Baylor Alumnus Receives Exemplary Service in Christian Music Award During Alleluia Conference

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by Liesbeth Powers, student newswriter

WACO, Texas (July 16, 2018) – Baylor University alumnus and composer Benjamin Harlan will return to campus this week to receive the Exemplary Service in Christian Music Award at the 17th annual Alleluia Conference.

The Alleluia Conference, taking place from July 17 - 20, draws church musicians to Baylor from across the country. Class sessions, worship, concerts, exhibits, reading sessions and round table lunch discussions with composers are hosted in various locations around campus. Baylor church music students will lead the morning worship services during the conference.

Harlan received both his B.M. and M.M. in music theory from Baylor’s School of Music in 1976 and 1979, respectively. Harlan currently serves as the director of music at University Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and has served on the faculty of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and as dean of the School of Church Music at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

This annual award is presented to a Baylor graduate and may be given for service as a local minister of music, composer, educator, denominational servant, recording artist or another area of Christian music. David Music, D.M.A., professor of church music in the School of Music, will present the award to Harlan, who has published hundreds of compositions and arrangements that are performed by churches of many denominations across the country, according to Music.

“The principal criteria are that the person demonstrates a lifelong commitment to the music of the Christian faith and excellence in their work,” Music said. “Dr. Benjamin Harlan is receiving the award in 2018 in recognition of his work as a local music minister, educator and denominational leader, but principally because of his work as a composer and arranger of church music.”

Randall Bradley, D.M.A., The Ben H. Williams Professor of Church Music and director of the church music program and the Center for Christian Music Studies in the School of Music, believes Harlan is one of the great church music leaders of his generation and that his hymns have enlivened congregational singing for decades. Some of his best selling arrangements include “Know My Heart,” an adaptation of Psalm 139 for choir and “Lauda Anima,” a readaptation of a festival film for choir.

“Benjie Harlan has served at every level of the church’s music. He has served the local church as a music and worship leader, at the denominational level as a state music director, as a teacher an administrator at two denominational seminaries, and as a composer he has given the church creative choral and congregational song materials,” Bradley said. “He is the consummate church musician who is pastor and musician -- he never meets a stranger, has an encouraging word for everyone, loves people of all ages and lives out his ministry calling each day.”

Harlan lists sacred choral music and vibrant congregational singing as areas of his greatest interests in his clinician biography and will be leading two breakout sessions: “The Composer’s Journey” and “Congregational Song – Resources and Ideas.” He will receive his award during a luncheon on the third day of the Alleluia Conference.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MUSIC

The Baylor University School of Music provides transformational experiences that prepare students for careers in music. Our students thrive in a Christian environment characterized by a nurturing resident faculty, an unwavering pursuit of musical excellence, a global perspective, dedication to service and devotion to faith. They investigate the rich musical and cultural heritage of the past, develop superior musical skills and knowledge in the present, and explore and create new modes of musical expression for the future. While preparing for future leadership roles, the students join with School of Music faculty in enhancing the quality of community life, enriching the larger culture and making Baylor a place in which heart, mind and soul coalesce. Baylor’s School of Music is a member of the National Association of Schools of Music and the Texas Association of Music Schools. Degree programs leading to the bachelor of music education degree conform to certification requirements of the Texas Education Agency.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 17,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.