On our 250th episode of Ministry Monday we offer a replay from the podcast's archives on improvisation. In the midst of many Advent and Christmas preparations, I’ll admit that solid improvisatory skills are an excellent tool to have in my arsenal. Today Dr. Benjamin Cornelius-Bates - a professor of musicianship at Duquesne University - shares tips on how to improvise on traditional and contemporary Advent hymn tunes this Advent and Christmas season. Ben’s tips are practical for well beyond the Advent season, but I hope that they spark some creativity during a trying time like Advent for the pastoral musician.
SHOW NOTES
This episode originally aired on December 6, 2021. Click here to view the original episode.
Dr. Benjamin Cornelius-Bates, organist, improviser, and composer, grew up in Alaska. He earned his BM in organ performance at the University of Montana in Missoula studying with Dr. Nancy Cooper. After moving to Vancouver, British Columbia with his wife, Benjamin studied organ with Rachel Alflatt and composition with her husband Denis Bédard. Benjamin earned his MM in Sacred Music from Duquesne University in 2009 and an Artist’s Diploma in 2011 studying under Dr. Ann Labounsky, emphasizing improvisation. Benjamin has a Doctorate in Music Composition at West Virginia University, where he studied with Dr. Joseph Dangerfield, Dr. Matthew Heap, and Dr. David Taddie. He has competed internationally as an improviser in France, Germany, and the United States and has had numerous commissions including a premier at the 2018 Kansas City American Guild of Organists National Convention.
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