Music Ministry Notes
The regular column from Beth Syverson, OCUUC’s Director of Music Ministries.
April Music Ministry Notes
Open Mic Night, put on by OCUUC’s Music Committee, was held last Saturday, March 26. It was by far the best attended Open Mic Night in recent history, and we had over 20 acts! Thanks to Amy Tompkins who organized the whole event and who gathered the wonderful roster of performers.
Here are some photos from the evening:
And don’t miss our next special event – emma’s revolution will be performing at OCUUC Saturday, April 2 at 7:30pm. This is a fundraiser for the church, plus an opportunity to hear great music from a social activist musical duo. Thanks in advance to the Concert Series Committee, co-chaired by Barbara Schilling and Kathleen McFarlin, and to all the volunteers who produced this concert. It takes many hands and minds to create a big event like this!
Looking ahead, the choir’s spring choir concert will be Saturday, June 4, 7:30pm. Their event will be entitled “Gender Twists” and will feature an oratorio called “Boys and Girls and their Stories.” Another event you don’t want to miss!!
Beth Syverson
Director of Music Ministries
MusicDirector
ocuuc
org (MusicDirectorocuucorg)
March Music Ministry Notes
I was so very grateful for the Shining Star Award the congregation gave me in February. What a surprise! You are all unique treasures and I love creating a music ministry for you every week.
Open Mic Night is an annual tradition. This year it will be on Saturday night, March 26. It’s an opportunity for EVERYONE to perform in a fun and relaxed atmosphere. In the past we’ve had poetry readings, skits, vocal solos, Boomwhacker ensembles, dancing dogs, hose horn, and cross-dressing. I am always looking for more children and youth to perform, so invite your family members participate, or better yet, perform an act as a family! This event is a fun-draiser for the Music Committee, so please come out to support the event, even if just as an audience member.
And emma’s revolution will be here in concert in less than a month – on Saturday, April 2, 7:30pm. Bring the family for this event, too! Last year we brought my son Joey (at age 6) to hear their concert in Fullerton, and he LOVED it – and sat still for the whole thing. (Those who know Joey know what a major feat that is!) He also begged for a “Peace, Salaam, Shalom” t-shirt, which he proudly wears to school. Kids 12 and under are free! Check out their website at www.emmasrevolution.com to hear their music, see their videos, and read their newsletter. They sing out loudly for peace, justice, and equal rights. You’ll love them! Tickets will be available on the patio on Sundays starting March 13, but you can always purchase tickets online through BrownPaperTickets.
And Orange Coast Choir has been invited to sing in an Interfaith Choir Festival on Sunday, April 3 at 4pm at Good Shepherd Lutheran, 7082 Crescent Ave., Buena Park. We will be the only non-Christian church represented, and there will be choirs from AME, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Episcopal church, plus a Swahili Choir from San Diego. Please come support the choir and enjoy a great variety of wonderful sacred music.
Musically Yours,
Beth Syverson, Director of Music Ministries
February Music Ministry Notes
On the Sunday that we celebrated the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. the choir + a few young singers presented “What Can One Little Person Do?” A big shout-out to the 4 kids who sang solo verses – Alexandra, Emma, Cole, and Ellie. Did you know OCUUC made a CD with that song and many others on it, including “Spirit of Life,” “How Could Anyone,” and “Meditation on Breathing”? About 12 kids and adults recorded the CD in 2008, It’s a wonderful resource for RE teachers, parents, and folks who like to take our UU music home with them. Here’s the link to iTunes where you can download one song or the whole album: and here’s the link to purchase it on Amazon:
Do you have Saturday, April 2 marked on your calendar? The touring duo emma’s revolution will be in concert at OCUUC that night. Please don’t miss it! They are activists for peace, LGBT rights, human rights, and environmental rights. Here’s a link to their website where you can listen to excerpts of their songs, several of which I know you will recognize: http://www.emmasrevolution.com/listen/album/wecametosing/
And a warm welcome to Hannah Kim, our wonderful new choir pianist. Please introduce yourself to her next time the next Sunday she plays for the choir.
Musically yours,
Beth Syverson
Director of Music Ministries
January Music Ministry Notes
On April 2 at 7:30pm, Orange Coast Concerts will present emma’s revolution in a concert at OCUUC. Orange Coast Concerts is a program of OCUUC, headed up by a committee of 6-7 OCUUC members. The mission of Orange Coast Concerts is to (a) raise funds for the church, (2) present unique live musical experiences for Orange County audience members and (3) act as a community-building event for OCUUC.
emma’s revolution is the duo of award-winning, activist musicians and life partners Pat Humphries & Sandy O. In the spirit of Emma Goldman’s famous attribution, “If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be part of your revolution”, emma’s revolution brings their uprising of truth, hope and a dash of healthy irreverence to concerts and peace & justice events across the US (including Camp Casey with Cindy Sheehan and the School of the Americas Watch at Fort Benning, GA). They have performed by invitation at the World Culture Open in Seoul, Korea, the Scottish Parliament’s Festival of Politics, Palestine & Israel, and, in December 2007, in Santiago, Chile with Holly Near.
Here’s a tongue-in-cheek video that emma’s revolution recently produced called “Taxed Enough Already?”.
I’m letting you know this far in advance so you can put this concert on your calendar and so you can think of people you might want to bring along with you. We really need the support of the whole congregation to pull this off. The concert committee is debating whether or not to continue the series next year, so if you (the congregation) want to continue the series, please support this concert!
Concert tickets will be available on Sunday mornings starting in February, and they’re available anytime online.
Musically Yours,
Beth Syverson
December Music Ministry Notes
In this month’s article, I want to give my appreciation and recognition to the instrumentalists who have provided special music in our services this year — accompanying our choirs, providing solos and duets during the services, playing with congregational songs, and participating in special services like the interfaith Thanksgiving service and Winter Solstice.
- Brad Van Wick (staff), pianist
- Susan Shaw, guitarist
- Ben Pruess, drummer
- Barbara Schilling, harpist
- Michael Straw, flutist
- Amelia Russo-Neustadt, oboist
- Aaron Neustadt, pianist
- Summer Albayati, drummer
We are very lucky that these Members and Friends gift us with their talents. Their playing enriches and enlivens our music ministries. Next time one of our own instrumentalists shares their music with us, won’t you please give them a special thank you? And you can also express your thanks right here at the bottom of this article by submitting a Comment.
With gratitude,
Beth Syverson
Director of Music Ministries
Beth Syverson
phone: 714-376-6666
www.BethMusic.net
November Music Ministry Notes
What’s the whole point of instrumental music in worship anyway? It’s easy to understand the purpose of choral music or congregational singing, since there is a text that can be taken in, understood, and contemplated throughout the service and beyond. But what about plain instrumental music? My philosophy about it is evident in my music ministry mission statement. One part of my mission statement is: “I view my job as touching that oft-neglected emotional and spiritual place through music.” Music can reach places in our hearts that spoken words cannot. To some people, word-less music is an uncomfortable, irrelevant, or boring part of the service. I often hear lots of papers shuffling, whispering, talking, or movement during the instrumental selections.
Let’s all try to view the instrumental music in the service as our gateway to our heart/soul/understanding/love — whatever word fits one’s theology the best. Let our thinking minds rest, let go of analysis and evaluation, and enter a peaceful place for those few minutes of music.
If it’s too awkward or uncomfortable for you to “go inside” during instrumental music, then please just remain quietly still so others who wish to can meditate, pray, or let the music touch their heart. We are in this communal worship thing together, folks. Lets all try to make our hour together as meaningful a time as possible.
Please post a comment to this blog if you have an opinion about instrumental music in our worship services. I’d love to hear your own personal experience “from the pew” — or from the cushioned chairs in our case.
May music often touch the inner core of your being and bring your peace and joy.
Your Director of Music Ministries,
Beth Syverson
October Music Ministry Notes
If you missed it in the UU World magazine, here is an excellent article about the role of the choir in our UU congregations. http://www.uuworld.org/life/articles/170685.shtml Several of my UU Musicians Network colleagues are featured in this article, and I heartily agree with their sentiments. Our Orange Coast Choir (the adult choir that sings most Sundays) is so much more than a performing group. We are the biggest “covenant group” in the church, supporting each other and other church friends with healing thoughts, a listening ear, and sometimes even a song! Next week several of us are taking a whole day, traveling 4+ hours each way to sing for a friend who is transitioning to the end of her life. The commitment that is built through singing together is a bond unlike any other. Being a part of a larger whole, creating art with friends, supporting each other through joyful and challenging times, and doing the tedious work together of learning a piece of music each week — all these create a uniquely choir-ish experience.
If you’d like to experience this wonderful choral bond, you’re welcome to come try the Thursday night choir. And the Halloween service will feature KALEIDOSCOPE SINGERS, our low–time-commitment, easy choir for those who don’t have time for a regular Thursday commitment. Kaleidoscope Singers will sing in the intergenerational service on October 31, and we’ll rehearse between services on October 17, 24, and 31. Come join the magic that is choir!
Contact me anytime at musicdirectorocuucorg (musicdirectorocuucorg) if you have questions about Orange Coast Choir or Kaleidoscope Singers.
Your Director of Music Ministries,
Beth Syverson
September Music Ministry Notes
This morning I did a big experiment with the music — we sang all the songs in Spanish. Several factors combined to make this the right time to do this I experiment:
- In July, I received a copy of the new Spanish-language hymnal supplement Las Voces del Camino that the UUA just published. There are some really wonderful new songs in that book, along with translations of songs we already know from our other two hymnals. As soon as I browsed through it, I knew I wanted to try some songs out at church.
- Karen’s sermon this Sunday was about her experience at the Standing on the Side of Love rally in Phoenix last month, protesting Arizona Senate Bill 1070, which targets Mexican immigrants in their unfair “show your papers” law.
- I thought it would be interesting to let our congregation, which includes very few people who are fluent in Spanish, feel what it’s like to be the non-dominant culture – at least for an hour. By using an unfamiliar language for our songs, we felt what it’s like to be a little lost, a little confused, a little uncomfortable.
By talking to several folks after the service, it seems we hit the mark on making people feel uncomfortable by using the non-dominant language. Luckily, no one was angry that I made them feel uncomfortable, but they appreciated the experience and have a new understanding of what it’s like for the many people who aren’t fluent in our dominant language.
One interesting observation — the congregation actually sang LOUDER in Spanish than in English. I surmised that because they had to concentrate so hard to sing in Spanish, they were more engaged in their singing and belted it out more. A nice side effect!
I very well may bring back a song or two from the new Spanish songbook occasionally, just to keep things fresh and to add that bit of challenge to our singing.
If any of you are interested in purchasing your own copy of the songbook Las Voces del Camino, you can order it on Sunday morning from our own church bookstore. Or you can order directly from the UUA Bookstore for $18 here.
And if you were at the service on August 29, 2010, I’m very open to hearing your thoughts and feelings about singing and listening to all the songs in Spanish.
Musically yours,
Beth Syverson
UU Musicians Network Conference in Madison, WI, July 14-18
I am lucky that the church supports me attending the annual UU Musicians Network (UUMN) conference every July. This year the conference was held in Madison, WI, at the First Unitarian Society (the Frank Lloyd Wright/new Gold LEED Certified building). I stayed with Richard and Lynn Scoby (OCUUC folks who transplanted to Madison a few years ago) and enjoyed their company, their beautiful home and HUGE property, and their tireless efforts as conference volunteers.
I was involved in several ways at this conference. I mentored another local music director, Rebecca Berland from the Anaheim church, and introduced her to all the people I know. At the first workshop, I led a session called “New to UU / New to UUMN” with a few of the other recently-credentialed Music Leaders. I organized and hosted two noontime recitals, at which many talented UUMN members performed a wide variety of music. All the past, current, and brand new credentialing candidates dined together at an Italian restaurant. There are now about 20 of us — 7 in the first class (mine), 2 in the second class which just graduated, 4 in the next class, and 6 in the brand new class. We had a rollicking time at the restaurant, and the kitchen help all came out when we started singing a silly song together. We sang the same song in the variety show that night.
I was one of the conductors in a master class taught by our choral clinician Stephan Alltop, whom we all LOVED. He was very helpful to me, though it was a bit intimidating conducting in front of him AND 50 of my colleagues!
In addition to all these responsibilities, I also enjoyed our choral reading sessions, where we sightread about 50 new pieces of choral music together as a group (250 conference attendees). We also prepared 4 songs for the Sunday morning service, led by Stephen Alltop. Wouldn’t it be great to have a 250-member choir sing at our church service someday?? Singing in this group is always one of the highlights of the conferences for me. I love being enveloped in sound and performing at a high level with other music directors.
I attended some wonderful concerts. One was a new large work about liberal religion by Elizabeth Alexander called “Go Out!,” the centerpiece of which is a song about John Murray — “Give them not Hell, but hope and courage.” Then I went to a lecture/performance by Fred Onovwerosuoke, an expert in African music. And Saturday night was a lovely evening of Kirtan music (meditative, repetitive, call-and-response music from the Hindu tradition), which put me in a blissful state of mind and heart.
In between all that, I enjoyed socializing (Should I call it networking? No, it was socializing) with the wonderful musicians I’ve met from all over the continent through attending these conferences for the last 6 years. We see each other just once a year, but we instantly connect again like we’ve never been away. People who share the same type of job in a UU church have lots of things in common, I suppose.
This was the best of the 6 conferences I’ve been to (and that’s not just because I’m on the national conference planning committee that organized this one!) Thank you very much for supporting this avenue of professional growth for me! I hope you can see by this list of activities that I brought back lots of new information and inspiration to OCUUC!
Musically yours,
Beth
Beth at General Assembly
As many of you know, last week I participated in General Assembly (the UUA’s national conference) in Minneapolis. I was the music director for a worship service in front of 2,000+ people. I chose the music, directed the choir, led the congregational songs with a rhythm section, and played the piano on a few pieces. The choir was made up of about 50 ministers from around the country who join together each year to sing at this service.
I wanted to share the video from the event in case you missed the live streaming –
http://uua.org/events/generalassembly/2010/ga2010/165854.shtml
So you don’t have to watch the whole thing (including several lists of many names), here are the times in the video where the music occurs:
- Directing choir — “Lift Your Voice” by Jason Shelton – 9:20
- Directing choir — “boundless joy” by Catherine Dalton — 18:20 (this piece reflects upon the listing of those who’ve died this past year and a moment of silence)
- Directing choir – ”Now is the Time” by Jason Shelton — 27:30
- Playing piano “Suite for Piano” (Courante and Gavotte) by Clif Hardin — 57:30 (this was the Offertory – that’s why it was so long!)
- Playing piano “Rank by Rank” as the processional — 2:30
Enjoy!
Musically yours,
Beth Syverson
Director of Music Ministries
(949) 829-1752
musicdirectorocuucorg (musicdirectorocuucorg)
http://ocuuc.org/ministries/music/
