As we announced from the pulpit, our Music Ministry Transition Team held our first meeting last Sunday, July 7 to begin to reflect on our music ministry and how it serves children, youth, and adults of all ages in the choir community and in the wider congregation. We are in a time of rebuilding and reimagining our music ministry, which will include assessing our current capacity, identifying and supporting the traditions which continue to nourish us, and experimenting and adapting with new ways of doing things. Below you can read all about the current scope of the team’s work and about the members who are serving on it.
*Note about summer: Thank you to Garrett Bond, who is serving as our Summer Music Coordinator and to Ellie Hodder, Signe Lusk, and Joe O’Donnell, who have agreed to assist with musical offerings.
Here is the current scope of our Music Ministry Transition Team:
- Search for an Interim/Acting Music Director, including job posting, job description, and hiring process.
- Assess current capacity. Reach out to current choirs, music council, and potential singers, ringers, and instrumentalists of all ages in the wider congregation to find out who wants to participate next year.
- Work with the ministers and the Interim/Acting Music Director once hired to figure out plans for choirs in the fall and spring. Work with Interim/Acting Music Director and other music leadership throughout the year to support our music ministry.
- Facilitate processes to gain feedback, ideas, and participation in the processes from singers, ringers, instrumentalists, and non-musicians in the wider community over the year about our collective hopes and vision for the future of our music ministry.
- Support processes working with the board, executive team, UUA regional staff, music council, different choirs, etc. to heal divisions. (We included people with a range of opinions about the transition on the committee.)
- All the above will create a foundation for the search for the next Music Director. The Music Director Search Team will be a new team that will likely include some members from the Music Ministry Transition Team as well as engage new volunteers to lead that search.
The Music Ministry Transition Team involves six lay leaders (Ameena Amdahl-Mason, Theo Harper, Michael Murray, Rich Scher, Holly Stern, and Henriët Fourie Thompson) plus two ministers (Tom Disrud, Alison Miller). You can reach the Music Ministry Transition Team at musictransition@firstunitarianportland.org.
Here is a little about the lay members of the team and their grounding in the music making community within and beyond our walls.
Theo Harper has sung in various choirs at First U over the last forty years, most recently in Spirit and Grace choirs. He is serving as Chair of this Music Ministry Transition Team. Theo also served on the last Music Director Search Committee. Theo has experience as the lead singer of a band in college, and in musical theater in Portland and in Utah. He has an M.A. in counseling psychology and works as a mental health therapist. Theo just completed his service on the First U Board of Trustees.
Ameena Amdahl-Mason serves on the Music Council. She rings in our Bells Choir, of which she is president. Ameena also has experience growing up singing and ringing in choirs at First U as a youth from third grade through high school. She has previously served as a children’s teacher in the Learning Community.
Henriët Fourie Thompson is a professional soloist and chorister. She has experience specifically as a professional congregational musician. Henriët has a bachelors in piano and vocal performance and a master of music in vocal performance. She is also a parent of two children in our Learning Community. (www.henrietfourie.com)
Michael Murray is a member of the Radiance Choir. He has experience serving in the last search for an Artistic Director for the Portland Symphonic Choirs. Michael is also on the Teaching Committee for our Intern Minister.
Rich Scher is a member of our Harmony and Radiance Choirs. He spent his professional career as composer/producer/instrumentalist; music educator and professional development specialist; choral singer and congregational musician. Just last week Signe Lusk played one of Rich’s original compositions.
Holly Stern is a member of our Harmony and Radiance Choirs. She is a professional violinist who has performed extensively with the Portland Baroque Orchestra and the Opera and Ballet Orchestras and taught for many years in the Music Department of the University of Portland. She holds both bachelor and master of music degrees in violin performance.
We are very fortunate to have the wisdom and leadership of these six members on the team, and we are looking forward to gleaning wisdom and insights from all of you.
In faith,
Rev. Alison