Maryville College Choir

Our congregation has been asked to host the Concert Choir from Maryville (TN) College. The choir will give a concert on Friday evening March 12 at 7PM in our sanctuary. They will perform a wide variety of music with the whole ensemble, and a smaller ensemble of select singers. Our congregation and the community are all invited. In addition to hosting the event, we are in need of overnight accommodations for the touring entourage. If you can host one or two singers overnight, and feed them breakfast the next morning, and return them to the church to depart, please contact Mike Barker. The musicians from our congregation will be serving a meal to the choir and local college alumni before the concert. Please mark the date and keep an eye out for details in the coming weeks. Be sure to invite your friends for an evening of great music!

Meet the musicians

As part of an on-going series introducing our church's musicians, this week I’d like to introduce to you the members of the bass section of our Chancel Choir. This is a very talented group of men, who enjoy singing and delight in offering their musical gifts in worship. Bass section singers include: Terry Soll (husband of our staff educator, Ginny Soll), Ken Scott Jr., Joe Standaert, Jim Layman (joining us new this winter), Lamar Williamson, Carl Murray, and Jim Field (Jim told us last year he’s been singing in one music group or another for more than 70 years!!) As always we welcome new voices to our choir, or any of our music ensembles. Please speak any musician or to Mike Barker for more information.

Musical Arrangements

Who wrote that song? Have you ever noticed the words “arranged by” in our 11AM guide to worship? These words are used in relation to some of the music you hear in worship. A recent example is the Tune Weavers’ rendition of “It is well with my soul.” The song’s lyrics were written by Horatio Spafford in response to a personal tragedy. Philip Bliss wrote the music a few years after the lyrics had been written. If the Tune Weavers had simply sung the basic hymn, the worship guide would have given credit to Bliss and/or Spafford. As it is the quartet sang an “arrangement” of the hymn. That is, the arranger added new harmonies and new accompaniment to the basic structure created by Bliss. (In this instance there were no changes to the lyric, though that sometimes occurs.) Thus we give credit to the arranger instead of the creators of the original. In a perfect world, we would credit everyone involved in the final product, not just the arranger; but with print space at a premium, we give credit just to the arranger. Just so you know, JS Bach himself was an arranger, sometime of his own music. Many of his settings of chorales for organ are extensive arrangements of very straightforward hymn melodies! When you see that a musical selection has been arranged, you might choose to explore and discover the origins of the music. Very often this sort of information will appear on the music ministry blog.

Dinner Theater

Here are just a few more pictures from our dinner theater.

Our three magi...

Conversation during the meal between scenes...

The cast leading the way (ever-so-reverently) to the live nativity...

One of our choir servers....


See you in about 12 months for our 2010 production!

Music crosses borders update

Last fall the Prophets were practicing on Tuesday evening as they do. (Read my first post on this here.) During the rehearsal a couple of folks walked into rehearsal. They had been in a meeting in the facility and had heard us working on a couple of Hispanic songs. They were from our partner church in Guatemala! We finally got some photos. Enjoy.

Edwin Gelista is playing guitar with Mark and Perrin above; Cesar Taracena is singing in the picture below. The Western North Carolina Presbytery has a pretty extensive ongoing relationship with church in Guatemala, the whole of which I haven't quite put together. You can read about it beginning here. Edwin is pastor of our sister church and coordinator between Suchitepequez Presbytery in Guatemala and our Presbytery; Cesar is an elder in a church partnered with First Pres. Asheville, and coordinator with Sur Occidente Presbytery.

The Prophets are seriously wondering if they/we could pull off a musical mission to our sister church, combined perhaps with other mission workers from our church and Presbytery.

Music for 011010

This week in worship we'll be celebrating the Baptism of the Lord using a baptism renewal rite. We'll also honor Rev. Walter Stiles as pastor emeritus; Mr. Stiles was pastor of this congregation 1945-1950 but more recently in his retirement has assisted every installed pastor in a variety of ways to the delight of every member of our congregation. Our international flags are also up in the sanctuary again for a 6-week mission emphasis.

FirstLight
Gathering Song(s)
Come all you people
Praise to the Lord the Almighty

Opening Song
Lord, I lift your name on high

Confession
Patterson, Alleluia, alleluia in Jesus Christ

Offertory
Borning Cry

Doxology
Give thanks

Closing Song
Wade in the water

11AM
Hymns
482, Praise to the Lord the Almighty (LOBE DEN HERREN)
2051, I was there to hear your borning cry (BORNING CRY)
2107, Wade in the water (WADE IN THE WATER)

Confession
579, Gloria Patri (GREATOREX)

Doxology
592, OLD HUNDREDTH

Instrumental/Organ Music
Prelude: Mussorgsky, Promenade
Offertory: George Elderkin, Arr. Andre’ Thomas, Walk in the Light
Chancel Choir
Postlude: Bridge, Allegro con Spirito in B-Flat

New Site

Mark Banzhof, who played with the Prophets last fall, has set up a new site. A fine musician and artist he's trying to get his niche out there. Take a look and leave a comment!