Christmas Eve

Let's meet together, ready to sing at 4:20 on the steps in the Sanctuary this Saturday, Dec. 24.

We will NOT wear robes.

We WILL sit in the congregation and simply come forward to sing our one anthem.

Merry Christmas. See you on Saturday.

Christmas Eve Choir

Join us at 6:15 this Wednesday, December 21 as we prepare for the 5:00 Christmas Eve service. Lovely but attainable music planned. Come and join us.

Wednesday Rehearsals

We have an full but exciting rehearsal schedule planned for Wednesday, December 14.

Dinner is served from 5:00-6:00pm
Adult Choir ready to sing in the Sanctuary at 5:45.
Rehearse Carols by Candlelight music until 6:55
Rehearse Christmas Eve music from 7:00-7:20

We have the pleasure of having our composer-in-residence, Zeb Highben, with us to rehearse his new piece that we will be premiering this Sunday evening. Plan to be a part of the excitement.

Many Things, Much Music

On this Second Sunday of Advent, we have the opportunity to work on many things and much music.

Note the schedule has been updated to include extra rehearsal times and call times for worship events.

This Sunday, following the 11:00 worship service the women of the choir and the church are invited to gather in the choir room for a 30-minute rehearsal on The First Noel.

IMPORTANT SCHEDULE ADDITION: Wednesday, Dec. 14

• 5:30-6:30 Carols by Candlelight Music Rehearsal with Zeb Highben
• 6:30-7:00 Christmas Eve Music Rehearsal

Please check the schedule on the left side of this blog page for new information and musical recordings.

The First Sunday of Advent

If you will be in the F-M area this holiday weekend, join us as we begin the season of Advent this Sunday, November 27.

Rejoice, Rejoice Believers is going to be our seasonal hymn for the first two weeks of Advent. We will be using a different tune than has been sung in this congregation--one that is brighter and more hopeful than the hymntune provided by our hymnal.

For our anthem we will be using Zeb Highben's lovely setting of The Lord Shall Come and Not Be Slow.

These weeks leading up to Christmas are crucial in our preparation of seasonal music. You are needed. We hope to have you join us this Sunday and in the weeks to come.

Well-Earned Rest

Thank you to all who were a part of another meaningful Kirkin' service last Sunday.

Enjoy a well-earned rest from rehearsal or singing this coming Sunday, November 13.

Peace and grace to you all for your faithful service.

Kirkin' Morning

This is Timechange Sunday. We meet, robed and ready to sing by 8am.

Could we each contribute something for a between service Breakfast Feast?

It’s going to be a lovely day. Hope to see you there.

The One and Only Kirkin' Choir Rehearsal

Join us in the Choir Room on Wednesday, November 2, 7:45-9:15 for a single Kirkin' Choir rehearsal. This is a great opportunity to sing, especially for those who are unable to sing weekly with us.

Listen to an audio recording of our anthem The Lord's My Shepherd.

The Premier

We have the opportunity to share the first of our new works by composer-in-residence Zeb Highben this Sunday. Be a part of The Premier.

We will rehearse at 9:15, joining the brass and the 7-12 choir later in the morning to bring this lovely work to life.

A Special Opportunity

First Pres has been given the great gift of a talented composer-in-residence who is writing new music for us. We have the privilege to premier the first of his compositions on October 30. It is a special thing to put flesh on the bones of a new piece of music. And we need as many able-voiced singers as possible to make it successful.

Zeb Highben has set a beautiful text from the Old Testament book of Jeremiah. The piece features choir, organ and brass and was conceived an entree into the reading of the Jeremiah text, followed by a response which incorporates the hymn The God of Abraham Praise. It is a lovely combination of proclamation and comfort.

This Sunday we have the privilege of bringing this new piece of music to life. You are crucially needed for it to be successful. Plan to be with us at 9:15 am.

God is Our Refuge

Join the choir as we sing a bright setting of Psalm 46--Allen Pote's God is Our Refuge.

Rehearsal begins at 9:15.

We are also working on the premier of a new piece written by our composer-in-residence Zeb Highben as well as Kirkin' music.

Hope to see you there.

Let's Get Together and Work Ahead

We have exciting music ahead of us, including the first of our commissioned pieces from our composer-in-residence as well as Kirkin' music to begin.

It has been a challenge to prepare for upcoming weeks. Please know that your attendance is desired and appreciated. Let's get together and work ahead.

Hope to see you in the choir room at 9:15.

Work to do before the work begins...

This Sunday, September 25 is a Mission BreakOUT Sunday. Following a brief worship service, the members and friends of First Pres disperse throughout the city doing good, practical work in our community. See the First Pres website for more info: http://www.firstpresfargo.org/

Before the work we begins at 10:45, we have wonderful opportunities for our musicians to do good work within our own walls.

Join us, ready to sing, at 9:00 am.

We are singing Don Hart's setting of The Lord of the Dance. We have had very little time with this anthem. Please listen to its link in the schedule list to the left and come ready to work efficiently as we bring it all together with our All-Church orchestra that morning.

We will not be wearing robes. Come in your work clothes, as dictated by your Mission BreakOUT site.

See you on Sunday.

New Developments = Schedule Change for the Choir

We have had a happy development: the response for the All-Church Orchestra on Sept. 25 has been quite good, so we are adjusting our plans to take advantage of new opportunities.

CHANGE OF CHOIR SCHEDULE: We will only rehearse this Sunday, Sept. 18 as we prepare to sing at the Mission BreakOUT worship service on the 25th. We will do a setting of "The Lord of the Dance" with orchestra that morning. Click on that title within the schedule listing to the left of the blog page to hear it.

Though we are not singing this Sunday, our rehearsal is crucial for preparation for the weeks ahead. Hope to see you at Sunday at 9:00 am.

Singing this Sunday

Join us for rehearsal at 9am as we prepare to sing for worship on September 11. We have a simple, manageable, but lovely setting of Children of the Heavenly Father (see listening link in the calendar at the left) to commemorate this day.

Launching into the Fall Season

Kick-Off Adult Choir Rehearsal on Wed. Sep. 7th

Join us for one midweek rehearsal on Wednesday, September 7, 7:00 as we launch into the fall season by preparing to sing for Sunday, September 11. Beginning on the morning of the 11th, we will be rehearsing on Sunday morning exclusively.

Summer Break

Thank you for your commitment to worship and music this past year. We are on break now until early-September.

The beginning Fall Schedule is already posted at the top of this page. Plan to join us when we resume.

Have a lovely summer season.

Musician Appreciation Sunday

Thank you, choir members, for your faithful work this past program year. The contribution that you make to worship is incalculable. We will be recognizing all of you and the other musicians that make our church so musically varied.

This Sunday's worship will feature a lovely variety of music from the adult and 3-6 choirs, as well as brass and handbells. Please join us for one last week together; singing both services.

• 8:15 call time in the choir room
• 9:00 sing for worship
• 10:00 reception for Pastor Sam Hobson
• 11:00 sing for worship

There are recordings above of the pieces we will be singing. Let's all join together one last time for this program year. Thank you for faithfulness.

Our New Composer-in-Residence Visiting This Week

We welcome our new composer-in-residence Zeb Highben to First Pres this week. (Please see the full article on the sidebar to the right.) This is his first visit to experience the musical life of our church.

Zeb will be observing a number of ensembles rehearse this week.

Wednesday, May 11
St. Andrews Brass
3-6 Choir
7-12 Choir
Adult Handbells

Sunday, May 15
Adult Choir

Please make every effort to be at your ensemble's rehearsal this week so that Zeb can appraise the many musical gifts with which he may creatively work in the coming year.

A Week Off

Friends:

Thank you for your beautiful music on Resurrection Morning. You were thrilling in your intensity and joy.

Please enjoy this weekend off, free of rehearsal and leading in worship.

See you next on May 8 at 9:15.

Resurrection of Our Lord

After the stark beauty of Maundy Thursday, we will gather in a completely different atmosphere this Sunday morning--Joy, brightness, hope.

All ensembles are gathering at 8 am Easter Sunday morning.

Adult Choir in Choir Room.

Handbells in Sanctuary.

Brass in Organist's Office.

We are singing for both services, with breakfast provided between.

Listen to two of the pieces we will be singing in the Rehearsal Resources Section, and join us early tomorrow morning.

Outdoor Palms

This Sunday we begin our journey through Holy Week with a procession of palms, as we recall Jesus' triumphant entrance into Jerusalem and the subsequent chain of events that lead us to the cross.

The 11:00 congregation (and the choir) will gather outside, weather permitting, on the north steps to process as a crowd into the sanctuary. The choir will be wearing robes, but consider how you might need to dress underneath to be able to be outside for 10 minutes on a Sunday morning.

Note the Holy Week and Easter schedule of events in which we are participating. Worship wise, participating in as many services as possible during Holy Week truly enriches the experience of the Story. Hope you can be a part of it.

Joining the Youth This Sunday

We have the pleasure of joining our youth choir as we jointly sing David von Kampen's There is a Balm in Gilead. This enjoyable setting is going to be a bright spot in this Sunday's worship as this week is Youth Sunday.

We will also be working on Holy Week and Easter music in addition to finalizing There is a Balm.

A Week to Prepare

Join us for rehearsal only this Sunday. This will give us an opportunity to work on future music for Holy Week. These rehearsal weeks are very successful when as many of us as possible are able to be there. Hope to see you at 9:15.

I Will Arise...

...and go to Jesus. This Sunday's anthem is beautiful in text and in setting. The words are of the type that will remain with you as a comfort throughout the week. Join us this Sunday as we prepare I Will Arise. There is a lovely recording of it in the Rehearsal Resources section.

TIME CHANGE This Sunday

This Sunday, March 13, is the beginning of Daylight Savings Time: everything feels as if it begins an hour earlier.

We have a rehearsal-only week. Plan to join us at 9:15 to work ahead on music.

Ash Wednesday

Join us at 6:00 this Wednesday, March 9 as we do final preparations for Ash Wednesday Worship at 7:00. Remember, dinner is available for you beginning at 5:00. Consider this as a time saver if you are coming from a busy day.

Hope to see you there.

True Light

We come to the end of the season of Epiphany, singing about the True Light of God, by Keith Hampton. This is a thrilling piece to sing. Listen to the beautiful video recording and plan to join us this Sunday at 9:15.

Brahms Choir Cancellation

Dear friends:

The music for the March 6 Brahms concert requires more voices than we presently have committed for this event. Consequently, we are cancelling the CHORAL portions of this program; although the recital will take place with a full program of keyboard works.

No rehearsal this Wednesday at 7:00. Come and enjoy the recital on Sunday, March 6 at 7:00 pm.

Rehearsal Only This Sunday

We are fortunate to have a week to work ahead on music.

When you arrive for 9:15 rehearsal, please come to the Sr. High Youth Room on the lower level (essentially underneath the main stairway to the lower level). We will be rehearsing there for a portion of our time together as the Jamestown College Concert Choir, our musical guests at 11:00 worship, will be utilizing the choir room.

Last evening we had our first Brahms Concert Rehearsal. Thank you to those who took the time to come out for it. The group that was there is very small. If you were unable to be at rehearsal last evening but are planning to sing in the March 6 concert, please email David.

See you on Sunday.

Simple Things

This Sunday we are singing a simple, but very pretty setting of Psalm 117. There is the added bonus of a recording AND a copy of music as a PDF in the Rehearsal Resources section.

We are continuing to work on our Brahms' music. Please join us for the two additional Brahms Wednesday rehearsals: Feb. 23 and Mar. 2 from 7:00-8:30 pm. This is a great opportunity for singers to join us, even if they have been unable to be involved in choir on a regular basis.

Note also that the full spring schedule is listed on the right side of this page.

Hope to see you there.

Time to Prepare

We are gifted, this week, with a bit of time to prepare for upcoming weeks of music. Join us for rehearsal this Sunday at 9:15. In addition to the music for the Brahms Concert, we have some wonderful anthems to prepare. Hope to see you on Sunday.

A Little Rest, then Back to Work

This Sunday, January 30, is a week of for everyone: no rehearsal, no singing. Consider taking advantage of Deb Dawson's adult ed update on her work in Africa.

When we come back together on Feb. 6, we will be singing the lovely Eternal Light, Shine in My Heart. Take a few moments to listen before we meet on the 6th. We will have only a short time to pull that anthem together.

Please look at the schedule, which is posted through early-March. Exciting things coming up!

We Have Seen

We have seen the Lord, and he is beautiful.

We are moving into a time in the church year when we start to learn about Jesus and his ministry on earth. The idea that "we have seen the Lord" is very alive in the scriptures of the following weeks.

This week we are singing a traditional Tanzanian tune and text Nimemwona Bwana. It's an easy-to-sing partsong combined with the hymn Fairest Lord Jesus. Listen to it a few times in the Rehearsal Resources section and you will be well prepared for Sunday. Don't be afraid of the language; it is very singable.

New Year/New Music

As we come back together again after the holidays, we have some new music to brighten these cold days.

Join us this Sunday, January 16 as we have a week to rehearse only, and prepare for weeks ahead.

We are particularly excited to begin preparing for the BASICALLY BRAHMS concert on Sunday, March 6 at 7:30 pm. See the webpage for that event here.