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Association of Lutheran Church Musicians
November 1, 2023 e-newsletter
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Greeting from Board Member Kim Cramer | |
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Dear friends,
I joined ALCM in 1990 at the 2nd annual Region 4 conference in Las Vegas. I drove to the conference with a neighboring Catholic musician who also had just joined. Because of that conference, we became lifelong friends and have shared many highs and lows of our ministries. I’ve seen ALCM go through some challenging times as well as some wonderful new direction and growth. But the constant through it all has been the relationships that were created and nurtured. The encouragement from other members, mentoring, and the knowledge gained through all the different educational opportunities have been very fulfilling personally. Thank you to ALCM and the leadership of Jim Rindelaub, staff, and board for providing us with such opportunities.
As we begin the month of November, we enter the Season of Gratitude. As church musicians we have much to be thankful for, including the numerous volunteers we work with who help us lead the church’s song and those who nurtured us on our path as church musicians. Without them, our road would be more challenging.
Philippians 1:3-5 (NLT) says it the best “Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now.”
May this Season of Gratitude permeate your life and fill you with inexpressible joy.
With gratitude and joy,
Kim Cramer
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All Saints Day Remembrance 2023
Today we remember our dear ALCM friends and colleagues who have joined the heavenly chorus since All Saints Day 2022.
Arlin Aasness
Mark Bangert*
Paul Bartels
Ronald Burmeister
Gerald Coleman
Bruce Allan Fornof
Glendon Frank*
Norman Geist
Timothy Guenther*
Margaret Harms
Patricia Hunter
Donald Rolander*
John Joseph Santoro
Carroll Shaddock
Gary Weber
Carlton R. "Sam" Young
May they rest in peace and rise in glory!
If there are others who should be named in future remembrances, please send an email to office@alcm.org.
* indicates a Charter Member
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay.
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Board Member Recommendations Wanted
We are looking for candidates for open board of director positions in 2024, including Secretary/Treasurer. If you have thoughts on candidates you believe should be considered for these important positions—or if you yourself are interested in serving on the board—please provide those names to president-elect Karen Black, who is chairing the nominating committee.
Send your suggestions to Karen at karen.black@wartburg.edu. Nominations must be received by November 15.
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Registration is now open!
Join us on the campus of Valparaiso University and the beautiful Chapel of the Resurrection as we Ponder Anew how to communicate God’s saving grace to all peoples in meaningful, relevant ways. Through workshops, discussions, worship, and hands-on learning opportunities, we invite you to strengthen your gifts and develop new skills in topics such as worship leadership, technology, composition, enriching assembly song and more, all the while forming connections from Generation to Generation with young musicians attending the Lutheran Summer Music Academy (LSM).
The emphasis of this conference is on practical skill-building. Registrants will be able to attend in-depth learning sessions on a variety of topics. These sessions are 90 minutes long and typically consist of multiple sessions, with each session building on the previous. In addition to the in-depth learning sessions, a variety of workshops will round out this practical learning experience. Many fine presenters will be on hand to lead us in a variety of learning opportunities.
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St. John Passion
The conference will celebrate a 300-year anniversary:
St. John Passion - J.S. Bach
Wednesday, July 25, 2024 – 7:30 pm – Chapel of the Resurrection, Valparaiso University
Bach Collegium Valparaiso
Christopher M. Cock, Artistic Director and Conductor
The Bach Collegium Valparaiso is an ensemble composed of the finest period instrument and vocal forces in the Chicago area. The mission of BCV is to perform the great masterworks of the 16th- 18th centuries with attention to historically informed practice and the highest standards of musical performance.
Made possible through the generous financial support of Pauline and John Kiltinen.
Additional information about the conference, including pricing, scholarships, accommodations and more is available on the ALCM website.
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Conference Recordings Available for Purchase
Philadelphia conference recordings are available for purchase ($345 for members; $395 for non-members). Like the Members Area of the website, you will have access to the conference recordings as long as your ALCM membership remains active.
Included in the package are recordings and handouts from:
- Worship services, concerts
- Plenaries, choral reading sessions, ALCM business meeting (including awards)
- Skills workshops and masterclasses (first session Wednesday; continued on Saturday)
- Workshops (workshops were offered twice, so there are two recordings of each workshop)
Additional information about conference offerings is available in the conference book.
Click here to purchase the conference recordings package. ALCM members: be sure to sign in to the Members Area of the website in order to secure the reduced member rate. If you have forgotten your password, or if you have never logged in to the members area, click the "Forgot your password?" link in the login box to set your password.
Questions? Send an email to office@alcm.org.
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Philadelphia Conference Attendees
The first issue of CrossAccent for 2024 will focus on July’s conference in Philadelphia. If you attended the conference, we invite you to submit reports/reflections on the conference plenaries, workshops, concerts, and other events. We are especially interested in sharing multiple reports from differing vantage points, so all comments are welcome. Reports are due January 5, 2024 and can be emailed to crossaccent@alcm.org.
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Introducing two FREE compositions from Lutheran Summer Music 2023 by Anne Krentz Organ: Holy Manna, for solo instrument with keyboard accompaniment, and Be Thankful, for SATB chorus, descant, keyboard accompaniment, optional: assembly, handbells (full or condensed). Free sheet music download: LSMacademy.org/resources. | |
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Fourth Friday Happy Hour with ALCM
Friday, November 24 - 6:00 pm Eastern
Recognizing that virtual community IS real community, you are warmly invited to join "Fourth Friday Happy Hour with ALCM" on Zoom every fourth Friday. Moderated by President Nancy Raabe and Executive Director Jim Rindelaub, discussion will be oriented around a general theme each month, but the larger purpose is to encourage conversation, sharing, and community. Bring whatever thoughts, comments, or concerns are on your mind, and of course a libation of your choice. Click on this recurring link to join each month.
NOTE: There will not be a December Happy Hour.
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Events are published both in the website calendar and in the monthly e-newsletter. Do you have an event that you'd like to include? ALCM members should log in and follow the link on the main members area page. Non-members should send event details to office@alcm.org for consideration.
View the ALCM calendar
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Post Your Own Event!
Adding your local event to the calendar is easy. Just log in to the members area of the ALCM website and follow the "Add an event to the calendar" link under "What would you like to do?" Click on the "Post Your Event" button and complete the form. Your event will appear on the main event calendar, on the main page of the website, and in the e-newsletter for the month in which the event will take place.
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Three Old Hymns and Your New Ideas!
The 500th anniversary of the first Lutheran hymnal Etlich Cristlich Lider (also known as the Achtliederbuch) is 2024. These three hymns are still in our hymnals:
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Nun freut euch - Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice
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Es ist das Heil uns kommen her - Salvation unto Us Has Come
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Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir - Out of the Depths I Cry to You/From Depths of Woe, Lord God, I Cry
Do you still sing any of these hymns in worship? If so, In Tempo invites your insights into (re-)introducing these hymns for worship, breathing fresh life into them, and adapting them to your context. Please send a paragraph or two or three with insights into your best practice for enlivening these ancient hymns in modern settings to intempo@alcm.org.
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Are you getting the most out of your ALCM membership?
Did you know that new member benefits are being added all the time to the members area of the ALCM website? You will want to log in whenever you visit the site to be sure that you have access to everything available to members. Can't remember your login information? In almost every case, your user name is your email address. You can change or reset your password by following the "Forgot your password?" link in the login box.
Items in the members area are available for unlimited use as long as your membership remains active. Here are a few items for members only:
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All issues of CrossAccent (from the very beginning) and In Tempo are available for viewing. These items are for sale in the Marketplace to non-members;
- Advertise your local events on ALCM's calendar;
- Listen to all ALCM CD recordings for free;
- Hymns, accompaniments, descants, concertatos, and hymn stanza alternations for choir;
- Other free downloadable seasonal and non-seasonal resources;
- Discounted registration fee for ALCM-sponsored webinars and conferences;
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Past issues of ALCM's original practical resource, Grace Notes, from 1997-2011;
- Discounts on purchases of CDs and other items in the Marketplace; and
- A host of other resources free for viewing and downloading.
If you have any difficulty logging in or if you have questions or comments about the website or your membership, please feel free to contact us by email at office@alcm.org.
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Are you a congregation looking for a musician?
A musician looking for a position?
ALCM can help!
Employment resources have been developed to assist congregations in the process of searching for and hiring a musician. Presented in a step-by-step format, these resources will guide you through the entire employment process.
The ALCM job listing service connects those looking for positions in the field of church music with congregations and other institutions that have openings. By completing an online job posting form, congregations can post their positions on the ALCM website where those looking for employment may view them.
Musicians searching for a job may view posted job openings on the ALCM website, where those looking for positions can view them. Both full-time and part-time positions are listed, and new positions are added as received.
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The Association of Lutheran Church Musicians
nurtures and equips musicians
to serve and lead the church's song.
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