OH, SING TO THE LORD A NEW SONG! SING TO THE LORD ALL THE EARTH PSALM 96:1
St Nicholas Catholic Church in Laguna Woods was the scene of the fourth annual celebration of music offered in thanksgiving for the friendship shared and for the faith-filled ministry to the people of God. The St Nicholas Catholic Church Parish hosted the event featuring Choirs and Cantors from six Laguna Woods congregations: Laguna Country Methodist Church, Temple Judea, Geneva Presbyterian Church, The Lutheran Church of the Cross, The Laguna Hills Korean United Methodist Church, and The St Nicholas Catholic Church.
The church was filled to standing room only and the program began with a welcome by Emett Loera, Director of Music Ministry at St. Nicholas Parish. The Plaza String Quartet opened the program with the “Brandenburg Concerto No 3, 1st movement by J.S. Bach. It was followed by the combined choirs and guests singing, “Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee” “The Hymn of Joy” is a poem written by Henry van Dyke in 1907 with the intention of musically setting it to the famous “Ode to Joy” melody of the final movement of Ludwig Van Beethoven’s final symphony, Symphony No. 9.
First to perform in the program was Cantor Josef Chazan of Temple Judea singing “Velirushalaim Ircha” / “Jerusalem, Your City.” A Hebrew folk song praising the Lord with “Blessed Are You, Oh God, Rebuilder of Jerusalem.” Cantor Chazan was followed by Temple Judea Cantorial Soloist Susan Miller Kotses singing “L’Dor Va Dor” (Meir Finkelstein) “We are gifts and we are blessings, we are history in song. We are hope and we are healing, we are learning to be strong. We are words and we are stories, we are pictures of the past. We are carriers of wisdom, not the first and not the last.”
Next on the program was the Laguna Country Methodist Church Chancel Choir, under the direction of Richard Warne, Director of Music, The Choir performed two pieces “One Day” (Chapman/Drennan) and “We Are the Church” (Besig). Written for the 30th anniversary of Kent Island United Methodist Church in Chester, Maryland, Don Besig and Nancy Price have once again penned an outstanding choral composition which emphasizes that the Church is made up of the people in it. Let this fellowship which unites us be a gift for all to share.
The Geneva Presbyterian Church Chancel Choir under the direction of Eileen O’Hern, accompanist Charlotte Hsieh, performed the beautiful “Spiritus Sanctus” (Thomas Grassi) …an ethereal setting of a devout traditional Puritan prayer followed by the spirited “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel?” (Arranged by Moses Hogan) The spiritual draws directly from the biblical story of Daniel to explore and explain the changing historical circumstances of African Americans. Embedded in the lyrics is a commitment to trust in God and the expansive reach of righteousness.
The Lutheran Church of the Cross Chancel Choir, directed and accompanied by Pauline Lamoureux, performed “We need You Lord” (Mary McDonald), a fervent musical prayer that sets the tone for a meaningful worship experience. The lyrics plea for God to be present in our midst and to change our lives through the power of the Holy Spirit. Next the choir sang “Psalm 23” (Heather Sorenson) The often-set Psalm has found new purpose in this shining setting. Each phrase of the celebrated scripture receives a special moment with the words being cradled in caring arms.
St Nicholas Catholic Church, hosting the event, presented two choirs. First was the St Nicholas Parish Choir under the direction of Emett Loera, Director of Music Ministry, accompanied by Juanita Tsu and the Plaza Strings. The choir performed “Sing Unto God” (G.F. Handel). One of Handel’s most famous oratorios, a jubilant chorus from “Judas Maccabaeus.” Next, the choir sang “The Work of Christmas” (Dan Forrest), a setting of a poem by Howard Thurman, presented in an extremely delicate and light benediction for a cappella choir, and a truly captivating moment in song.
The St Nicholas Chorale under the direction of Mary Ester Blakley, accompanied by Emett Loera and the Plaza Strings, performed “The King of Love My Shepherd Is.” (Mack Wilberg), A gentle arrangement of the well-known Irish tune and Henry Baker text in which solo lines and expressive harmonies combine to create a delicate and very lovely setting. The Chorale next sang “I Choose You” (Deborah Governor). The words are spoken by the heavenly Father in this emotive original anthem of comfort and steadfast love.
The final Choir to perform was the Laguna Hills Korean United Methodist Church choir under the direction of Helen Chon, Conductor…En A Kim, accompanist. This wonderful choir held the audience spellbound as they performed “A Psalm of Assurance” (Eugene Butler), a rhythmic setting of Psalm 20. Their second piece was a rhythmic rendition of “Blessed Is My Soul” (J.H> Han).
The program closed with the combined choirs and guests joining once again in singing a rousing rendition of “When in Our Music God is Glorified.” by Charles Villiers Stanford. “When in Our Music” is said to be the only hymn text in Christendom that explains the reasons for church music while simultaneously offering “alleluias” to God. The various stanzas deal with our humility in performance, the aesthetics of musical worship, and the history of church music. The final two stanzas present a biblical model and quote Psalm 150. The song ended to a thunderous applause from all in attendance. A reception in the Church’s Sporrer Hall followed the program. It was a fitting ending to the wonderful afternoon as performers and guests representing the sharing religions enjoyed their friendship and commonness in their music and love of God.
Photos Credit: Jeanette DiAnda
Andy Costello
St Nicholas Church Publicity
