Center For Christian Music Studies To Host Joint Conference For Church Music Leaders
More than 180 worship leaders, music ministers, children's choir directors and keyboard ministers will take part in the joint church music conference - "Alleluia! Many Voices, One Song" - July 29-31 at Baylor University.
The conference combines the resources of Baylor and the Center for Christian Music Studies, the choral music reading clinic "Jubilate!" and Choristers Guild to offer training and inspiration for church music leaders through various clinics, concerts, fellowship, worship events and exhibits. All sessions will be held in the Glennis McCrary Music Building, including the Monday and Tuesday night concerts which are free and open to the public.
"This is a national-level church music conference involving some of the top clinicians in the country," said Dr. Randall Bradley, professor of church music and director of the church music program. "It's a unique opportunity because this conference pools the resources of all three groups, which are significant entities in their own right."
Among the renowned clinicians are Anton Armstrong, music director and conductor of the St. Olaf Choir from Northfield, Minn.; Sally Morgenthaler, author of Worship Evangelism: Inviting Unbelievers Into the Presence of God; composers and arrangers John Purifoy and Ruth Elaine Schram; and several Baylor musicians and local church leaders, including Dr. Joyce Jones, Baylor's organist-in-residence; Dr. Terry York, associate professor of Christian ministry and church music at George W. Truett Theological Seminary; and The Rev. Julie Pennington-Russell, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church of Waco.
The conference will begin each day at 8 a.m. with a worship service followed by breakout and reading sessions until 5 p.m. Conference participants will gather again Monday and Tuesday nights at 7:30 in Jones Concert Hall in the McCrary Music Building for special concerts, featuring a performance Monday by the Wilshire Baptist Church choir of Dallas. Tuesday's concert will be headlined by Dr. Jones and composer and pianist Joseph Martin, director of sacred publications for Shawnee Press Inc. in Delaware Water Gap, Pa.
Clinicians will lead daily breakout sessions in conducting, worship, organ, piano and other areas. Austin-based "Jubilate! Celebrating the Traditions of Sacred Music" will offer nine hours of choral music reading sessions using music chosen specifically for the event.
Worship events have been designed as an opportunity to re-focus ministry, to fellowship with colleagues and to learn new techniques for worship. Exhibits will feature current materials and supplies for church music ministry.
For more information, contact the Center for Christian Music Studies at (254) 710-2360.