MAKING CONNECTIONS, MEETING NEEDS

by Katherine Majkrzak

In a culture focused on consumerism, it is refreshing to find arts programs that give creative power back to people. As a composer with the Minnesota Composers Forum’s Church/Synagogue Residency Program, which seeks to reinvigorate sacred music by linking a composer with a consortium of three churches and/or synagogues, I made it a priority to create works in response to the needs of the intended communities.

When my residency in northern Minnesota and North Dakota began last year, I heard the dreams the church music directors had for new music. During my monthly visits to Crookston and Grand Forks, these dreams became specific projects. Ruth Ann Tuseth of First Presbyterian Church wanted a Palm Sunday anthem with an updated theology; she had a local poet in mind to write the text. Several people had ideas about music that would play a role in the worship liturgy: an Introit, a Gloria, and a Benediction. All three churches had wonderful pipe organs with excellent organists: an organ work would highlight these. They asked for a work that drew from the traditions of early American music. We designed projects to use the performing forces available, so that all three churches could use all six compositions composed for the residency.

Because the church residency is much more than a commissioning project, I spent time getting to know the communities. Several approaches connected the communities with the works I created for them. I drew on hymn tunes that were familiar to them. Three of my compositions were settings of texts by poets from among them. I gave numerous talks about my work, using these as occasions to hear from the members of the congregations and to get to know their creative people.

On one occasion I attended United Lutheran Church’s Prayer and Share group, a delightful gathering of senior ladies who attended weekly to requests for prayer. I asked them to tell me about music that had had an impact on their lives — how it had changed them, why it had stayed with them. They all had stories to tell. One woman recalled and sang all six verses of “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” music that had carried her through many difficult moments in her life. Another told of how her family had believed in her enough to send her to piano lessons every week despite the hardships of the Depression. Each woman named a favorite hymn. For people with more than eighty years of experience, these favorites have deep life-significance. So it was with great respect that I included six of these hymn tunes in my organ work, Transformations. Each hymn tune is connected to a Biblical text that depicts a transformation: the Virgin Mary learning of her pregnancy; the call of the disciples; the healing of the lepers; Christ’s transfiguration; Mary encountering the risen Christ; and the conversion of Paul.

The poets from the communities were very responsive in providing texts. Mary Kulberg of First Presbyterian wrote the text for He Who Comes, which I set for children’s and adult choirs, trumpet, and piano. When I first met Mary, we immediately engaged in a discussion of Palm Sunday and our contemporary perceptions of this historical event. It was a thrill to bounce ideas back and forth. A lot of the poet’s personality ended up in the music, and her suggestions for visual and symbolic elements enhanced the piece. Rev. Gretchen Graf, minister at First Presbyterian, wanted an inclusive-language Gloria with a plug-in text appropriate throughout the liturgical calendar. First Presbyterian has used this Gloria in its services every Sunday since the premiere last January. It also has been used at a Presbytery Conference and at a congregation in Minneapolis. The third poet was Liz Thompson from Trinity Lutheran Church in Crookston. Her text for Benediction was premiered by the women’s group, Praise Singers, that she sings in. I attended the first rehearsal of this piece and was able to provide some insight into the connection between text and music.

Perhaps the most important factor in meeting the musical needs of these church communities is to have an understanding of them. This means much more than simply knowing how many choirs a church has or what kinds of instrumentalists it has available. It means understanding the dynamics of the group. It means appreciating the theology and the customs of the church. It means walking in their shoes and acknowledging the challenges they take on when they agree to do a new work. Having experimented with the new works myself by trying them out on my choir in Minneapolis, I could relate to the other music directors not only as a composer but as a fellow performer. I knew firsthand the pressures of limited rehearsal time and the specifics of ironing out challenging passages.

Through my activities during the residency, a creative connection developed between particular individuals and the music. Obvious standouts in this regard were the church music directors and the poets. But other individuals whom I met in informal social situations had more impact than they may have realized. I hope that the time I spent with them opened them up to (or helped confirm) worship as a creative, interactive experience. In my talks with them, I explored the relationship between my ideas about God and spirituality and my work as a composer. My goal was to connect them with their own creative power. Their influence on my work was an aspect of that power. These individuals in Crookston and Grand Forks may never be aware of how much impact they have had on my compositional work. It has been tremendous, and it will continue long after the residency is completed.

Katherine Majkrzak, a Twin Cities-based composer, is music director at Trinity United Methodist Church, Minneapolis. She grew up in Crookston, Minnesota, and is a former editor of this Newsletter.