Preparing for Christmas Eve

Join the Adult Choir this Wednesday, Dec. 22 at 6:30 for a final Christmas Eve rehearsal. We are preparing one new piece--Once in Royal David's City--and one familiar--the O Holy Night that we sang for Carols by Candlelight. Looking forward to another beautiful worship experience with you.

Here is the schedule for the remainder of the week for all ensembles:

Wednesday, Dec. 22

5:45: Brass in Sanctuary
6:15: Youth and Children's Choirs who are singing on Christmas Eve in their usual rooms
6:30: Bells and Brass in Sanctuary
6:30: Adult Choir in Jennie Roberts Room
6:45: Adult, Youth, and Children's Choir with Bells and Instrumentalists in Sanctuary

Friday, Dec. 24
4:15: Brass in Organist's Office
4:15: Adult, Youth, and Children's Choir with Bells and Instrumentalists in Sanctuary
4:40: Prelude music begins

After the Holidays
Choir resumes on Sunday, Jan. 9 at 9:15.

Wednesday Rehearsal

Join us at 7:00-8:30 for our orchestral rehearsal as we prepare for Carols by Candlelight.

Rehearsal Only This Sunday

We are treated to a Sunday, this week, when we can simply work ahead on music and not need to prepare something for worship that day. Join us as we continue to prepare music for Sunday morning, Dec. 19; Carols by Candelight 7:00, Dec. 19; and Christmas Eve 5:00. Hope to see you there.

Wednesday Rehearsals Continue

Join us Wednesday, Dec. 8 from 7:00-8:30 as we prepare music for the
Carols by Candlelight program.

In addition to many carols, the choir will be featured in three works:

Advent Canticle by Mark Shepperd
Christmas Day by Gustav Holst
O Holy Night arr. John Leavitt

See/hear recordings for these three works in the Rehearsal Resources section.

This event proved to be an amazing venture last year. It is worth your time to be a part of it. Come and sing with us.

The Canticle of the Turning

Join us this Sunday morning as we sing John Ferguson's setting of an Irish folk tune, The Canticle of the Turning. The text of this work focuses on the idea of the world gradually become the place, the Kingdom that Jesus hoped it would become.

There is a YouTube recording of the piece at the right side of this blog page. It is not the setting that we will be singing. However, the text is included on the video and that is the primary challenge of the piece: it moves quickly and there is a lot of text.

Remember, we are on our new Advent schedule with rehearsal at 9:00-9:50am then we break for intergenerational Sunday School--Advent-ure.

Wednesday Rehearsals Begin This Week

Join us on Wednesdays, December 1, 8, and 15 from 7:00-8:00pm for adult choir rehearsal. We are adding these to compensate for our shortened Sunday rehearsals (9:00-9:50am), due to our involvement in Advent-ure, the intergenerational Advent Sunday School.

We are preparing to sing for worship on December 5 and 19, but also for the December 19 Carols By Candlelight program and Christmas Eve 5:00.b

This is a great time to join us, even if you have been away for a while or never involved in our church choir before. We have room for you.

Special Events and Schedule Beginning Nov. 28

We begin our observance of Advent this coming weekend. As part of the preparation that is a part of every holiday season, we are encouraging our church's adult and children to take part in Advent-ure--intergenerational Sunday School from 10:00-10:45.

The adult choir is a group that never has the opportunity to fellowship with others or take part in education opportunities on Sunday mornings. We would like Nov. 28, and Dec. 5, 12, & 19 to be an opportunity to take part in those things.

Beginning Nov. 28, rehearsal is scheduled from 9:00-9:50 am. We will then dismiss to take part in Advent-ure, which is finished at 10:45. After that, get into your robe and line up for a processional in the Narthex.

During the service, we will sing the anthem Soon and Very Soon arranged by Mark Hayes.

In order to have enough rehearsal time to prepare for the holiday season, we will have Wednesday evening rehearsals on December 1, 8, & 15 from 7:00-8:00 pm.

We hope that these changes will result in some church-family building in the month of December. Hope to see you there.

They'll Know

We are returning to our focus on the Core Values of our church. On November 21, it will be "Serving Compassionately" and we will be sharing an updated anthem setting of the well-known They'll Know We Are Christians.

This week is a rehearsal-only Sunday; time to catch up and look forward to exciting new things for Advent and Christmas. Let us endeavor to keep the energy from and excellent turnout on Kirkin' perpetuated throughout this next season. It is such a joy when we all come together to make music...and it is far less work and more rewarding for everyone than when only a handful are there.

Hope to see you at 9:15 this Sunday.

Kirkin' Choir Meets This Evening

Join us from 7:00-8:30 in the choir room as we prepare for this Sunday's Kirkin' worship.

Reformation Sunday

This Sunday--Reformation Sunday--we are singing a dynamic setting of A Mighty Fortress by John Ferguson which includes trumpet and congregation. We open the service with A New Day, which is a bright starter that is a joy to sing.

Kirkin' Choir Rehearsal This Evening

Join us from 7:00-8:30 in the choir room on the lower level as we prepare for Kirkin' singing. See the recordings of Awake, My Heart and When the Saints Go Marching In in the right column of this blog. We will also be singing special settings of two hymns: God of the Sparrow and For All the Saints in addition to other service music.

Core Values

We are in the midst of a series focusing on core values in our church--the things that we believe in enough to let them guide the choices we make as individuals and as a church. Cultivating growth in us by connecting with God is our focus this week. And we will be singing a commitment song: "O Jesus I Have Promised."

Our church has been going through a challenging time. Things like focusing on core values are intentional tools of healing. If we look past differences and disappointments and focus on being Christ-like in our attitudes and actions toward others, we cannot help but heal.

If you have been sitting on the sidelines, waiting for this church to become a different place, know that the responsibility to accomplish that change lies in each one of us. If you have been sitting on the sidelines, waiting for the choir to grow or the youth groups to become larger, come and be an active part of that growth.

"And Jesus, I have promised to serve Thee to the end;
O give me grace to follow, my Master and my Friend.

World Communion Sunday

This week we celebrate the fact that the worldwide Christian church is diverse and colorful. Our anthem will be sung during communion, A Festival Gathering. It is a medley which includes an Hispanic praise song, an African-American spiritual, and a contemporary hymn that focuses on being welcoming to all people.

Join us for the unusual rehearsal time of 9:00. We only have one hour as we will be breaking at 10:00 to attend the church congregational meeting. We will be singing for 11:00 worship, but we will not be wearing robes this week.

A Week Off...But Not Really

This Sunday is Mission BreakOUT, where we leave the comfort of our church and venture out into the community to work. There is no choir rehearsal this Sunday, as we will gather at 9:30 for a brief worship service, organize our work teams and go out into the community.

If you have not signed up for a work site, we have three opportunities that still need to be filled.

The Great Plains Food Bank 1720 3rd Ave North, Fargo. Volunteers are needed to work with packaged food items

Luther Hall (Lutheran Social Services) 1505 5th Ave. South, Fargo. Painters are needed to paint a garage. Supplies will be provided.

New American Services 1325 11^th Street South, Fargo. Sorting warehoused clothing and materials for new members of our community.

Please remember to dress casually and appropriate for the work that you are planning to do. Bringing a pair of work gloves is always a good idea.

This is a week off from singing...but it's not really a week off. This is an opportunity to carry our faith into action and out of the church doors.

On October 17th, First Pres is hosting an American Guild of Organists concert, Basically Brahms. Our choir will be one of the anchor choirs for this event. Please let us know if you plan to participate. Visit the Basically Brahms Blog for concert and rehearsal information, as well as printable music scores and rehearsal resources. Consider using this event (and email the blog link) to invite a friend to join you in this community opportunity.

No Longer Mine

This Sunday we are singing the old hymn text "Take My Life, That I May Be" in two distinct ways. With the congregation, a bright hispanic-styled setting will be sung that projects a feeling of the joy found in commitment to Christ. For the adult choir's anthem, we will be using a very introspective, personal setting of the same text that reinforces the idea of the personal nature of that same commitment to Christ.

"Take my will and make it thine;
it will be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is thine own;
it shall be thy royal throne"
--Frances R. Havergal, 1836-1879

On October 17th, First Pres is hosting an American Guild of Organists concert, Basically Brahms. Our choir will be one of the anchor choirs for this event. Please visit the Basically Brahms Blog for concert and rehearsal information, as well as printable music scores and rehearsal resources. Consider using this event (and email the blog link) to invite a friend to join you in this community opportunity.

He shall gather the lambs in His arms

Rally Day, Sept. 12, will focus on God's love and gathering of us--God's sheep. It is a fitting image as we come back together from our busy summertime, ready to minister through music once again.

Join us at 9:00 for warm-up and run-through, then walk in to the 9:00 service to sing our anthem (without robes), leave and take part in the brunch potluck, then resume our rehearsal before singing at the 11:00 service. This will be a meaningful way of starting our year, sharing our gifts with both the 9:00 and 11:00 congregations.

We have an exciting year of music planned; it is a rather ambitious one. (Note: the fall schedule and rehearsal resources are posted on this blog page.) If you have been considering singing with the choir, now is the perfect time to venture forward. The more people we have singing, the more interesting and beautiful choral music we can sing. Your place in this choir is important and valued.

See you on Sunday.

Thank You

Thank you to all who made this a successful and meaningful year. Your faithful participation is greatly appreciated by this church.

We are presently on break for the summer months. The Fall 2010 season will resume on Wednesday, September 8 at 7:00 pm. We will have a one-time midweek rehearsal before we sing on Rally Day, September 12. On the 12th we will resume our weekly Sunday morning rehearsals.

Speaking in Tongues

This Sunday is Pentecost--the celebration of God's sending the Holy Spirit to us. The choir will be contributing to the drama of the story of this event from the book of Acts by speaking in tongues. Here is the plan:

At a point in the reading, the Choir begins calling out the following phrases:

“Takwaba uwabanga Yesu!”
“No hay nadie como Cristo!”
“There’s no one like Jesus!”
“Jauchzet dem Herren, alle Welt!“
“Jubiláte Deo, omnis terra!”
“Poussez vers l'Éternel des cris de joie!”

Choose one and be ready to shout it aloud on Sunday. (The English is only a last resort!)

As if that weren't enough, we are also singing Heinrich Schutz's setting of Psalm 100 (in English) with the brass ensemble. See the recording below.

It is going to be an exciting, final day of the season.

There's No One Like Jesus

The choir is going to be sharing a multi-lingual piece this Sunday: "Takwaba (There's No One Like Jesus)". It has rhythmic and textual challenges, but musically speaking it is very manageable. Please take a few moments to listen to the YouTube recording below in the Rehearsal Resources section. We are so pleased to have the Proclamation Choir joining us as well. They will arrive at 9:30 along with our percussionist.

We will not be wearing robes this Sunday, as we will begin the service sitting in the pews and will return there when we are finished. This will afford everyone the opportunity to see confirmation.

Fun music, African drum, and only a couple of weeks left to sing. It's going to be a good Sunday. Come and be a part of it.

An Important Sunday

This Sunday is an important Sunday for many reasons. Most notably, it is Mother's Day. In addition to that, this Sunday is important because it is our rehearsal week. We are not singing for worship, so we are gifted with a full rehearsal to prepare for the weeks to come.

We will be preparing "Takwaba" and "Praise Ye the Father," two vastly different pieces for the weeks to come. Both are challenging in their own way. See the YouTube recordings below in the Rehearsal Resources section.

These are pieces that will be successful with repeated rehearsal, as they are not pieces that can be easily sightread. Plan to join us at 9:00am.

Communion

Communion. Coming together.

The choir will be sharing Mark Hayes' anthem setting of "One Bread, One Body" this Sunday as communion music. We will be pleased to have the Proclamation Youth Choir singing with us on this anthem.

Additionally, we will be introducing the South African hymn "Hallelujah! We Sing Your Praises," leading it with the congregation. We will sing it in English.

There are recordings of both pieces of music below in the Rehearsal Resources section.

Let's come together this week. And commune through meal and music.

Sunday of the Good Shepherd

This Sunday we focus on Christ as the Good Shepherd. The choir has a gorgeous anthem to share: "My Shepherd Will Supply My Need" arranged by Mack Wilberg. We will have the pleasure of singing it with its intended scoring of concert harp and two flutes. There is a YouTube recording of the piece below in the Rehearsal Resource section. Then we will close the service with a benediction response that we began last week, "Christ Be With Me" by Noel Rawsthorne.

Easter Continues

After a week off from the exertions of Holy Week and Easter Sunday, we resume rehearsals this Sunday, April 18 at 9:00.

We will be sharing two pieces: an introit "Worthy is the Lamb" by Benjamin Harlan and a benediction response "Christ Be With Me" by Noel Rawsthorne.

There is a recording of "Worthy is the Lamb" that can be found online. Instructions are posted in the Rehearsal Resources section below, but here is a picture of what you will look for on the screen:



Holy Week and Easter were such a delight in great part due to the large number of singers that were there. Let's try to keep that energy and momentum throughout the remainder of the spring season. We have particularly interesting music coming up in the next month. Plan to join us.

Easter Morning

Call time is 8:00 am for the Sanctuary Choir on Sunday morning. Meet in the Choir Room, in your robes.

We will be singing "Processional Alleluia" and "Christ Has Arisen! Alleluia" (recording below).

There is a logistics sheet for you as well, but here is the content from that sheet:

No hymnals necessary; everything is in the bulletin

We begin the service in our seats (in the transept; we will not be in the choir loft)

When the congregation stands to face the rear of the church, move into position on the steps for “Processional Alleluia”

Remain in place through the hymn, until the peace, then be seated

Move into position on the steps for “Christ Has Arisen, Alleluia” as children return to their seats

Commune at the 9:00 service

This is going to be a wonderful and meaningful experience for all involved. We hope that you can join us.

Final Holy Week and Easter Musical Rehearsal

Join us this Wednesday, March 31st for our final rehearsal as we prepare to sing on Maundy Thursday and Easter Sunday.

We will rehearse from7:00 to 8:00 this Wednesday evening. Please note that there will be no dinner served this week.

Hope to see you there.

Palm Sunday and Beyond

This week we celebrate Palm Sunday with children processing with palms and the choir singing Moses Hogan's "Ride On, King Jesus." Within that service we turn the corner to Holy Week, and the choir shares Charles Wood's "Agnus Dei." There are recording of these pieces and most of the other music that we are singing for Maundy Thursday and Easter Sunday in the Rehearsal Resources section below.

Rehearsal This Evening: Wednesday, March 17

Hoping to see you at Sanctuary Choir rehearsal this evening from 7:35-8:30 in the choir room. We will be working on music for Holy Week and Easter.

Kyrie: Lord, Have Mercy

This Sunday we are going to be singing the anthem we shared on Ash Wednesday, "Kyrie" from Missa Portae Honoris by Charles Wood. The focus of worship is praying for others when they need healing. The "Lord, have mercy" text is particularly appropriate for this.

Beginning next Wednesday, March 17 you are invited to participate in additional rehearsals as we prepare to sing for Holy Week and Easter. The choir will be a part of services on Palm Sunday (10:45), Maundy Thursday (7:00), and Easter Sunday (9:00 & 10:45).

If you have been unable to participate in the choir this winter, it is a wonderful time to step in. In addition to regular Sunday rehearsals (9:00-10:30), join us for the special Wednesday evening rehearsals on March 17 & 24 from 7:35-8:35.

We will also have a rehearsal for all Easter musicians early in the evening on Wednesday, March 31.

Communion Music and Looking Ahead to Holy Week and Easter

We will be sharing music for Communion this Sunday, March 7. Join us to sing the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) from Charles Wood's Missa Portae Honoris. There is a score and part-playing recording in the Rehearsal Resources section below.

It is also time to be thinking ahead to Holy Week and Easter. Note the schedule has three additional Wednesday rehearsals (March 17, 24, & 31) where we can invite people who may not be able to join us on a consistent basis. There are recordings of most of the Holy Week and Easter music in the Rehearsal Resources section.

Catch-Up Week and Looking for a Lost Piece of Music

This Sunday, February 28, is going to be a rehearsal only week--a time to catch up on the music for future weeks. Originally, we had this day scheduled as a day off, but we need some time together to prepare for upcoming singing. These rehearsal only days are particularly successful when there are as many of us in attendance as possible. Remember, singing in a choir is so much enjoyable when many are present. Your presence is important to your fellow singers.

We are looking for a lost piece of music that we sang at Christmas. If you have a copy of "Love Came Down at Christmas" by Leo Sowerby, please return it soon as it is borrowed music. It looks like this but the cover is a bright, school-bus yellow.

Singing for Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday signals the beginning of the Lenten season. We will be singing a "Kyrie" by Charles Wood. The piece is in English rather than Latin, and its traditional petitions are perfect for the opening of this season of reflection:

"Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy."

The score and a bare-bones recording of the parts is available in the Rehearsal Resources section below.

Join us at 6:00 for rehearsal. Remember that dinner is served from 5:15 to 6:30. Consider this option if time is tight for you after work.

No Rehearsal This Week

Enjoy the weekend off. We will not have rehearsal nor will we be singing this Sunday, February 7th. We resume next week as we prepare to sing Allen Pote's "God is Our Refuge and Strength."

Have a good week.

Winter Weather this Weekend

We will be singing the lovely "A New Commandment" by Paul Carey this Sunday morning. There is a lovely recording of it below in the Online Resources section.

Since threatening weather is possible this weekend, here is our plan for the musicians involved in worship:

Before leaving home for rehearsal and worship on Sunday morning, consult WDAY television or radio. That is our first contact to announce the church closing.

They also have a list on their website: http://www.wday.com/event/severeweather/

We hope to see you on Sunday.

Stay safe and warm.

Baptism...continued

On Sunday, January 24th, we begin a series in worship that focuses on local issues. Actually, they are simply human issues. Mental health and depression is this week's focus. We are going to continue the theme of baptismal identity which began last week in the music that the choir shares this week. We will open with an introit, "The Baptism of Christ" by Andrew March and will also sing the verses for the hymn "You are Mine." These upcoming worship experiences should be significant and memorable for all who are involved. Hope you can be a part of it.

Water, water everywhere

On Sunday, January 10 we will be focusing on Christ's baptism and our own. There will be lot of a lot of water imagery in the music and in the liturgy. The choir will be sharing John Carter's setting of "Shall We Gather at the River" during a time for people to come forward and be marked with the cross of Christ in water on their foreheads.

There is a schedule change: we will be singing on Jan. 17. We have some lovely yet very manageable things that we will be doing: "The Baptism of Christ" and singing the verses to the hymn "You are Mine."

Worship should be particularly meaningful in these next few weeks as we have many special elements that we hope will connect with people. The music--and the choir in particular--will be a crucial part of that. Plan to join us.

No Wednesday Night at First Activities Tonight

All Wednesday Night at First activities for tonight, January 6, 2010, have been cancelled due to winter weather concerns. Stay safe and warm tonight!