‘An Evening of Music with the School of Church Music and Worship’ released

The School of Church Music and Worship at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary has released a video concert featuring special performances from its students at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels. The program is now available for viewing on the seminary’s YouTube page and highlights much of the students’ musical accomplishments from the past year.

An Evening of Music with the School of Church Music and Worship delivered 47 minutes of diverse musical talent from student performers and was filmed on campus this spring in Reynolds Auditorium, Truett Auditorium, and the Riley Center.

“One of the most important aspects of music school life in a context like ours is to provide students with opportunities to share their gifts with others to glorify God,” says Joseph R. Crider, dean of the School of Church Music and Worship. “So, we wanted to give our students an opportunity to play and sing and point others to Christ.”

The video concert opened with greetings from Crider who invited viewers to enjoy the musical variety and talent of the school’s students.

“May the songs that you are about to hear foster in your heart joy for a loving God that gave us the gift of music to express our love to Him,” Crider said in the video. “And as you see and as you hear the students that God has brought to us from all over the world, may this video concert ignite a sense of hope in you for the future.”

The concert’s first performance of “Great is Thy Faithfulness” came from the new vocal ensemble Southwestern A Capella, led by Chuck T. Lewis, associate dean of the school. Lewis says each performance from every musical style serves to “highlight the very best in Christ-honoring musical excellence and artistry.”

“As I watched our students make these recordings, what was most encouraging to me was our students’ desire to point to Christ as they offered their musical gifts back to Him as a living sacrifice,” Lewis says. 

Crider says the Music School’s primary areas of instruction in the performance and pedagogy degrees are in piano, voice, and guitar. The video concert highlights such skills, including two performances on piano and two performances on guitar.

The Southwestern Singers were another featured choral ensemble, performing “The One Hundred Fiftieth Psalm” and “Bright Morning Stars.” Associate Professor of Voice Ben Caston has led the group for six years and says the concert provided students an opportunity to fully display their skills after a year which otherwise limited their ability to share with an audience.

“The Southwestern Singers are passionate about singing their faith skillfully while encouraging others to grow in their relationship with Jesus,” Caston says.

This performance featured Luke Hannah, a Master of Music Student from Richland, Miss., who later delivered a solo vocal performance

“Being a part of An Evening of Music was an honor and a privilege,” Hannah says. “After the many changes in performance opportunities this past year due to the pandemic, this video concert brought a sense of community and collaboration among my colleagues.”

The video concert concluded with a feature of the Texas Baptist College Band and Cowden Hall Band with two new arrangements of “Blessed Assurance, Jesus Is Mine,” and “Lead On, O King Eternal,” which has served as the official hymn of Southwestern Seminary for more than 40 years.

DVD copies of the program will be mailed soon to the seminary’s ministry partners, friends, and others.