Rev. Michael D. Costello, 2024 Alumni Award Recipient
Rev. Michael D. Costello
LSM is thrilled to announce Rev. Michael D. Costello as the 2024 LSM Alumni Award recipient. A conductor, composer, and church musician, Costello’s work has touched the lives of countless people, providing inspiration through powerful musical experiences in and out of worship. The award will be presented to Rev. Costello during LSM 2024 at the annual Board of Directors Reception on Saturday, July 27, beginning at 5 p.m.
Costello was recently on tour to Germany with the Bach Cantata Vespers Choir of Grace Lutheran, where they performed during Bachfest 2024 at the Leipzig Thomaskirche, the church Johann Sebastian Bach served from 1723 until he died in 1750. During the concert, Costello led the Bach Cantata Vespers Choir (along with the Leipzig Baroque Orchestra) in performances of three of Bach’s cantatas. Previously, Costello has led the Bach Cantata Vespers Choir at Bachfest in 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018.
Through his leadership of Grace’s Bach Cantata Vespers, Costello continues what Paul Bouman and Carl Schalk started in 1971: presenting J. S. Bach's sacred cantatas in worship, the setting in which Bach originally performed this music.
Costello has served as Cantor at Grace Lutheran Church and School in River Forest, Illinois, since 2008. Costello is also in his tenth season as Artistic Director of Chicago Choral Artists, an ensemble of professional singers specializing in the works of contemporary American composers and Baroque masterworks.
Costello is best known for his creative hymn improvisations and sensitive service playing. He is a composer of music for both choir and organ. Many of his choral pieces and organ collections are published by MorningStar Music Publishers, several of which are included in a series called Sacred Music from Lenoir-Rhyne. Other pieces are published by Augsburg Fortress and Concordia Publishing House, among others.
Upon notification of receiving this award, Rev. Costello shared,
Lutheran Summer Music has been a part of my life for over 30 years. I wouldn’t be where I am today, musically or spiritually, without the connections and experiences made during my years as a student at LSM. With this award, I hope that more attention will be drawn to LSM and the wonderful opportunities and gifts that it offers to young people. I look forward to visiting the LSM community during festival week this summer!
Costello spent nine summers with LSM—first as a student from 1993 to 1996, as an intern in 1998 and 2000, and then as Chaplain in 2010, 2015, and 2017. He received a B.A. in Sacred Music from Lenoir-Rhyne University. In 1999, he won the Ruth and Paul Manz Award and the Region IV Young Organists Competition of the American Guild of Organists (AGO) in the same year. In 2006, he graduated from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary with a Master of Divinity degree. Michael served in Columbia, South Carolina, for two years before being called to River Forest, Illinois.
LSM Annual Alumni Award
The purpose of the LSM Annual Alumni Award is to recognize those alumni who have made significant contributions to their community, church, or society at large, and whose accomplishments, affiliations, vocations, or careers have positively shaped our world and reflect the spirit of LSM.
Previous Recipients
2023: Dr. Sangeetha Rayapati (LSM 1990-1991)