Westminster Music Concert Series 2020-2021 - October 24, 2020 - Squarespace
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Westminster Music
Concert Series 2020–2021
Saturday
October 24, 2020
7 pm
Featuring
Lisa Bontrager, Horn Timothy Shafer, Piano
Sarah Shafer, Soprano Grace Salyards, Horn
Program
WELCOME
Crown Him with Many Crowns George J. Elvey
(1816–1893)
arr. Marc Guy
soprano, horn, and piano
It Is Well with My Soul Philip P. Bliss
(1838–1876)
arr. Brooke Hopkins
horn and piano
Abide with Me William Henry Monk
(1823–1889)
arr. Paul Basler
horn and piano
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing/Jesus Loves Me Robinson/Bradbury
(1735–1790)/(1816–1868)
arr. Marc Guy
two horns and piano
When I Survey the Wondrous Cross based on Gregorian Chant
Lowell Mason
(1792–1872)
arr. Paul S. Jones
soprano, two horns, and piano
Hyfrydol Fantasy (Jesus, What a Friend for Sinners) Rowland Prichard
(1811–1887)
arr. James Naigus
horn and piano
Were You There?/Jesus Paid It All Traditional Spiritual/John T. Grape
(1835–1915)
arr. Jeremy Strong
soprano, two horns, and piano
Be Thou My Vision Traditional Irish Hymn
arr. Paul Basler
horn and piano
Deep River Traditional Spiritual
arr. Jeremy Strong
horn and piano
He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands Traditional
arr. Margaret Bonds
soprano and piano
INTERMISSION
Praise the Holy Trinity OLD HUNDRETH/NICAEA
Genevan Psalter/John B. Dykes
(1823–1876)
arr. Jeremy Strong
soprano, two horns, and piano
Oh Danny Boy Traditional Irish
arr. James Naigus
horn and piano
‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus William J. Kirkpatrick
(1838–1921)
arr. Marc Guy
horn and piano
When Peace Like a River Philip P. Bliss
(1838–1876)
arr. Paul S. Jones
two horns and piano
Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us William Bradbury
(1816–1868)
arr. Stephen Walleye
solo piano
Before the Throne of God Above/Great Is Thy Faithfulness Bancroft/Cook/Runyan
arr. Brooke Hopkins
soprano, two horns, and piano
Additional selections may be made from the following
SOLO SONGS:
Come to the Waters Paul S. Jones (b. 1969)
How Firm a Foundation Traditional/arr. Paul S. Jones
I Am His and He Is Mine James Mountain (1844–1933)/arr. Paul S. Jones
PIANO SOLOS:
I Need Thee Every Hour Robert Lowry (1826–1899)/arr. Mark Hayes
The Gift of Love Folk Melody/arr. Joseph Martin
Wonderful Words of Life Bliss/arr. Michael T. Smith
Program Notes
I have loved hymns for as long as I can were created for this very project. Thank
remember. My dad was a song-leader and you, Paul Basler, Marc Guy, Brooke Hopkins,
pianist in church and his sister was a church Paul Jones, James Naigus, and Jeremy
organist for over 50 years. My mom’s large Strong!
family gatherings always ended around the
piano, singing hymns. My husband sang in I invited my longtime friend, pianist, and
an outstanding men’s gospel quartet Penn State music faculty colleague, Dr.
throughout his college years. And our Timothy Shafer to join me in this decades-
daughters still play hymns on our piano at long dream. He and his family share my
home. Hymns have played an integral role in family’s love for hymns. As the beautiful
my family heritage. arrangements for solo horn and piano began
to arrive, I missed the meaningful words of
Now that many churches have moved to the hymns. To my delight, I discovered
contemporary choruses, I miss the old Marc Guy’s two horn arrangement of ‘Come
hymns and their deep imprint on my Thou Fount of Every Blessing/Jesus Loves
soul. On occasion, when an old hymn is Me’ and invited other composers to write for
sung at church, my 92-year-old father a combination of two horns, piano, and
stands next to me and beautifully sings soprano. I am absolutely thrilled with the
every single word of the tenor part. It’s collaborations and the variety that
especially remarkable because he suffers ensued! Tim’s gifted daughters, soprano
from vascular dementia. He lives in a totally Sarah Shafer and hornist Grace Shafer
disoriented state, but yet still remembers Salyards, were clearly meant to join us. In
our beloved hymns -- every note and every addition to their amazing musicianship, I
word. am deeply thankful for the added element of
their friendship in the collaboration.
Throughout the last few agonizing years of
watching both my parents become shells of And so, these really are Hymns for my Father.
their old selves at the hand of dementia, . . my heavenly Father and my own father.
hymns have become a constant source of My hope is that this music will leave you
comfort. They have become an inspiration. feeling inspired and comforted.
And this led to the creative endeavor of
‘singing’ them through my instrument, the To God be the glory!
horn.
Thus began the search for fresh, musically
sophisticated sounds for familiar and
meaningful hymns. I already knew some
amazing arrangers/composers and was
introduced to more through the project’s
two-year evolution. In the end, I am thrilled
with the variety and stunningly beautiful
arrangements presented here, ten of which
Biographies
Lisa Ormston Bontrager, Timothy Shafer, pianist, has
French horn, has performed as concertized extensively
a soloist and chamber throughout the United States,
musician throughout the Asia, and South America. He
United States, Europe, South has been actively engaged in
and Central Americas and performing teaching, and
Japan, including tours with discussing the rich heritage of
the Millennium Brass Quintet, the piano repertoire. With
the Pennsylvania Wind performance degrees from
Quintet and MirrorImage, a Oberlin Conservatory and the
horn duo with Michelle Stebleton. Bontrager Indiana University School of Music, Dr. Shafer
served as featured artist at the Southeast Horn is the recipient of Oberlin’s Rudolf Serkin
Workshop, the International Women’s Brass Outstanding Pianist Award, IU’s Annual
Conference in Toronto, the Western United Concerto Competition, and the Pennsylvania
States Horn Symposium (Las Vegas, Nevada), Music Teachers Association Teacher of the
the Western Illinois Horn Workshop, Oficinate Year Award. He is a frequent concerto soloist
Musica De Curitiba (Brazil), and has been a with regional orchestras, and is active as a
concerto soloist with the National Symphony chamber musician and soloist. He is an author
Orchestra of Paraguay, among others and of articles for books and magazines about the
contributing artist at many festivals. She can piano and its repertoire.
be heard on nearly 20 recordings, including her
solo CD, “Hunter’s Moon,” released on the Tim and his wife Lou Ann love the great hymns
Summit label. of the church; Tim served as music consultant
and Lou Ann as music editor for the Orthodox
Recognized for her teaching, Bontrager has Presbyterian Church’s Trinity Psalter-Hymnal,
presented masterclasses throughout the world, published in 2018. Appointed in 1986, Shafer is
teaching in Greece, Costa Rica, Paraguay, Professor of Piano at Penn State, where he
Germany, Japan, Brazil, among others. She is a teaches undergraduate and graduate piano
Distinguished Professor of Music at Penn State majors, piano pedagogy, and coordinates
where she received the 2008 Faculty Scholar group piano. Tim and Lou Ann are the parents
Medal for the Arts and Humanities. For six of three professional musician daughters —
summers, she taught at the Interlochen Arts Sarah, soprano; Elisabeth, trombone; Grace,
Camp. She serves as principal horn of horn
the Pennsylvania Chamber Orchestra,
the Altoona Symphony, Music at Penn’s
Woods, as tenor hornist of the Brass Band of
Battle Creek, and has performed with the
Baltimore, Chautauqua, Harrisburg and
Binghamton symphonies, and has served as an
elected member of the Advisory Council of
the International Horn Society for many years.
She holds performance degrees from the
University of Michigan where she studied with
Louis Stout and lives in State College, PA with
her husband, Gary.Grace Salyards, French horn, Sarah Shafer, soprano,
received her Bachelor's and performs with major opera
Master's degrees in horn companies throughout the
performance from the United States and abroad
Eastman School of Music and including The Metropolitan
Opera, San Francisco Opera,
Penn State University,
Glyndebourne, Opera
respectively. She has studied
Philadelphia, and San Diego
with renowned horn players Opera. Equally at home in
and pedagogues Lisa standard and contemporary
Bontrager, Peter Kurau, repertoire, Sarah created two leading roles in
Andrew Bain, David Wakefield, and Jennifer world premiere productions with San Francisco
Burch. An active freelancer, Grace has Opera, Mary Lennox in Nolan Gasser’s The
frequently performed with the North Carolina Secret Garden, and Rosetta in Marco
Symphony, the Charleston (SC) Symphony Tutino’s Two Women. She has also premiered
Orchestra, and the North Carolina Opera. She works by renowned American composer
Richard Danielpour. Shafer has appeared with
currently performs with Allegro Orchestra
orchestras including the Philadelphia
Lancaster, and as a freelancer with the
Orchestra, the National Orchestra of Mexico,
Lancaster Symphony Orchestra. A dedicated Detroit Symphony Orchestra, San Antonio and
educator, Grace recently held the position of Indianapolis Symphonies, among others. An
horn instructor at University of North Carolina avid chamber musician and recitalist, she
Wilmington, where she also performed with regularly collaborates with legendary pianist
the faculty woodwind quintet. Currently she Richard Goode. She spent five summers as a
maintains a private teaching studio in Hershey. resident artist at the Marlboro Music Festival,
Last month Grace and her husband, Jared, and is regularly featured with the Philadelphia
welcomed their first child, Lilly. Chamber Music Society. A native of State
College, PA, Sarah holds degrees in voice and
opera from the Curtis Institute of Music, and is
currently based in Philadelphia.UPCOMING CONCERTS
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the page and select “E-News sign-up”.
Enter your information and select “Concerts & Music Events” from the list.
Saturday, November 14 Sunday, December 6
7 pm 6:30 pm
Eight organists and brass come Join the congregation and
together in one program musicians of Westminster as
celebrating the addition of pipes they trace the glorious
to Westminster’s four-manual, unfolding of the Gospel in
100 rank Buch-Walker digital scripture and song.
organ.
Frank Dodd
Director of Music & Organist
dodd@westpca.comYou can also read
