By Mike Harris
Special to the Alpine Mountaineer
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, the Bible’s Psalm 100 tells us, but the sound that comes from Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church’s choir is anything but noise.
“Ours is now one of the larger choirs on the mountain,” said Bob Schulz, director of Mt. Calvary’s choir and praise team. “There used to be a lot of church choirs, but some worship styles changed and some people moved off the mountain.”
Schulz came to Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church in 1995 and serves as the music director and director of Christian Education.
“Mt. Calvary had less than 12 choir members to start, and now we have about 18 members,” he explained. “At our high point, we had over 20 members.”
Schulz trained as a church musician and as a director of Christian Education at Concordia University, Irvine. He also has a graduate degree in organ from Cal State Fullerton.
“Mt. Calvary wasn’t a very musical church when I first came on board, but the goal was to have better music,” he said. “That was part of the emphasis for hiring me.”
The choir performs every two to three weeks. “A lot of church choirs perform every week, but I think about every three weeks is a good schedule for us,” he added.
Most of the choir members are members of Mt. Calvary but there are non-Mt. Calvary singers in the choir. “Anyone can show up for choir,” he said. The choir practices weekly. Choir members are both men and women and include bass, tenor, soprano and alto parts.
“Being in a small community is part of the reason we’ve been successful,” he continued. “People value doing things together like singing in a choir.”
Mt. Calvary’s choral performances are just limited to singing at Sunday services. For the last two years, the choir has been asked to be part of the Veterans Day services at the Veterans Memorial Monument at Grass Valley Road. The choir performs one or two patriotic songs.
“Our choir plays an important role for our services,” Schulz said. “The choir can help introduce new music for the congregation and some variety.”
A couple of years ago, Schulz introduced a hand chimes team and it performs separately from the choir.
“We also schedule individuals and small groups to perform by playing an instrument or singing during worship,” Schulz added. “Let us know if you are interested so we can schedule rehearsal time and provide coaching if necessary.
“Whether you are a seasoned singer or don’t have much experience, we would love to have you join us,” Schulz said.
Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church and Early Education Center is located at 27415 School Road in Lake Arrowhead and is directly behind Rim of the World High School near SR-18.
0 Comments