News Archive
2021 LSM Yearbook
2021 in Review
You are invited to share and celebrate with LSM as we take a look back on 2021! We rejoiced as our community returned to LSM in person to share music and fellowship, our community grew through increased access to online programming, and our alumni have carried LSM with them into meaningful callings and vocations.
We now eagerly anticipate an even greater reunion at LSM 2022 as we invite alumni and friends back to campus to celebrate 40 years of LSM!
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LSM Musical Advent Calendar
Introducing the 2021 LSM Musical Advent Calendar!
Since the nineteenth century, households and congregations have marked the days before Christmastide with many types of Advent calendars. The season of waiting and longing for the “already-but-not-yet” incarnation of Jesus unfolds amidst waning daylight in the Northern Hemisphere, a time of yearning for hope, joy, and peace.
Each day from November 28th to December 24th, join us for a moment of music and reflection. Selections will be posted to the LSM social media accounts and archived below!
Day 1
Day 3
Day 5
Day 7
Day 9
Day 11
Day 13
Day 15
Day 17
Day 19
Day 21
Day 23
Day 25
Day 27
Day 2
Day 4
Day 6
Day 8
Day 10
Day 12
Day 14
Day 16
Day 18
Day 20
Day 22
Day 24
Day 26
Merry Christmas!
This project is made possible through a generous grant in support of Digital Innovation by the eLJay Foundation with additional support from Michael and Dawn Rickman
Winter Session 2022
LSM Winter session 2022
Back by popular demand, LSM is thrilled to open enrollment for Winter Session 2022! This is a way to tune up your playing and singing, explore exciting topics in music, connect with peers from all over the country, and get to know our incredible Faculty.
LSM remains committed to making the Winter Session as accessible as possible, and will again offer Pay-what-you-can tuition ranging from $0-99.
What did students thinks of the first Winter Session in 2021? See below some responses from the student survey!
“Thank you all SO MUCH for putting this all together, being a first time attender I loved it and can't imagine how much more awesome the summertime must be!!”
“I really enjoyed this program and it allowed to put my foot in and meet people for when I do go [to LSM]”
“I loved this so much! Thank you for offering this virtually. I would definitely do this next year if you have it.”
A Hymn for Re-Formation: “Rise, O Church”
A Hymn for Re-Formation: “Rise, O Church”
Reflection by LSM Cantor, Chad Fothergill
“God, the wonder of our days …”
Each October, many congregations and faith communities mark the anniversary of the Reformation, recalling ways in which the church forms and re-forms from generation to generation. There were reformations before Martin Luther, and times of change, renewal, and reconciliation in the centuries since.
“Service be our sure vocation …”
In addition to the musical treasures—texts, tunes, motets, and more—penned by Luther and contemporaries like Elisabeth Cruciger, an important Reformation legacy was the education of future leaders for vocations that served city and congregation alike. In that sense, “Lutheran” music is not just a historical collection of music crafted or used by Lutherans, but a guiding philosophy about the formational power of music that transcends time and place.
“Rise, remember well the future …”
The early Lutheran church was much like a laboratory—trying out rituals, patterns, texts, translations, and songs that made use of the recently developed printing press. LSM, too, is like a laboratory for new generations of leaders—learning new pieces, singing old and new hymns with different combinations of instruments, and sharing this experience through recordings, webinars, and more. More importantly, the LSM laboratory invites and cultivates questions—What? Who? How?—that can enrich communal music making in a diverse, ever-changing world.
“Courage be our daily breath …”
These words by Susan Palo Cherwien were sung by the LSM 2021 community at the end of the closing eucharist in Valparaiso University’s Chapel of the Resurrection, and the noble and soaring melody by Timothy Strand was the basis for the improvised postlude that followed. In these still-uncertain days, may God bless the ongoing work of reforming, re-forming, remembering, and re-membering. And with the saints of all times and places, we sing: “alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.”
• • • • •
LSM 2022
June 26–July 24, 2022
Valparaiso University
Nominate a student or apply: https://www.lsmacademy.org/about
Learn more about congregational and organizational partnerships: https://www.lsmacademy.org/partners-1
Participate in LSM Sunday 2021: https://www.lsmacademy.org/lsm-sunday-2021
Karin Swenson-Moore joins Board of Directors
Please join us in welcoming Karin Swenson-Moore to the LSM Board of Directors!
Karin Swenson-Moore was born and raised in the Seattle area. A lifelong musician, she studied piano from age 7 through high school, played the oboe (and other woodwinds) in school band and orchestra, and always sang in church and school choirs. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Pacific Lutheran University, where she majored in mathematics, but always included music on her schedule as well, including band, orchestra and organ lessons at various points.
Karin is an actuary specializing in health insurance, with experience in both consulting and corporate roles. Currently, Karin is a director in the Actuarial department of Cambia Health Solutions in Seattle, Washington, where she leads teams focused on premium setting, product development and benefit and financial analysis for group customers of the Regence health plans in Idaho, Oregon, Utah and Washington. Karin is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries. Karin is an active professional volunteer and Academy committee chair.
Karin and her husband, Nick Moore, reside in Mercer Island, Washington, where they raised their daughter Brita, now an LSM Alumni Board member. Nick is a professional musician active in performing, accompanying, recording and educating as a keyboardist. In their free time, Karin and Nick love theater, concerts and travel, especially to see Brita and her husband Adam in Minnesota. Karin also sings with the Mirinesse Women’s Choir in Seattle, and has served in several roles on the Mirinesse board of directors.
Lutheran by heritage and by choice, Karin is a member of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Mercer Island, where she currently is chair of the Worship & Music committee and regularly serves in worship as a song leader and choir member.
Karin shares on the impact of LSM in her family:
LSM was home for our daughter Brita for three summers. She couldn’t wait to go back each year, feeling that she was with her people. She grew tremendously as a musician and as a person, and LSM greatly strengthened her faith as well. The LSM experience was rigorous and exciting, taught by tremendously gifted faculty and staff. I want to see LSM provide that same growth and opportunity for our future generations of musicians, no matter what paying career they choose, and to build our future church members and leaders. I am excited to give back to LSM as a board member to make that happen.
LSM Sunday: November 21, 2021
You’re invited to join in with congregations far and wide who are celebrating LSM on Sunday, November 21, 2021!
It’s time to celebrate a program that is forming faith, educating, and inspiring the future musicians of the church. Each summer, LSM brings together a community of high school musicians to learn, grow, and worship on a Lutheran college campus for four weeks. These students then come home to their congregations inspired, transformed, and ready to share their enthusiasm for liturgical music!
Join with congregations nationwide to celebrate this essential program and the thousands of alumni who found their calling at LSM.
Visit the LSM Sunday Webpage to learn more and see a full list of resources for LSM Sunday 2021!
2021 Video Archive
Revisit your favorite performances and worship services from LSM 2021, enjoy any you missed in real time, and see exclusive bonus videos from this wonderful summer reunited as a community on campus!
Concerts
Worship Services
Recitals
Jazz Mania
Musical Theatre
Bonus Videos
Luther’s Morning Prayer
Outdoor Evening Prayer Service led by Church Music class
Peter Wessler remembrance and musical offering
LSM 2021 Highlight Video
Festival Week 2021
Festival Week 2021 is here and the students are looking forward to sharing a month of hard work and progress with the greater LSM Community!
While our on-campus events are closed to the public this year, more friends of LSM will experience Festival Week performances and worship services than ever before thanks to our 2021 Livestreaming!
Read on for a preview of Festival Week Performances and Worship Services!
Chamber Music Marathon
Wednesday 7/21
7:00 PM (CDT)
Fresh Ink! Composition Recital
Thursday 7/22
3:00 PM (CDT)
Jazz Ensemble
Thursday 7/22
4:30 PM (CDT)
Musical Theatre
Thursday 7/22
7:30 PM (CDT)
Hymn Festival Worship
Friday 7/23
8:00 PM (CDT)
Large Ensemble Concert
Saturday 7/24
7:00 PM (CDT)
Festival Worship
Sunday 7/25
9:00 AM (CDT)
LSM Awarded $25,000 Match Grant from the Rupert Dunklau Foundation
Double your Difference
Your first-time, increased, or renewed gift will now be generously matched!
If you want to help guarantee that young musicians can learn and grow at LSM for years to come, there is no better time to make your impact!
The Rupert Dunklau Foundation has awarded LSM a $25,000 match grant for any new, increased, or renewed gift (if it has been more than 12 months) to LSM!
Your gift changes lives
The impact of your gift guarantees that young musicians will be able to learn, grow, and transform at LSM for years to come.
Your gift today opens the door wider for every student to see themselves at LSM, regardless of financial circumstances thanks to a growing scholarship fund.
Donor & Faculty Spotlight
Christina Giuca Krause and Beth Nelson Chase reflect on their “why”
"It just makes sense to support you and your piano studio...and see all the great things happening with your students year after year" -Beth Nelson Chase
Inviting you into our culture of gratitude, witness above a heartfelt conversation between LSM Piano Faculty, Christina Giuca Krause, and her studio sponsor, Beth Nelson Chase as they share why they give so generously of their time, talent, and resources.
LSM Digital Projects are made possible through a generous grant in support of Digital Innovation by the eLJay Foundation.
LSM 2021 Begins!
After two long years apart, the LSM Community is joyfully reunited!
The LSM 2021 Community gathered in the Chapel of the Resurrection
In only the first few days together, LSM 2021 students from across the country have already committed themselves to a high standard of musical excellence and formed bonds that will last a lifetime.
From enjoying incredible recitals by the LSM Faculty Artists, to taking exciting new classes, to filling the chapel with song during worship, our community is buzzing with energy and excitement for the weeks to come!
For even more photos, videos, and captured moments from LSM, be sure to visit us on social media!
Missed a Livestream? Watch it on YouTube!
June 28 Faculty Recital
June 30 Faculty Recital
LSM 2021 Livestream Calendar
You are invited to join the LSM community via Livestream for every recital and concert at LSM 2021, as well as select worship services! While the on-campus events are currently not open to the public, LSM will livestream more events than ever before, inviting our worldwide audience to enjoy the hard work of the students, fellows, and faculty.
These events will be streamed via Facebook Live on the Lutheran Summer Music Facebook page and can be accessed with or without a personal account.
See below a calendar of events to enjoy from wherever you are!
LSM Digital Projects are made possible through a generous grant in support of Digital Innovation by the eLJay Foundation. LSM 2021 Livestreaming is generously underwritten by Brian and Kim Becker.
Studio Sponsor Spotlight 1: LSM Oboe Studio
The LSM community is made up of hundreds of individuals who generously share their gifts. Gifts of talent, time, and resources all come together to make LSM an experience of abundant opportunity.
You are invited into this culture of gratitude with an inside perspective on why our community is so generous with their gifts.
This project is made possible through a generous grant in support of Digital Innovation by the eLJay Foundation.
Application deadline extended to May 31st!
Two extra weeks to make your plans for LSM 2021!
In late April, we announced that LSM 2021 will officially be held safely in person this summer at Valparaiso University. This news has generated a great deal of excitement, resulting in many brand new students making LSM 2021 part of their summer plans!
To give every student the time they need in order to plan for LSM, prepare their audition, and complete any fundraising efforts, we are extending the application deadline from May 15th to May 31st!*
Already started your application? You’re in luck!
We will waive the application fee for anyone who completes their application by May 15! Log into your Dashboard> to finish your online application.
This extension also applies to Local Funds that qualify for an LSM Match (Full Session only). Please submit any eligible local funds by May 31st or email LSM Admissions to request a further extension if needed.
*Enrollment is limited to 100 students total. If this limit is reached before May 31st, students will be added to a waitlist if any spots open up. Apply Today to guarantee your place!
LSM 2021 Modifications and Safety Plan
LSM 2021 at Valparaiso University: Modifications and Safety Plan
Updated: June 9, 2021
We look forward to welcoming the LSM community back to campus in 2021! In close collaboration with Valparaiso University, LSM is moving forward with a modified on-campus program. Below you will find the most current modification plan for keeping our students, faculty, and staff safe this summer as we make a joyful and long-awaited return to live music and fellowship together.
Valparaiso University Vaccination Requirement
Recent Valparaiso University policy dictates that participants 16 years of age and older must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by the time of their arrival on campus.
This requirements applies to participants who will be age 16 or older by May 23, 2021.
Participants should receive their final vaccine dose by June 14, 2021, to allow fullest possible immunity to set in by June 27th.
Exemptions will be considered only for appropriately documented* medical or religious reasons, or for persons ineligible for a vaccination due to a recent COVID-19 diagnosis and recovery.
Students 15 years of age and younger do NOT need to be vaccinated in order to attend, but must follow all Personal Health and Safety protocols (below).
We recognize that this requirement is an unexpected condition to our residence on campus and that it may challenge or alter a student’s ability or comfort in participating in the on-campus program. We remain committed to welcoming every student into the LSM Community. For this reason, we will now offer the online LSM Remote Session on a pay-what-you-can scale, to allow any student who cannot come to campus to meaningfully engage in the LSM experience.
*Contact admissions@lutheransummermusic.org to inquire about necessary documentation.
Personal Health and Safety Before and During LSM
Unvaccinated individuals will be required to take a COVID-19 test within 7 days of arrival on campus. If a student does not have access to a test before arrival, please contact LSM to discuss accommodations.
Brief daily wellness checks will be conducted by the entire community to identify any symptoms of illness.
Valparaiso University will provide COVID-19 testing resources as needed should symptoms or suspected exposure occur.
Masks
Updated June 9 2021 in alignment with recent adjustments to Valparaiso University policy
Masks are required indoors, but will be optional for those who are vaccinated when:
In lessons, a studio, or a practice room
In chamber music rehearsals or classes
In a residence hall
When performing/leading worship
LSM will provide instrument-friendly masks and bell covers for wind players, as well as masks specifically for singers. If you would like to know more about mask use and instrument covers, feel free to view this webinar hosted by our Band Director, Dr. Jeff Doebler!
Masks remain required outdoors on campus for unvaccinated individuals, but are optional outdoors for vaccinated individuals.
LSM employs a full time Health Counselor who will guide our wellness checks, administer all student medications, and act as a resource to students at all times. The Health Counselor will serve as a liaison for families with any concerns about their student’s health and wellness during LSM.
These protocols will be followed by all student and adult LSM community members.
Each LSM Community member will be required to abide by a Community Covenant to commit to our care for ourselves and one another.
Program and Residency Modifications
Student enrollment will be limited to 100 total students to allow appropriate boundaries and abide by capacity requirements at Valparaiso University.
Student dorm rooms will be single occupancy.
Covered outdoor spaces will be the primary location for rehearsals, worship services, and student activities. Large, well-ventilated indoor spaces will also be used. Physical distancing will be maintained in every rehearsal space.
For all musical activities, indoor or outdoor, current best practices in music instruction and performance will be followed including distancing, shortened rehearsal intervals, and time for aerosols to clear.
Dining spaces will be available both indoors and outdoors, with seating clearly marked at a lower capacity per table.
Any shared equipment, such as pianos or music stands, will be sanitized between uses.
Closed Campus Policy
Once students arrive on campus, they will remain within our community for the duration of LSM. The only exception is for medical emergencies that require a visit to the clinic or hospital.
Current policies at Valparaiso University limit indoor gatherings to 50 people and outdoor gatherings to 150 people. Due to the size of our on-campus community, no guests or audiences will be permitted on campus during LSM*. Each performance will either be recorded in advance and premiered for our nationwide audience or livestreamed to watch in real time and archived for later viewing and posterity.
Families dropping off and picking up their students from LSM on June 27, July 11, and July 25 are the exceptions to this regulation*
Remember Well the Future: Preparing a New Generation of Church Musicians
LSM extends our deep gratitude to the five panelists and two moderators of the April 19th panel discussion Remember Well the Future: Preparing a New Generation of Church Musicians. The panelists are in different phases of their careers and occupy a variety of areas in Church Music, with the common thread of having honed their skills at LSM.
This engaging and insightful discussion helps us understand the hopes, challenges, motivations, and practices of these bright young Church Musicians and how the Church can foster the gifts of upcoming leaders.
Watch the recording of the panel discussion below!
If this discussion illuminated for you the bright future of Church Music, consider making a gift to the Dr. Carl Schalk Scholarship Fund to help young musicians like these grow their gifts at LSM for years to come!
Be a part of LSM's Easter Greeting!
Dear LSM community!
Even though we’re still in the season of Lent, many of us eagerly anticipate Easter. Musicians are practicing, fields and gardens are being readied, and many of us are beginning to see and feel “new life” after long, difficult months.
We’ve begun work on a celebratory Easter greeting on behalf of our entire community, and we’d like your help! Here’s what you can do:
First, record a quick Easter greeting on your phone or tablet: it will only take a few seconds!
You can exclaim something like: “Alleluia, Christ is risen!” or just an “Alleluia!” or three.
You can ring bells, include your family members and pets
Be creative and have fun!
Then, send your brief video to: cwilson@lutheransummermusic.org by Monday, March 29 along with (1) your name, (2) location, and (3) years you attended LSM. For example:
Jamie S. Bach
Germantown, PA
LSM 2003-2004
We’ll use these to compile a joyful video greeting from our community of students, alumni, staff, faculty, and friends that will premiere on Easter Sunday along with a special musical offering, and be available for you to share!
Announcing LSM Remote Session 2021!
LSM Remote Session 2021
LSM is thrilled to announce a fully online Remote Session for the summer of 2021! While the flagship in-person program is still currently being planned with appropriate modifications*, the Remote Session provides an opportunity for students and families who are unable to travel to campus this summer due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Following the success of LSM's first online programs, the LSM Winter Session and LSM Conducting Institute, we are excited to provide the most comprehensive and engaging program yet this summer.
What the LSM Remote Session involves
Students enrolled in the Remote Session will take advantage of all the excellent musical instruction and enrichment that LSM has to offer, including a minimum of eight private lessons, performance opportunities, topics in worship, and exclusive elective sessions designed specifically for those learning from home. All you need is a reliable internet connection!
This program will be offered at the significantly discounted rate of $745 for four weeks of instruction, June 27-July 25.
View full details and learn how to enroll at: www.lsmacademy.org/remote-session.
What are people saying about LSM Online programs?
“We have attended other online camps and this one is by far the very best one…[it is]organized with lots of opportunities for learning in many different areas of music and great teachers”
-LSM Winter Session Parent
“Thank you all SO MUCH for putting this all together, being a first-time attendee, I loved it!”
-LSM Winter Session Student
Pictured: Conducting lesson on Zoom
*LSM 2021 at Valparaiso University
The health and safety of the entire LSM community is our number one priority as we plan for LSM 2021. We are continuing to monitor the COVID-19 situation closely to make informed choices regarding the in-person summer program for the health and safety of our community. LSM is working with our host campus, Valparaiso University, as well as taking into account local and state health guidelines and industry best practices to develop procedures and protocols to create a safe environment.
On the lives of Scott C. Weidler and Carl F. Schalk
In Sure and Certain Hope of the Resurrection
Scott C. Weidler and Carl F. Schalk
Conversion of Paul
25 January 2021
By Chad Fothergill, LSM Cantor
“One generation shall praise your works to another …”
—Psalm 145:4
The story of the cantor, or church musician, could be told adequately enough through simple surveys of musical activities—of compositions, technical proficiencies, of particular responsibilities in a congregation or community. But seldom does such objective reporting capture the significance of a deeper story, the long-lasting “people work” of those called to equip, nurture, and lead the song of the church. The Israelite cantors who led psalms in the temple sang of “teaching” and “telling” across time and place—their hearts, hands, and voices attuned to the wisdom of generations past, the needs of the present, and the hope of what is yet to be. And so it could be said that a more faithful story of the cantor embraces those teachers and mentors—gifted musicians in their own right—whose sense of vocation was deeply attuned to this “people work” in ways that transcend time and place.
Carl F. Schalk (26 September 1929 + 24 January 2021) and Scott C. Weidler (21 June 1959 + 23 January 2021) were two such cantors. Among those who mourn their deaths are not only family members, friends, students, and colleagues who served with them, but also the generations of church musicians formed by their model and example as transmitted in compositions, hymnals, rehearsals, lectures, casual conversation, clever and witty repartee, and a trove of printed resources.
Not only did Carl and Scott serve as model cantors and teachers from their respective positions in the Chicago area (Carl as faculty member at Concordia University Chicago and Scott as Program Director for Worship and Music at the ELCA churchwide offices), but both were actively involved in numerous organizations that enriched the scholarly, practical, and pedagogical dimensions of the cantor’s craft and life of the church. Few can attend events of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians; The Hymn Society; the Institute of Liturgical Studies; the Lutheran Summer Music Academy and Festival; Music that Makes Community; or the North American Academy of Liturgy without recognizing the influence of Scott or Carl, or both.
Born and raised in the Los Angeles area, Scott completed degrees in elementary education from Concordia University, Nebraska; in sacred music from Wittenberg University; and in liturgy from the University of Notre Dame. He served several congregations as cantor including Good Shepherd Lutheran (Lancaster, PA) and Immanuel Lutheran (Chicago), and was an integral part of the Leadership Program for Musicians, a partnership between The Episcopal Church and the ELCA.
Scott was also a familiar presence during the early years of the Lutheran Summer Music Academy and Festival. Between 1984 and 1995, he served as counselor, assistant summer program director, summer program director, and was one of the featured organists for the 1988 hymn festival.
At the Institute of Liturgical studies, Scott recently served as musician (2008, 2014), workshop leader (2011, 2014), and seminar leader (2012). His involvement in the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians included presentations at national and regional conferences, assembling choirs for worship, and planning and developing resources for programs such as “The Church’s Journey in Art and Song,” which was presented at the combined ALCM biennial conference and ELCA worship jubilee held in Atlanta in 2015. He also contributed several articles to CrossAccent since the journal’s founding in 1993. Worship leaders currently planning Holy Week liturgies would do well to consult his “The Three Days: Singing Salvation History” in the journal’s summer 2014 issue.
Scott’s tenure as Program Director for Worship and Music for the ELCA was not only integral for the Renewing Worship project and subsequent development of Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), but also for helping shape and bring to fruition the growing family of publications that now surround and enrich this “core” resource, including Musicians Guide to Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2007); Worship Guidebook for Lent and the Three Days (2009); the Music Sourcebook series; In These or Similar Words: Crafting Language for Worship (2015); and Singing in Community: Paperless Music for Worship (2017). In addition to these resources, Scott was also attentive to the needs of smaller parish choirs, and commissioned O Lord of Light: Nine Two-Part Mixed Anthems for the Church Year (2013) which, in his words, were fashioned for “those times we regularly need either learn something very quickly” or “sing with limited forces because of holiday schedules.”
Carl grew up in Des Plaines, IL, and attended Concordia High School on the campus of Concordia Teachers College in River Forest, now Concordia University Chicago, where he subsequently enrolled as an undergraduate. After graduating in 1952 with a degree in education, he served Zion Lutheran Church and School (Wausau, WI) as a fifth- and sixth-grade teacher and director of the congregation’s musical ensembles. In 1958, he completed a graduate degree in music at the Eastman School of Music and took up residence in St. Louis as musical director for radio broadcasts of “The Lutheran Hour.” During this time, he also completed a Master of Arts in Religion at Concordia Seminary (St. Louis). In 1965, Carl returned to Concordia in River Forest as assistant professor of music where he established the annual Lectures in Church Music conference, the Master of Church Music program, and the journal Church Music. He helped develop Worship Supplement (1969) and, as a member of the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship, was instrumental in the preparation of Lutheran Book of Worship (1978). Though he retired from Concordia in 1994, he continued to maintain a robust schedule of presentations, writing, and composing.
With Carlos Messerli, Carl was instrumental in establishing the Lutheran Music Program, the parent organization of the Lutheran Summer Music Academy and Festival. He was a driving force behind components of the curriculum that remain essential today such as student participation in smaller chamber music ensembles—or, as they are affectionately known by LSM alumni, “smembles”! During the summer of 2009, the Lutheran Summer Music community was introduced to Carl’s settings of Luther’s morning and evening prayers: each summer since, Luther’s Morning Prayer has gathered the community each day in song. Returning students sing it from memory, and a virtual choir recording made in June 2020 has been viewed some 70,000 times.
Schalk was also a familiar face at the Institute of Liturgical Studies and was recipient of its 2014 Christus Rex award for significant contributions to Lutheran liturgical scholarship and renewal. More recently, in 2017, he led an Institute seminar on the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. Like Scott, Carl was also a charter member of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians and was a frequent contributor to its publications, a small fraction of his prolific output. In Thine the Amen: Essays on Lutheran Church Music in Honor of Carl Schalk (2005), a list of his writings—books, articles, editorials, forewords, reviews—and compositions spans 40 pages. In the fifteen years since its publication, that list as grown to include such resources as a sixteenth-century Lutheran choral anthology (2010); numerous articles and compositions; small and large Catechisms on church music in the Lutheran Tradition (2017); and Singing the Faith: A Short Introduction to Christian Hymnody (2020).
Though their lives and vocations might be told from contrasting denominational or stylistic perspectives, both Carl and Scott were attuned to the wider concerns of the church and its worship—both pan-Lutheran and ecumenical. Their training as music educators and work with children enabled them, as cantors, to attend to the needs of all God’s people along their baptismal journeys, indeed from generation to generation.
Though these words are far too short and inadequate for them, the numerous tributes and memories shared across social media reveal a more important lesson: Scott and Carl practiced what they preached—a deep abiding love for the Word proclaimed in the church’s liturgy and song, and an even greater love for all God’s children who sing it.
And so we pray:
God, our shepherd, you gather the lambs of your flock into the arms of your mercy and bring them home. Comfort us with the certain hope of the resurrection to everlasting life and a joyful reunion with those we love who have died in the faith; through Jesus Christ, your son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
And so we sing:
The love that we have always known, our constant joy and endless light,
Now to the loveless world be shown, now break upon its deathly night.
Into one song compress the love that rules our universe above:
Sing love, sing love, sing God is love, sing love, sing God is love!
—Jaroslav J. Vajda, “Before the Marvel of this Night” (Music, MARVEL: Carl F. Schalk. Text and music © 1982 Augsburg Publishing House.)
LSM 2021 Update
Planning for a safe LSM 2021
The health and safety of the entire LSM community is our number one priority as we plan for LSM 2021. LSM is working with our host campus, Valparaiso University, as well as taking into account local and state health guidelines and industry best practices to develop procedures and protocols to create a safe environment. As we plan for a return to an in-person LSM this summer, we do anticipate implementing modifications, which may include:
· Increased use of outdoor spaces for rehearsals and events
· Limited concert attendance and increased livestream capacity
· Changes to rehearsal and teaching facilities
· Limits to guests on campus
We have also modified our refund policy in order to keep the LSM application process risk-free during the 2020-2021 year. A 100% refund will be provided for families who withdraw from enrollment for any reason prior to April 1, 2021. In the event that LSM 2021 is canceled or moves to a virtual model, a full refund will be offered as one of a handful of options.
We remain committed to serving young musicians by providing high quality musical instruction, enriching worship experiences, and opportunities to build community with one another.