2008-2009 Catalog - Virginia Wesleyan College

44 CENTER FOR SACRED MUSICThe Center for Sacred Music at Virginia WesleyanCollege educates students for careers in churchmusic ministry, and offers opportunities for allstudents to broaden their awareness of the music and ritualthat have been part of humankind’s various faithexpressions since the world began.Church Music Certificate Program: The ChurchMusic Certificate at Virginia Wesleyan offers practical andtheoretical knowledge for Church Music Ministry careerpreparation. The course of study includes academic courses,symposia attendance, critical observations of area churchmusic programs, and participation in the College’s annualSacred Music Summer Conference. It has been recognizedby the College Board for its excellence in training churchmusicians in the liberal arts setting.Three semester-length courses are offered: Sacred MusicHistory, Directing Church Choirs, and Hymnology andChoral Literature (offered as MUS 310: Topics in SacredMusic) and are requirements for the certificate program,but may also be taken as a supplement to other curricula,and provide a theoretical basis of study.Sacred Music-of-the-World SymposiumSeries: The Center offers an annual symposium series tofoster understanding, and to encourage an appreciation fordiversity in the sacred music and ritual of various faithcommunities. Offered during the campus co-curricularhour on occasional Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout theacademic year, programs are designed to appeal to studentsin all disciplines.Past topics have included “Sacred Sounds: CulturalUnity and Diversity,” a four-part series; “Then Sings MySoul” on the four streams of American ProtestantHymnody; “Let All the World in Every Corner Sing,” anexamination of “service music” used in various worldreligions; “Here Comes the Bride,” wedding ritual andmusic in various world traditions; and “Sing Me ToHeaven,” an exploration of the music and ceremony used incultures for funerals and services of remembrance.Performance Opportunities: The Wesleyan FestivalChorus is a massed choir of students and communitysingers linking choral musicians with the finest conductorsin the world for worship leadership and for concertperformances. Each summer, the chorus presents twoevents as part of the Sacred Music Summer Conference.CENTER FORSACRED MUSICSacred Music Summer Conference: The SacredMusic Summer Conference is a non-denominationalshowcase for outstanding instruction in the sacred arts.Steeped in the Wesley tradition of “training minds andwarming hearts,” the conference offers workshops forstudents preparing for church music ministry careers, thosealready active in the profession, and music teachers.An average of 200 people participate each year,participating in workshop sessions in choral conducting,congregational singing, organ, handbells, children’s choirs,and all areas of church music ministry. The event is led by18 guest faculty and members of the VWC musicdepartment. The evening worship and choral concert choirsprovide an unparalleled experience for those who enjoysinging under the direction of world-renowned conductors.The Virginia Wesleyan College AnthemSeries: In 2008, the Center for Sacred Music developed achoral anthem series with MorningStar Music Publishers ofSt. Louis, Missouri, entitled “Music from AmericanColleges and Universities.” VWC holds the honor of thepremiere work in that series; an anthem commissionedfrom Texan composer Hal Hopson in celebration of the300th anniversary of the birth of Charles Wesley in 2007.This contribution to American music continues thecollege’s legacy, joining the VWC Choral Anthem Series theCenter developed in 1998 with Hinshaw Music Publishersof Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Now in its tenth year, thatseries includes 11 choral anthems. An additional fouranthems that have been dedicated to the work of the Centerare published by Choristers Guild Publishing, AugsburgPress, and Hal Leonard Music Publishers. Through itsvarious festivals and conferences, the Center commissionsnew music which is premiered at VWC, then madeavailable to the world. Anthems from this catalog ofpublications are used by church and school chorusesthroughout the country, and several have been selected forDistrict Chorus and All-State repertoire selections. VWCjoins Duke University and St. Olaf College as only the thirdinstitution of higher education with a named music series.The Wesley Seminary Connection: VWC’sCenter for Sacred Music collaborates with WesleyTheological Seminary to offer a graduate level ChurchMusic Certificate. Offered as part of the Seminary’s“Equipping Lay Ministry Certificate Program,” studentsmay register through Wesley for classes held at VirginiaWesleyan or at the Seminary’s Washington, D.C. campus.The Center’s Sacred Music Summer Conference fulfills oneof the course requirements for this certificate.