Sightings & Soundings • March 2023

An Expanding Field of Vision

Eagle vision! I can still hear one of my most influential musicianship teachers insisting that we approach the score from a broad and generous perspective, not succumbing to "chicken vision," the anxious and frenzied stance that we often bring to particularly challenging, rhythmic, virtuosic passages. Of course, the preparation lies in the details, but the music lies in the breadth and depth of the composition.

We've all experienced this in our music making, but what about in our daily lives and our spiritual development? If we're honest, we all get mired in the weeds. We often cling to the trees while missing the forest. What's more, the big picture is often more complicated than we'd prefer. Ambiguity is difficult. The grey area is always more fraught with complications, and it always requires more grace, patience, and generosity of spirit. And yet, this is the place toward which we are called.

In a daily mediation (January 16, 2023) from the Center for Action and Contemplation, contemplative Richard Rohr remarks:

I'm convinced that Jesus' metaphor and image for what we would simply call the big picture is the reign of God, or the kingdom of God.

In Prophets Then, Prophets Now, Rohr and activist Joan Chittister describe the field of vision that the Hebrew prophets - and modern-day prophets - bring to the fore: the prophet speaks "truthfully and in the largest context." If the call of Ash Wednesday is recognition of our mortality, then perhaps the journey of Lent is one in which we reorient ourselves in a larger frame, repenting of our "chicken vision" approach to our lives.

We are called to a broadening, ever-expanding posture, and in ways large and small, the arts provide a conduit for such progress. In this month of March, Women's History Month, we widen our often male-dominated musical lens as we prioritize female composers and musicians. On March 5, we'll hear music for flute composed by two female composers; on March 19, we host the Winston-Salem State University Singing Rams in concert at 4:00 PM as they present a large-scale composition composed by Rosephanye Powell; and on March 26, we welcome the WinstonSalem Girls Chorus to worship!

The Brahms Requiem project reminded us last month of the power of art to expand our field of vision, to reorient us inside of something much larger than ourselves. As we journey toward Easter, an expansive event of cosmic proportions, may we find ourselves seeking eagle vision, searching for our place in the kingdom of God, soaring in God's spirit.

Jonathan Emmons Director of Music Ministries

Reflections on Brahms

Brahms’ A German Requiem was the first larger choral work I remember hearing other than Handel’s Messiah.

Worship at a Glance

March 5: Children’s Choirs & Communion

March 19: Carillonneurs

March 26: Winston-Salem Girls Chorus

I have sung the Brahms several times and have found each experience both different and the same. Each time, there have been different singers, instrumentalists, conductors, and physical settings. But it is always the same universal message enhanced by uncommonly beautiful music. There is, as I experience the work, an invitation to a glimpse of the eternal that cannot be expressed in words.

In every presentation I have been part of, the majesty of the music comes hand-in-hand with a myriad of practical concerns: Who will conduct? Will the soloists be outstanding? How many rehearsals will we have? Where will the program be given? (It is one of those religious works that is equally at home in a sanctuary and a concert hall.)

When Jonathan offered members of our Chancel Choir the opportunity to sing this work again, I contemplated for perhaps three or four seconds before knowing I wanted to do it. Then I realized I have always sung this in English. Based on Brahms’ own notes, there are good arguments for doing it in the language of the audience. There are also good arguments for doing it in the language in which it was composed. In any case, I had to learn it in German, which turned out to be tougher than I expected.

Getting to sing this towering work in a choir of long-time friends and new acquaintances in the magnificent new Tanger Center and also in my home church were experiences for which I am beyond grateful.

- Joel Stegall

Lenten Noontime Music Series

We invite you to the Sanctuary each Tuesday of Lent for a 30-minute noontime musical presentation. This year’s musicians will include:

February 28: Nicholas Davis, bass-baritone

March 7: New Day Singers

March 14: Josh Sobel, organ

March 21: Reginald Houze, tenor

March 28: Corine Brouwer, violin

April 4: Liquid Fire, piano duo

Please join us as we meditate on the Lenten message while awaiting the joy of Easter.

Register now for . . .

C HILDREN ’ S M USIC & A RT C AMP

July 17 - 20, 2023

8:30 AM - 12:00 PM Register Here: Join us for CMA

CMA Camp is offered for infants through rising 5th graders. Offerings include singing, handbells, Orff handchimes, creative movement, art, Kindermusik, and more! Snack is provided daily. The week ends with a camper-led worship service on Thursday at 12:30 PM followed by refreshments. Don’t miss out on this fun-filled week!

Winston-Salem State University

Rosephanye Powell’s The Cry of Jeremiah A Carnegie Hall Preview Concert

Every Thursday, 5:00 - 6:35PM Ages 2 to 6th Grade Register Here:

March 19 ● 4:00 PM ● Sanctuary