If you prefer, purchase the webinar when it becomes available in the Marketplace, usually within 24 hours.
In Holy Faith Your Church Unite

The Spring 2019 issue of CrossAccent is currently in production and should arrive in members' mailboxes shortly after Easter. Articles such as "Hymn Tunes We Have in Common" by Cheryl Dieter, "Fleeing War, Composing Peace: The Evolution of Jean Berger" by Zeb Highben, and David Cherwien's reflections on the National Lutheran Choir's performances of the Holy Spirit Mass highlight what we Lutherans sing together and have in common, not only in our respective congregations, but throughout the wider ecumenical community as well. The issue also includes reports on the January 2019 ALCM board meeting, the 2019 meeting of the North American Academy of Religion, this year's National Conference for Sacred Music, and acknowledges contributions and gifts made to ALCM during the 2018 calendar year.
Church Music Organization Podcast

ALCM was represented this week on a panel podcast discussing leading membership organizations. It was moderated by transformational leadership strategist Hugh Ballou. Panel participants included executive directors Jim Rindelaub (The Association of Lutheran Church Musicians), David Bone (The Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship Arts), and Kelly Abraham (The Presbyterian Association of Musicians.) You can watch the podcast.




Join us this summer to experience the vast riches of the most concentrated square mile of choral music-making on earth. The Cambridge Summer Choral Course in Cambridge, England welcomes selected conductors and choral enthusiasts for a unique educational venture, a behind-the-scenes glimpse of life and learning at Cambridge. This seminar-based course features lectures, observations, singing, and interactions with some of the leading conductors and choirs in the world. www.cambridgechoral.org

Utech Music Competition

The Eastman School of Music, Department of Organ, Sacred Music, and Historical Keyboards, announces a music competition to provide a tune and setting for a newly commissioned hymn text by Dr. Carl P. Daw, Jr.: "Out of Silence Music Rises." If you wish to participate in this competition please contact Isaac Drewes at utech.hymn.competition@gmail.com to receive a copy of the text. Completed compositions are due by July 31st, 2019 and will be judged anonymously. The winning composer will receive an honorarium of $3,000 and travel support to the November 1, 2019 Utech Hymnody Symposium and Festival at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY.
 
ALCM member Wayne Wold was the winner of the first text competition, which took place in 2017. His text "Voices Arise, Let Joy Be Heard," was set to be sung to "Psalm 138" from the Genevan Psalter.




Tables of Thanksgiving: How Eucharist Forms Us  
Valparaiso, Ind., April 29-May 1, 2019

"For the Sacrament of Holy Communion has no blessing and significance unless love grows daily and so changes a person that they are made one with all others."
Martin Luther, 1519

Announcing the 71st Institute of Liturgical Studies to be held on the campus of Valparaiso University April 29-May 1, 2019. We will gather under the theme, "Table of Thanksgiving: How Eucharist Forms Us." Plenary presenters will be Charles Aurand, Paul Bradshaw, M. Shawn Copeland and Cynthia Moe-Lobeda plus many workshops and worship. For more information about the institute and to register, visit valpo.edu/ils. 
Become a Lifetime Member of ALCM
Before Prices Go Up!

Did you know that ALCM offers lifetime memberships for those under 65 (currently $1,500) and for those 65 and over (currently $750)? Pay the one-time fee and you are set for life--no more annual renewals. The prices are going up July 1 to $2,000 for a regular lifetime membership and $1,000 for lifetime membership for those 65 and older. If you're interested in becoming lifetime member, now is the perfect time to do it.


2020 ALCM Germany Tour
Wait List Open

All spaces in the 2020 ALCM Germany tour announced by email on 10/10/18 have been filled, but if you are still interested, add your name to the wait list. There is no initial commitment, but if a space opens up, we will contact you. 

The tour is hosted by David Cherwien, Michael Krentz, and Jim Rindelaub. Highlights include the Passion Play in Oberammergau (held every ten years), Luther's Wittenberg, Bach's Leipzig, Mozart's Salzburg, Schütz's Dresden, as well as Berlin, Halle, and more. The dates are July 3-17, 2020. The cost per person, double occupancy, is $3,315. The single room supplement fee is $600. 

The official webpage is https://alcm.org/germany-2020/ . You can also view a  brochure with all trip details . 
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