Today’s a big day in the NPM office! Whether you’re a member or not, check out our new website look at npm.org. We’ve simplified the navigation to make learning about NPM much easier. We’ve also made the website more mobile-friendly, and added a Google Calendar where you can import all of our events into your own Google Calendar…even Ministry Monday episodes!
Check it out today at npm.org.
Registration for the 2021 National Convention also opens today! This year’s National Convention will take place in New Orleans, Louisiana on July 27-30, 2021. The event will be a “hybrid event”, offering both an in-person and virtual experience for an attendee to register. Feel safer not traveling this year, or does your budget not allow for travel? Sign up for the virtual convention experience. You’ll watch the same Plenum addresses, breakout sessions and other events that your in-person attendees are experiencing as well.
Want to join the fun in New Orleans? Register as an in-person attendee. We have some surprises up our sleeve to make the in-person experience full of New Orleans spirit.
For more information and how to register, visit npm.org.
This week is 2 of a 2-part series on the Public Domain. If you missed last week’s episode, you can listen in anytime wherever you get your podcasts, or on Ministry Monday’s website, ministrymonday.org.
This week focuses on how to best use the public domain as an organist, both in manuals-only pieces, full pedal works and even arrangements best used for weddings.
When I started to think about the public domain, I thought first of my dependency on the free online tool when I was a student in my undergraduate degree. Like many students, I had very little money, and my music performance degree required me to learn repertoire at a faster pace than my paycheck could allow. Let’s admit it: music can be expensive! So I used the Public Domain to my advantage as much as I could, printing out scores of Vierne and Franck’s music and compiling them into my own 3-ring binder.
I forgot how much of a treasure trove it was to unearth organ pieces, big and small, on the public domain! And so I called my colleague and friend, Chaz Bowers, to explore how he best uses things like IMSLP for both him and his students at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, PA. He currently serves as Director of Music at Saint Michael the Archangel Parish (incorporating St. Bernard and Our Lady of Grace church) in the South Hills of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is also an adjunct professor in the organ and sacred music department at Seton Hill, along with being the Dean of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Guild of Organists until 2021.
Chaz and I talked about the history of IMSLP, and how it can be used for any keyboardist of any skill level. All you have to do is sit down and explore.
SHOW NOTES
Bio: Chaz Bowers
Chaz Bowers is an accomplished organist, educator, and a respected composer of sacred music. He currently serves as Director of Music at Saint Michael the Archangel Parish (incorporating St. Bernard and Our Lady of Grace church) in the South Hills of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he instituted a multiple-choir and orchestral program for the newly formed parish, developed an acclaimed concert series, and managed a semi-professional music program of nearly 150 musicians.
Bowers started in this role in 2014, after serving for five years as Director of Music at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Irwin, Pennsylvania, and Assistant Organist at the Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in Greensburg.
Bowers holds a Master’s Degree in Sacred Music from Duquesne University and a Bachelor of Music from Seton Hill University, where he now serves as an Adjunct Professor, teaching courses in organ and sacred music, coordinates the sacred music degree and certificate programs, and serves as the University Organist. He is also currently the Dean of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Guild of Organists until 2021.
As an active performer, he has played recitals in Bermuda, Florida and West Virginia, and he has dedicated numerous organs in the Western Pennsylvania region. Bowers has been featured on Pittsburgh’s WQED radio, serving as accompanist for major choral works performed by local professional choirs.
A budding composer, his compositions are noted by their lush harmonies, rich textures, and accessible writing. Chaz has pieces in print with GIA Publications, Augsburg Fortress, and the Denver Brass Publications.
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