Synod Musicians Attend 30th Annual Lutheran Summer Music Academy and Festival

The 30th Annual Lutheran Summer Music Academy (LSM) took place at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, from June 26 to July 24, 2011. Rosie Linsner and Alma Neuhaus of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, MN; Sylvia Kaare of Peace Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bloomington, MN; Leah DeSchepper of St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Bloomington, MN; and Nicoletta Pignatello of University Lutheran Church of Hope in Minneapolis, MN were five of 151 students accepted into the program. LSM is the pinnacle program of Lutheran Music Program and is one of the nation’s premier music training programs for young people. The program’s mission is to transform lives and connect people through faith and music. LSM fosters musical excellence and spiritual growth in a caring community for high school band, orchestra, choir, piano, and pipe organ students from all faith backgrounds.

Students at LSM were immersed in:

Music Instruction — Led by our faculty of 34 educators, esteemed professional musicians and teachers from across the country, students received two private lessons each week, played in both large and small ensembles, and were placed in a musicianship class led by LSM’s composer-in-residence. Students were also given elective options such as conducting, church music, handbells, and more. The LSM Concert & Recital Series featured more than 50 events, including performances by faculty, students, and guest artists.

Worship and Devotions — LSM’s 2011 Chaplain, Rev. Wayne Weissenbuehler, led students in liturgically-rich worship twice daily and devotional study weekly. Evening Prayer, and Holden Evening Prayer settings were used centrally. Worship during the month also included a Hymn Festival and Bach Cantata.

LSM also utilizes a commissioned musical arrangement of Martin Luther’s Morning Prayer by Carl Schalk. Written expressly for LSM and introduced in 2009, this piece is sung by the entire community each morning and is already a beloved tradition. LSM culminated in Festival Week, the final week of the program which included the hymn festival, student solo and chamber recitals, and evening concerts by the band, choir, and orchestra. More than 3,000 people were in attendance.
 
Lutheran Music Program’s national offices are located in Minneapolis, MN, and LSM itself rotates its location among various Lutheran colleges. Since its founding in 1981, more than 3,000 students have attended Lutheran Summer Music. Hundreds of these alumni have pursued careers in music education, church music, and performance. LSM 2012 will mark the program’s 31st anniversary and will be held June 24 to July 22 at Luther College.

More than 90 congregations are now members of the Young Musicians Partnership (YMP), a program that encourages churches to set up local scholarships for youth interested in attending Lutheran Summer Music. In return, students in “partner” congregations receive a 10% LSM discount plus matching dollars from LSM for the locally-seeded scholarship. In the YMP’s fourth year, 46% of the students who attended LSM 2011 came from partner congregations, including Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Peace Evangelical Lutheran Church, St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, and University Lutheran Church of Hope. To enroll in the Young Musicians Partnership or for more information on Lutheran Summer Music, please visit www.lutheransummermusic.org or contact Director of Admissions Sue Olstad at 888-635-6583 or solstad@lutheransummermusic.org.

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Here, kids take part in a new elective, Intro to Pipe Organ, lead by Catherine Rodland, The Regina Holmen Fryxell and Patricia Schad Leege Chapel Organist.