Greetings! Our friends at St. John’s Episcopal Church asked the Mining City Choral Union to share the information below regarding a Composer and Choral Conference being hosted in Melrose/Butte. This is an opportunity for community singers to come together and perform brand new compositions from folks well-known to the Butte and Anaconda music communities.
* Note that this event isn’t affiliated with the Mining City Choral Union, but is an educational opportunity for members of our choir as well as the community.
COMPOSERS, ASPIRING COMPOSERS, SINGERS, AND MUSICIANS!!
All singers and musicians are invited to join us at a special church service on Sunday, September 25 th at St. John's
Episcopal Church in Butte for a wonderful celebration in conjunction with the Composer’s/Choral Conference detailed
below. All who love to sing are welcome! So far, there are participants from Presbyterian churches, Methodist
Churches, and Episcopal Churches from around southwest Montana and Idaho who will be attending the
Composer’s/Choral Conference, and original arrangements by these composers will be presented for the first time at
this joyous service!
All rehearsals for singers will be held at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 15 N. Idaho St., Butte, on the southwest
corner of Broadway and Idaho, due west of the Public Library. Please enter the red church door at the corner.
Friday, September 23 at 2:00pm – organ demonstration by Joel Bejot of Idaho, followed by an optional rehearsal with
Dick Brown and Joel at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Butte. All singers, whether they read music or not, whether they
have sung in choirs or not, are invited to participate. This is an optional rehearsal for singers who would like to get an
early start on this brand new, original music.
Sunday, September 25, St. John’s Episcopal Church – the glorious celebration of original compositions, anthems,
fraction anthems, descants, and harmonies, and the culmination of the Melrose Composer’s/Choral Conference.
9:15am – Rehearsal (required)
10:45am – Service
Things to bring: Joy! Pencils, your parish choir vestments (extras will be available for those who don’t have them)
Thank you! Hope that you can join us!
COMPOSERS, ASPIRING COMPOSERS, SINGERS, AND MUSICIANS are invited to attend the Melrose Composers/Choral
Conference which runs Wednesday, Sept 21 through Sunday, Sept 25. Most sessions will be held at Cabin #10 of the
Sportsman Lodge in Melrose, https://sportsmanlodgemt.com 406-835-2141; info@SportsmanLodgeMT.com There
are cabins and motel units, some with kitchenettes, an RV Park, and camping spaces available. Please make your
reservations ASAP if you would like to stay overnight.
The pandemic had a profound effect on all churches. Many church choirs went from 25-30 members down to 1-2, or
disbanded altogether. Services were cancelled or only available online, and many church members and choir members
have still not returned to in-person attendance. Smaller churches were particularly hard hit. This conference came
about because of discussions by musicians, choirmasters, and others about how to “get things going again” now that
fears of the pandemic have subsided somewhat. Future Composer’s/Choral Conferences are envisioned around the
state to spread the reassurance that “You are not alone; we will all get through this together.”
There will be sessions on choral anthems, choral technique, sequence hymns, grants available for organ repair and
maintenance, acoustics, opportunities for composing, discussions and demonstrations of settings, choral and physical,
including instrumentation in services.
Things to bring if you can: — ’82 Hymnal, BCP, Good Attitude, pencils, staff paper. It is Montana so be ready for any type
of weather. Please be FLEXIBLE to schedule changes.
Administrator: Dick Brown, retired Music Director, St. Peter’s Cathedral, Helena
Organist, Choirmaster, St. Thomas Church, Sun Valley, Idaho: Joel Bejot
Trumpet Soloist, and Band Director, Capitol High School, Helena: Duane Zehr
If you would like to participate in any part of this event, please contact:
Dick Brown, 406-202-8028 bndbrown@gmail.com