LSM Launches Annual Hymn Tune Project with New Arrangement
Lutheran Summer Music is thrilled to announce the launch of the Hymn Tune Project, with a second arrangement coming this summer. The Hymn Tune Project is a series of theme and variations on hymn tunes for solo instrument and keyboard. This new piece will build on the momentum of the inaugural arrangement from LSM 2023, Holy Manna, which has garnered hundreds of downloads since its premiere last summer.
Anne Krentz Organ, LSM’s Liturgical Composer in Residence, will create the 2024 commission for this ongoing initiative. Organ is a widely published composer and celebrated church musician. This year’s arrangement will feature the Welsh folk tune The Ash Grove. It will be made available in versions for all instruments and transpositions, ensuring that every student, regardless of their instrument or experience, can perform this piece.
The Ash Grove is a beloved melody, appearing in 135 hymnals representing a variety of religious organizations. It is included in all Lutheran hymnals, including “Let All Things Now Living,” #507 in Christian Worship and #881 in Evangelical Lutheran Worship, and “Sent Forth by God’s Blessing,” #932 in CW, #547 in ELW, and #643 in Lutheran Service Book.
Anne Krentz Organ, Liturgical Composer In Residence
The premiere of this new arrangement will take place at LSM 2024, where Organ will serve on faculty. In anticipation of returning to LSM, she shared, “I’m looking forward to the creativity of the students as they share their gifts musically in worship. It’s a delight to see their talents bubbling up in service to the community.”
Once the work has premiered, it will become available for free download on LSM’s website, adding to this growing collection of free church music resources. LSM students will be able to perform these compositions in both church and school settings, including their home congregations, schools, and recitals, and church musicians will be able to incorporate the works into services throughout the year. The Ash Grove arrangement will serve as an ideal way to get young musicians to participate in worship at their congregation, as the piece is set up to be flexible in its usage and instrumentation.
Organ's new arrangement is set to be a standout moment of this summer’s festival. Don't miss this exciting opportunity to witness its premiere in person or online!
This commission is made possible through a generous gift from Stephen and Elizabeth Hogberg.
The Liturgical Composer In Residence position is supported by The Eugene and Mary Sukup Church Music Program through a grant from the Sukup Family Foundation of Sheffield, Iowa.
Lutheran Summer Music (LSM) is the nation’s premier faith-based music academy for high school students. In addition to advanced musical instruction and numerous performance opportunities, LSM students form an intentional community, living together for four weeks on a Lutheran college campus. Since 1981, this unique and immersive program has guided the lives of thousands of young musicians, many of whom credit LSM as the starting place for their future careers and vocations.