Welcome to the e-newsletter of the Center for Church Music. This newsletter intends to keep you informed of the Center's current and projected initiatives, along with news and events. 

Having been to the Center for Church Music a few times I can tell you that it is a wonderful and interesting experience. There are countless books and music to be explored - one cannot experience it all in one visit. And more music and books are coming. 

The Center for Church Music's website is also a primary resource that offers videos, essays, and much more. The site will be ever-expanding. Be sure and check back often.  

The Center for Church Music is located on the second floor of Klinck Memorial Library on the Concordia University Chicago campus.

Linda Kempke, editor

About the Center

Beginnings, foundations, purpose and activities

 

From the Director

News about the Center and its work

 

Profiles in American Lutheran Church Music  

Video interviews and PDF essays profiling influential church musicians including Philip Gehring, Ralph C. Schultz, Paul Bouman and Walter Pelz 

 

Essays (written by Victor Gebauer) on 

Martin J. Bangert, Jan Bender, M. Alfred Bichsel and others. More interviews are planned.

 

Conversations

Video presentations of dialogs and panel discussions on various topics in church music.

 

Devotions on the Hymn of the Week

Written by clergy and laity, designed for multiple uses such as personal devotions and meetings.

 

Reflections

Paul Westermeyer on music, worship and theology. 

 

Perspectives

Carl Schalk on church music.

 

Discoveries 

Designed to bring attention to resources for planning worship and music in the Lutheran church, written by musicians such as 

Scott Hyslop.

 

Publications

Printed monographs and book projects:

 

The first three monographs in the

 

Check out the website and let us know what you think! 

 

(We're also on Facebook and Twitter)

 

If you would like to visit to the Center you need to make prior arrangements with either Steven Wente or me. 

 

Barry L. Bobb

(Barry Bobb began work as Director of the Center in May, 2013)

 

The Center for Church Music at Concordia University Chicago was dedicated in October of 2010.

The opening of this center was occasioned by two extraordinary gifts - the permanent loan of Richard Hillert's manuscript library by his family and the gift from Carl and No�l Schalk of Carl's American Lutheran Hymnal Collection (510 volumes). Located in the Klinck Library (second floor, north wing) the Center works to provide ongoing research and educational resources in Lutheran church music, especially in the areas of congregational song and composition for the Church.  It does this through live presentations, publications both in print and online, webinars, and much more. Through its work the Center extends the legacy of a gifted generation of Lutheran church musicians and helps the Church to build upon that foundation by building an appreciation and an understanding of the importance of the Church's song in her worship and teaching among pastors, church musicians and laity and by encouraging a new generation of young composers for the Church.

 

The Center has entered into a partnership with MorningStar Music Publishers