Association of Lutheran Church Musicians

June 1, 2024 e-newsletter

Dear ALCM friends,

Each of you is such an important member of ALCM. Please join me in participating in your professional membership association (ALCM) in the following three ways:

1.     Vote: This is your opportunity during 2024 to vote in an election filled with joy and positivity! Review the bios and vision statements then vote for the ALCM candidates. Ballots must be received by Tuesday, June 4 to be counted.

2.     Take the ALCM Membership Survey: Join the 300 ALCM members who have already helped our ALCM leaders by submitting this 3–4 minute survey: ALCM membership survey

3.     Plan to join over 200 of your friends at our ALCM conference in Valparaiso, IN this July 22–25. In person and virtual registration is available at 2024 ALCM Valparaiso Conference. Remember, we will experience together a stunning performance of Bach’s St. John Passion in this, its 300^th anniversary year. I feel sure Bach would have loved being an ALCM member with you!

Thank you for being an active ALCM member. It is a joy to serve with you as a Lutheran church musician!

Jim Rindelaub

Executive Director

In-person registration for From Generation to Generation: Ponder Anew is still open. To ensure a room in dormitory housing, reservations must be in by June 4.

We are excited to welcome the many exhibitors and vendors who will attend the conference. We're especially excited to offer eight (8 !) reading sessions led by various publishers. At the conference we will get to sing through the latest and greatest from Augsburg Fortress, Choristers Guild, Concordia Publishing House, Fred Bock Music Company, Hope, GIA, MorningStar, and Northwestern Publishing. 

Can't join us in person? Check out the information below on virtual registration.

Due to a generous gift from Mark and Kathy Helge, we are pleased to announce a virtual registration option for our 2024 conference at Valparaiso University, From Generation to Generation: Ponder Anew. Learning sessions will be professionally live-streamed online for those who choose to register. For all who have registered, whether in person or virtually, recordings will be made available after the conference. To learn more and to register, visit alcm.org/2024-valparaiso.

St. John Passion

The conference in Valparaiso will celebrate a 300-year anniversary:

St. John Passion - J.S. Bach

Wednesday, July 24, 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.

This event is 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.

Valparaiso Conference Sponsorship Opportunities

Would you like to contribute to ALCM and support our July conference in Valparaiso? Gifts are welcome to support the conference and all donors will be listed in the conference book. Donations may be made at ALCM website. Names of those donating by June 1 will be included in the conference book.

Save the dates!

Membership Survey & Election Deadlines

If you have not already done so, please take a vew minutes to complete the membership survey. Also, there's still time to vote for board members. Responses for both are due by Tuesday, June 4.

The Raabe Prize at 25!

This year marks the 25th Anniversary of the Raabe Prize for Excellence in Sacred Composition. Endowed in 1999 by Dr. William and Pr. Nancy Raabe of Philadelphia, this prize is awarded every two years for a single musical work that reflects a larger history of excellence on the part of a composer. Its aim is to recognize and encourage significant accomplishments in composition contributing to the body of sacred music for the church in the Lutheran heritage. Throughout 2024, ALCM will highlight each prizewinner with a video describing the piece, its significance and, where possible, featuring a conversation with the composer.

Echoing Air is a traveling Baroque chamber ensemble featuring two countertenors, two recorders, and basso continuo. The ensemble’s repertoire encompasses music of many European countries spanning from Medieval times to the present. Echoing Air tours frequently, appearing on civic, church, and university concert series. Masterclasses at the collegiate level and age-appropriate presentations for students grades K-12 are also available.

To learn more, visit echoingair.org.

2024 Richard Hillert Award

ALCM, in partnership with the Center for Church Music, is pleased to announce that manuscript submissions for the 2024 Richard Hillert Award in Student Composition are now being accepted. Applicants must be a student in a Lutheran college/university or seminary in the United States or Canada. Nominations may come from someone other than the composer.

The submitted piece must be a church music composition (3-5 minutes in length) suitable for a liturgical service. Compositions to be considered by a panel of judges are welcomed from all geographical areas and all genres.

A cash prize of $1000 will be awarded with a certificate presentation at the annual Lectures in Church Music. The winning piece may also be performed at the ALCM biennial conference in Raleigh-Durham, NC, in 2025.

The deadline for applications is June 1, 2024 and should be submitted to Barry.Bobb@CUChicago.edu. Include a sound recording if possible.

There's still time to purchase the 2024 Winter Webinar Series!

The winter 2024 webinar series featuring the three people/topics listed below will continue to be available as a reduced price package through July 1, 2024. After that, the recorded webinars will be available only as individual purchases at $25 per webinar for ALCM members and $39 for non-members. Buy the complete package of three recorded webinars now--three for the price of one!

Joine LSM 2024 in Person or Online

Lutheran Summer Music announces its 42nd season, offering over 30 free and open-to-the-public concerts and recitals. All events take place this July at Valparaiso University, and most will be livestreamed. Performances and services are shared by over 250 students, faculty, fellows, worship staff, and guest artists who come together to create a vibrant community of music-makers. The LSM 2024 season will culminate during Festival Week (July 21-28), featuring the LSM Festival Band, Choir, and Orchestra, a Festival of Hymns, and closing each day with sung Evening Prayer. Of special note, the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians (ALCM) will join this year’s LSM community and offer an intergenerational performance of J.S. Bach’s St. John Passion. Visit LSMacademy.org/2024 for a complete listing of events and to access the livestream.

Hymn Resources

As we head towards summer, be sure to check your hymn selections against the list of Hymn Settings in the members area of the website. (See the link under the "Quick Links" heading.) There are hundreds of hymn settings to support congregational singing.

Here are two hymn settings for your use:

THE ASH GROVE – Boehler (brass parts)



THE ASH GROVE – Otte harmonization

In addition to the above two pieces, Paul Otte has also prepared a piece on Military Service Themes.

Having difficulty logging in to the members area? First check to be sure that you are using the email address that we have on file (the address at which you receive copies of the newsletter). Click on the "Forgot your password?" link in the login box and follow the instructions to re-set your password. If you still have difficulty logging in, send an email to office@alcm.org and we'll be happy to help.

Fourth Friday Happy Hour with ALCM

Friday, June 28 - 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.

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. Good advertising - and it's free to ALCM members!

Listen to two stanzas from one of the chorales from the

St. John Passion

You are invited to freely make use of the ALCM virtual hymn "O Day Full of Grace" on Pentecost and other times. Share the hymn with everyone. All copyright restrictions are waived. If you own a One License subscription and offer the hymn recording in worship, please include it when submitting your One License report.  

Kyries & Glorias

Kyries (prayer concerns) and Glorias (thanksgivings) are posted in the members area and on this page on the ALCM website. Kyries and Glorias for the following people have been recently posted:

Kyrie

Mark & Kathy Helge

Bob & Lois Rimbo

Bob Hobby*

Jenny Hobby

John Ferguson*

ALCM members are invited to submit Kyries and Glorias following the link in the members area of the website. Non-members may contact the ALCM office at office@alcm.org with information for posting.

* indicates a Charter Member

Live-Streaming Members Area Compositions

If you are a current member of ALCM, you automatically have permission to use any of the materials posted in the members area of the website as long as your membership remains current. This permission is being extended to live-streaming music during worship, but again only as long as your ALCM membership remains current. Already-posted materials in the members area do not include a permission statement on the copy covering live-streaming/recording of pieces for use during worship, although they are included in this live-streaming blanket permission. Going forward, new materials posted will include a more comprehensive statement. 

If you have materials posted in the members area and you do not want to extend the permission to cover live-streaming, please email us at office@alcm.org, so that we can remove your compositions from the website. Also, remember to notify us if any of your posted compositions is published. We will remove them from the website and include a note that the material is now available from the publisher.

Any questions, let us know!

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 username 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:

• 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;
• 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.