Music
The Music Ministry of the Church includes all of the musical groups and programs that help the congregation celebrate its faith through God's gift of talent. The hundreds of volunteers in the Music Ministry include not only singers, instrumentalists, actors and dancers, but also a multitude of people who make it all happen.
Worship and the arts are important in the life of our congregation and there is always something for everyone. This sense of inclusiveness is felt in the worship services as well. Since this is a large congregation with wide ranging needs and experiences, the music heard in worship likewise meets these criteria. Whether one finds musical nurture in the great classical music and hymns, gospel songs, or 21st century music of the church, this variety is to be found in the Traditional Worship experience of First Methodist Church. Everyone's needs are met. Here, one's sacred memory is nourished.
Multifaceted Program
The Music Ministry of the church is a wide-ranging program. It includes a choir for each age group (4 years through senior adult), a brass quintet, a symphonic orchestra, hand bells, youth musicals, major works with orchestra, a fully equipped theatre with acclaimed runs of a Broadway musical each summer, the Texas Street Arts Series, an annual Church Music Workshop, choir tours for both the Youth and Adult choirs. Worship and the arts are an important aspect of the congregation's life. For more information and/or to sign up for one of these groups, simply contact the Music Department by email or phone 429-6887.
Choirs of the Church
The church offers an integrated music program for our children K4 through 4th grade. The Children's Choirs meet every Sunday morning from 9:35-10:00 during our Sunday School time. The Sunday School and Choir School have proven very successful in our church.
Under the direction of Suzzanne Bright, Julia Andress, and Clara Hemmings, our Cherub Choir (K4 & K5) embarks on a journey into the world of music.
Our Carol Choir (1st & 2nd graders), directed by Emily Viskozki, and the Concord Choir (3rd & 4th graders), directed by Margaret Jones, also rehearse weekly on Sunday mornings, 9:35-10:00 AM. The elementary-age children continue on their musical journey, developing a love of service to the church through music. The elementary choirs learn to become part of the worship leadership through monthly choral singing in the 11:00 AM worship service. Twice each season they participate in Church Night and "Lessons and Carols" during the Christmas season.
Youth Choir
In addition to leading in the worship service during our early service (8:30 AM) on alternating Sunday mornings during the school year, our Chapel Choir (7th-12th grades) finds time to participate in Church Nights and an exciting variety of other activities and tours scheduled throughout the year. This group is directed by Amy Wakefield and Christine Linschoten.
Our annual Spring Musical production is presented in April each year and we try to have a fund raiser in conjunction with the Musical to help raise funds for our trips and tours. This past Spring's production was "Honk!" with other recent hits including "Suessical, the Musical", "High School Musical", "Clue, the Musical", and many more. The musical "Godspell" is being planned for March 2011. Each production is a challenge and something that is fun to do and highlights the talents and skills of our young people.
The Annual Ski Trip to Colorado is one of our favorite mid-year things to
do and we work hard to make this possible with various fund raisers. This is usually planned for the long weekend in January over the Martin Luther King holiday. Besides getting away from all the stress and pressures of school and growing up, this is a time for our choir members to get to know each other better and to make life-long friendships. It gives us the chance to be ourselves. We borrow the church vans, travel all night, and spend 3 days on the slopes.
Another of our favorite trips is the annual pilgrimage to Six Flags Over Texas, usually the first weekend of school in the fall. We drive over to Dallas, attend a Rangers Game, enjoy our time at Six Flags, spend the night in a nearby hotel and return the next day.
Our Summer Tour is a week long road trip to some exciting destination. These have included New York, Disney World, Nassau, Hawaii, the Grand Canyon, and the Rocky Mountains. We sing for retirement and nursing homes, sing in church on Sunday and have a grand time seeing the sites which includes everything from theme parks to white water rafting. The plans for June 2010 are to head to San Antonio, Brownsville, South Padre Island, and Houston, Texas. This trip was in conjunction with the Youth Department of the church.
Weekly Schedule for Youth Choir
Sunday
8:30-9:30 AM Sing in Worship (alternating Sundays)
4:30-5:30 PM Choir Rehearsal
Adult Choir
The Chancel Choir (college age and up) is the primary musical organization for adults in the church. Providing musical leadership for the 11:00 AM service each Sunday. The choir sings all forms of sacred choral music from spirituals to the great classics of the church. The organization also provides the nucleus for musicals in the Performing Arts Center (PAC), presents two or three major works each year, usually with an orchestra, and an international tour every two years, usually in conjuction with singers joining from other churches. Non-singers are also welcome to come along.
Exotic destinations over the years have included the Orient, Australia/New Zealand, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, and Greece, Norway, Denmark and Sweden. We have also performed in Carnegie Hall, New York City. Our 2008 tour was to Eastern Europe (Prague, Vienna, Budapetst and Bratislava. The Cotswold, London and Paris are on tap for July 2010.
The Chancel Choir meets for rehearsals on Thursday evenings from 7:30-9:00 PM (except Thanksgiving, and when Christmas/New Years fall on a Thursday)
Out of the larger Chancel Choir, we have founded some smaller, more specialized choirs using our God given musical talents to their full potential.
Wesleyans Thursdays 9:00-9:30 PM Sept - May (College)
Chamber Choir Thursdays 9:00-9:30 PM Sept - May (College +)
For more information on any of these groups, please contact the Music Department at 318.429.6887 or email us at wandress@softdisk.com
Instruments of the Church
Orchestra of First Methodist
One of our newest and most successful music ensembles is our 40-piece symphonic orchestra, the Orchestra of First Methodist. The orchestra rehearses on Sunday afternoons about every three weeks to play three or four special events each year, not in services of worship. It is open to youth and adults from the church and community with orchestral instrument training. Phone the Music Office for further information.
Fine Arts
Major Works with Orchestra
Throughout the church year the Chancel Choir presents major sacred choral works with orchestra. these have included Verdi's "Requiem," "Hodie" by Vaughn Willism, the American premier of Berlioz's "Messe Solennelle," Handel's "Messiah," Haydn's "The Creation," "The Passion According to St. Matthew," by J.S. Bach, Rutter's "Gloria," Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Requiem," the The sacred Music of Duke Ellington, and many others. Our 2008 Festival Encore was presented with full orchestra in April and the Brahms REQUIEM.
"Meet the Composer" Church Music Workshop Series
Many of the important names in church music have come to the church for our "Meet the Composer" weekends. These have included John Rutter, Alice Parker, Jean Berger, Hank Beebe, Eric Routely, Ken Medema, Allen Pote, Daniel Gawthrop, Mark Hayes, Joseph Martin, and many others. Most have composed and published special works for our church which our choirs perform during worship services. Noted musician Allen Pote' presented a workshop in October, 2000, Composer/arranger Joseph Martin was the featured musician in the Church Music Workshop in 2003, and Benjamin Harlan was the guest composer for our 2004 workshop. Our 2006 Workshop hosted Joseph Martin and Mark Hayes with a "Dueling Piano" concert where both artists performed some of their favorites. In 2007 we were fortunate to have Mark Wilberg, associate director of the Morman Tabernacle Choir. David Schwoebel lead the February 2008 workshop with Lloyd Larson in 2010. Craig Courtney is set for February 5 & 6, 2011.
Texas Street Arts Series
The Texas Street Arts Series brings outstanding musical events to the church and the community each year. These have ranged from the Dukes of Dixieland to the Boston Symphony Chamber Orchestra. Some of our series have included the world famous "Vienna Choir Boys," and the Duke Ellington Festival.
This year's season will feature the popular singer from Panama, Virgilio Davis, Sept 20th, a bass soloist with the Centenary College Choir and the Chancel Choir during his college days. He now travels the country singing Broadway and sacred literature. Elisabeth Von Trapp, soprano, the granddaughter of Maria from "The Sound of Music" fame, will perform a varied program at the church on Sunday November 22nd. The Italian pianist, Eugenio de Rosa will give a concert of the music of Schumann and Chopin on Sunday, February 28, 2010. The season will close with Rhapsody in View, a concert on Sunday May 2, 2010 featuring the Centenary College Choir, the Chancel Choir of the church, organ, and full professional orchestra. The host of NPR's program "From the Top", Christopher O'Riley, will give a piano concert to inaugurate our new theatre, March 6, 2011.
The Texas Street Arts Series was founded in the 1980's for the betterment and enjoyment of the Church members and the local community. This program is maintained and presented to the public by donations only. If you would be interested in supporting our efforts or need more information please contact us at 318.429.6887 or email wandress@fumcshreveport.org.
Fine Arts Academy
The Church has long sought to nurture and develop the whole person. As a result you find the church offering not only experiences in worship and religious education, but also sports, scouting, trips, book clubs, musical drama, and various aspects of the fine arts. God gave each individual a specific talent and the church seeks to assist in the development of that talent.
Performing Arts Center
The Performing Arts Center is unique to churches. With continental-style seating, orchestra pit, fly gallery, dance studio, set and costume shops, box office, and a large lobby for art exhibits. Most of the great Broadway musicals such as "Oklahoma", "The Sound of Music", "Guys and Dolls", "Showboat", in fact over 25 of the greatest musicals have been performed in PAC over the last 25 years. The most recent, "The Secret Garden", was critically acclaimed as one of the finest ever produced in Shreveport. It was the final summer musical in the current Performing Arts Center.
The Church is committed to "developing the whole person" and so construction has begun on a new state-of-the-art theatre and should be complete by late summer of 2010 when a new series of concerts and theatrical productions will begin. This new theatre, complete with fly gallery, large orchestra pit, trap doors in the stage, a set shop, costume shop and storage, dressing rooms, green room, and stage large enough to accommodate most of the popular musicals being performed, will truly be a facility unique to churches. Watch for the outstanding musical planned for the grand opening in the Fall of 2010.
For more information on any of our programs or to be added to any of our mailing lists, please contact us at your convenience. 318.429.6887 or kgray@fumcshreveport.org
