Sundays at Four

On May 1st the Central College Chamber Singers, Newton High School Varsity Chorale and the First Presbyterian Chancel Choir presented a collaborative concert at First Presbyterian Church at 4:00. The choirs each presented a variety of songs and collaborative selections that included Ralph Vaughan Williams "Antiphon" from Five Mystical Songs, Z. Randall Stroope's "Lamentations of Jeremiah" and Robert Ray's "He Never Failed Me Yet". The Chamber Singers were conducted by Mark Babcock. The Varsity Chorale was conducted by Norm Grimm and accompanied by Marlys Grimm. The Chancel Choir was conducted by Larry Anderson and accompanied by Sandy Smit.

Since the remodeling of the sanctuary with the new organ and piano, we’ve hosted four to six concerts each academic year. These have included organ and piano recitals, voice recitals, choirs (Grinnell Singers, twice, and the Singing Quakers), a very fine piano trio from the University of South Dakota (twice), the steel drum band from Central College, and our own choir and other musicians.

The general purpose is to celebrate good music of various styles, make good use of the excellent music-making space and high quality organ and piano we have in our sanctuary, and sustain our reputation as a church which values the arts.

We look primarily for good amateur musicians and ensembles, partly because we are not able to pay well. We typically provide a small honorarium for musicians who have to travel from out of town. The concerts are supported by free will offerings given by the audiences.

Colleges and universities are excellent resources because students and faculty may be looking for places to perform where they can get experience, exposure, and the enjoyment of performing in a very satisfying acoustical and aesthetic environment. Our audiences have generally been small but enthusiastic, and we’re hoping to attract steadily larger audiences.