Mark Slegers, Minister of Music
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Mission:  In fellowship, the Music and Arts Committee nurtures artistic excellence and spiritual growth, rooted within UU values, for all who wish to blossom through artistic expression.  May all hands, all voices, all ages flourish.

The music program at Portland’s First Unitarian Church is the largest music program in the denomination with some 300 volunteer musicians of all ages participating.  It is steeped in excellence but not performance.  We consider the presentation of our music to the congregation in worship as gift-giving: sharing the spiritual gifts we share so abundantly within this program.  Consequently the program is cherished by the congregation.  The sense of community is strong in each of the ensembles listed below and it is built intentionally through ritual, individual call to ministry, working together and celebration.

The First Unitarian Church music staff is first rate.  Signe Lusk our pianist and Joe O’Donnell our organist both play at worship services and often more than one choir will participate in worship.  This gives our worship richness of style, and variety of culture and musical color.  Our children and youth music directors are the best in their fields and understand the role of music and choir community for kids (Please see below)

ADULT CHOIR PROGRAM

All adult choirs at 1st Church have in common singers who want to accomplish and learn all they can in this spiritual gift- giving of presenting music in worship.  There are fine singers in all choirs and all choirs are dedicated to presenting music excellently.  The Chalice Choir is open to all singers without an audition.  Individuals who would like to be in the Unitarian and Chamber Choirs need to have a placement session singing for Mark.

Chalice Choir meets Monday evening, 6-7:15 p.m. and is open to all who would like to make choral singing part of their life experience.  Chalice Choir is considered the choir to join if one has only a limited time (one Sunday per month) to devote to this process.  As a result, Chalice Choir is a nice mix of experienced and newly-minted singers, even though choristers are not auditioned.  Because rehearsal time is short our music is not as difficult as in the other two choirs.  Musical repertoire focuses on world music, with a smattering of many styles.  The foundation of Chalice Choir is a safe environment to learn, grow, and give one's gifts of music to this community and to the church.  Contact Mark Slegers, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Unitarian Choir rehearses Wednesday nights, 7-9 p.m.  An optional Joys & Concern time and social gathering with refreshments follow each rehearsal.  This choir has a 50 year history of service and high caliber musical presentations here at the church and on tours, including Eastern Europe, Canada and Cuba.  The Unitarian Choir presents a varied repertoire of musical styles from classical works, early to modern, to challenging world music.  The Unitarian Choir will continue in this same vein of musical achievement presenting music in services and at other possible venues, about twice per month.  Contact Mark Slegers, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Chamber Choir rehearses Monday evenings 7:30-9:15 p.m., followed by Joys & Concerns and a social time with refreshments.  This group sings the most challenging music from a wide variety of choral styles, and requires a rapid pace in rehearsal.  This choir of 40 singers formed in 2002, presents music about twice per month at worship and at other venues in the community.  Contact Mark Slegers, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Rehearsal Schedule
Monday:
6 p.m. - 7:15 p.m.:  Chalice Choir
7:30 p.m. – 9:15 p.m.:  Chamber Choir

Wednesday:
7 p.m. – 9 p.m.:  Unitarian Choir

Sunday Worship Services – 9:15 a.m. and 11:15 a.m.
Rehearsal begins promptly at 8:25 unless otherwise announced
Choirs sing for both services, but usually exit before second sermon (11:45 a.m.)

Music and Worship Services
Unitarian and Chamber Choirs: Offered four times each year in November, December, February, May  
Saturday rehearsal preceding Music and Worship Service is typically from 9 a.m. – 12 noon

Retreats
Chalice Choir: 2 Saturdays, 9 a.m.-12 noon, fall and winter
Chamber Choir : Friday night/Saturday in the fall at Menucha
Unitarian Choir : Saturday/Sunday, first week-end of November at Menucha

Special Music Events
Performances and rehearsals in addition to Worship Services
Volunteer support for fundraising, concert/recital receptions, event support, event planning, possible tour

Choir Participation Fee
The choir fee is$45 per chorister, $90 for the family (including choirs for children and youth) for those who pledge to the church.  It is $90 per chorister, $160 for an entire family for choristers who do not pledge. 

Monday is Family Music Night
Monday Night Music is for the whole family. We have choirs for all ages that occur about the same time.  It’s our hope that parents will sing in Chalice Choir while children attend their age-appropriate group.  A 5:30 p.m. soup, salad and bread supper provides nourishment and fellowship, and allows an early rehearsal start time (and bedtime) for most participants.

Growth in musical skills, finding community in UU values and having fun with music are equally stressed in our children and youth choirs.   More intimate than school music, our program gives children many more one-on-one experiences with our fine, loving staff and greater opportunity for kids to “shine.” We want to give children the opportunity to explore spirituality and grow musically and personally through music making and the fellowship of choral participation, regardless of musical background or perceived "talent."

CHILDREN AND YOUTH CHOIR PROGRAM

Sophia Singers for children Kindergarten through Grade 2, is an opportunity to sing with director Mona Warner at Children’s Chapel, the December holiday program, the children’s musical in April and at our Hymn Flings.  Contact Mona Warner: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

MusicTree is a more in-depth experience for children, 3rd through 6th grades.  The choir includes the use of a full ensemble of Orff instruments, action songs, singing at Sunday services and participation in the spring children’s musical.  Contact Mona Warner: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Nova! is our youth choir for grades seven through twelve.  Church pianist Signe Lusk directs this group whose growing list of activities includes a spring musical, singing in Sunday services and an end-of-year tour.   Contact Signe Lusk: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

HANDBELL CHOIRS

Warbington Chimes is our “pre-bell” choir for 4th and 5th graders directed by Ellie Hodder. Chimes are smaller and lighter than handbells and more appropriate for younger children. Contact Ellie Hodder:   This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Beacon Bells, for grades 6-8, is ably directed by Helen Warbington.  This is our initial handbell group which performs at several worship services throughout the year.  Contact Ellie Hodder: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Marguerite Bells, our high school ensemble, is directed by Music Director Mark Slegers. Named after our late Religious Education Director, the Rev. Marguerite Hessler Deale, this group has opportunities to play at worship services and special musical events. Contact Ellie Hodder: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Chalice Bells and Parker Bells are handbell programs for adults.  Chalice Bells is for beginners and Parker Bells is for the seasoned bell ringer/musician.  Contact Ellie Hodder: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Calling Artists: 2011 Fine Arts and Crafts Show

The Annual Fine Arts Show and Sale is seeking applications for the 2011 event.The show will run April 8-10, 2011 in the Buchan Reception Rooms in Eliot Center.

Jury applications are due by November 1, 2010. Click here for a copy of the  jury application .

Questions? Contact Ellie Hodder ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) or Gail Durham ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. )

Music Staff Bios

Mark Slegers has been Music Director/Minister of Music at First Unitarian Church of Portland, Oregon for 33 years. The church's music program includes over 300-member musicians of all ages participating in some 11 musical ensembles. It is the largest music program in the Unitarian Universalist denomination.
 
Mr. Slegers received his undergraduate degree from Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon where he was recognized in May of 2007 as an outstanding graduate. He attended Union Theological Seminary, School of Sacred Music in New York City where he received the Master of Sacred Music degree. While in New York he sang and conducted in various New York churches. He has completed further study in conducting with Dr. Rodney Eichenberger and has also taught music in all levels of music education, including both Pacific University and Reed College.

Mr. Slegers was a commissioner/compiler for the Unitarian Universalist hymnbook, Singing the Living Tradition, published by Beacon Press. For the past nineteen years he has served as church music consultant to Unitarian Universalist congregations continent-wide.
 
Choirs from the church under Mr. Slegers' direction toured Eastern Europe in 1990, the Seattle area in 1999 and Cuba in 2003.  This unprecedented Cuba tour was captured in an award-winning documentary, "What We're Asking for is Peace."  Mr. Slegers and his choirs were selected to provide choral music for Services of the Living Tradition at General Assemblies for the Unitarian Universalist Association in Spokane, WA and Calgary, Canada and Portland.
 
In March of 2006 Mr. Slegers and the 1^st Unitarian Chamber Choir were selected to give a concert at the American Choral Directors Association's NW Regional Convention.  Later that year a touring choir from the church under Mark Slegers' direction returned to Eastern Europe for a reunion tour.

Ellie Hodder has served as Director of Handbells at First Unitarian Church since 2002.  She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Crane School of Music, Potsdam, New York, and Masters of Fine Arts degree from Southern Illinois University.  She has served as a clinician at regional handbell events, founded the Pacific Northwest Handbell Directors' forum, initiated the Pacific Northwest Youth Handbell Festival and leads the regional chapter of the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers.  

Signe Lusk, Pianist, has been staff accompanist and director of the Nova youth choir since 1995.
She studied accompanying at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in Stuttgart, Germany and Graz, Austria.  At national festivals and conferences she has accompanied the finest US and British choral directors and is one of the most sought-after accompanists in the Pacific Northwest.

Joe O'Donnell, Organist has served at the church for thirteen years. He holds degrees of Bachelor of Music in Organ and Master of Liturgical Music from the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. While there he served on the music staff at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and as Organist and Choir Director of  St. Joseph's on Capitol Hill.  For the past ten years he's worked at Bond Organ Builders, Inc. in Portland as a service technician and design engineer.

Mona Warner has been the director of Sophia Singers at First Unitarian Church, Portland, since 1986. She now directs both of the children’s choirs at First Church (Sophia and Music Tree) and also the Prelude choir for Hillsboro Community Youth Choir. Mona is a life-long singer/songwriter, plays guitar and banjo and sings in the Chamber Choir.