Music has been part of worship services since flutes were included in burial sites thousands of years ago. Frame drums have been used for percussion for millennia, along with vocal music sung in unison and in harmony. This congregation is lucky enough to have a gifted music director in Katherine Price, and the singers who participate in the choir add something very special when they are part of the service.
The congregation is fortunate to have young singers and instrumentalists, so we can enjoy listening to Kevyn Carter-Long sing, Lina Yokote play the cello, and Anna Yokote play the trumpet. We also get to hear Todd Hoke sing and play the guitar, Paulette Johnson play the piano; and we enjoy those times when a guest musician joins Katherine to collaborate or is a soloist for the service.
The choir expands the congregation’s connections with the larger Unitarian Universalist world by singing in Spanish, Zulu, and Hungarian in addition to English. Our concert series has presented everything from Swing music from the 1940s to traditional and contemporary folk music by a duo called Friction Farm, to a performance by a gifted Japanese-American pianist who is a student at Julliard. We also provide opportunities to the community through offerings such as singing with people who have Alzheimer’s or other neurological conditions that may limit their participation beyond their own families and friends. Our musicians also participate in community offerings such as Thanksgiving and World Peace Day.
We are incredibly fortunate to be part of this ministry of music, by participation or in spirit. In the future, look for a regular column by “The Music Mouse,” who will keep you informed about what’s going on in the congregation, musically speaking.