Southwest Baptist
University News Release
Contact:
Office of Marketing and Communications
417-328-1803
BOLIVAR, Mo. – Southwest Baptist
University’s Annual Church Music Workshop will be held Thursday, January 31
through Saturday, February 2. Headlining the event is concert pianist and
composer Joseph Martin.
A
native of North Carolina and a member of the staff of Shawnee Press, Inc. as
Director of Sacred Publications, Martin has performed solo piano recitals and
has been the featured artist with symphony orchestras in the United States and
Mexico. His first solo piano recording, American Tapestry, was nominated for a
Dove Award. This album, along with his other recordings (Songs of the Journey,
Celtic Tapestry, and A Christmas Tapestry) has been enormously popular in the
sacred and secular markets. He has recorded for Yamaha's Disklavier series and
has composed hundreds of commissioned works.Recognized
throughout the United States for his many choral compositions, both sacred and
secular, Martin’s music is published by numerous publishing houses. Over twelve
hundred compositions are currently in print and the list continues to grow.
Associate
Dean for the School of Music at Liberty University, Lavon Gray will lead sessions on worship and worship planning. Gray
is chairman of the Worship Studies Department at Liberty and leads the Center
for Music and Worship, which is the largest worship training program in the
world. Prior to joining the faculty at Liberty, Gray served as
Associate Pastor for Music and Worship at the historic First Baptist Church of
Jackson, Mississippi, leading one of the premier music ministries in the United
States. As part of his leadership role at First Baptist of Jackson, Gray
directed the 350-voice sanctuary choir and gave oversight to a ministry with
over 1,300 members of all ages. In addition, he served on the senior leadership
team, providing vision and day-to-day administration to one of the largest
churches in the Southern Baptist Convention with a membership of over
seven-thousand.
Rounding
out the workshop faculty is SBU’s own Robert Carney. Carney is in his third year as
Assistant Professor of Music at Southwest Baptist University. A versatile pianist
and dedicated teacher, Dr. Carney consistently finds unique and creative ways
for approaching the concert stage and the piano studio. His concert programs
frequently feature hidden gems in the piano literature, including contemporary
works by American composers such as Corigliano, Menotti, Rzewski, and
Liebermann. While in the Dallas area, Dr. Carney built a large and successful
studio with students receiving top awards in numerous local, regional, and international
piano competitions. Dr. Carney's doctoral research focused on defining a new
pedagogical paradigm for integrating Web-based instruction with traditional
instruction in the piano studio. As a
soloist and collaborative pianist, Dr. Carney has performed throughout the
Midwest, South, and East Coast. He has appeared as soloist with the Louisiana
State University and Missouri State University Orchestras.
A
public concert will be offered during the workshop on Friday evening, February
1 at 7:30 p.m. in the Meyer Recital Hall on the SBU campus. Joseph Martin and the Missouri Music Men and Brass will be featured in the
concert. The concert is free and the public is encouraged to attend. For more
information contact Dr. Martha Hicks at (417) 328-1633.
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Southwest
Baptist University is a leader among private universities in truly integrating
Christ-centered academic pursuits with comprehensive professional programs at
an affordable price. At SBU, the faculty and staff create a caring, academic
community to prepare students to be servant leaders in a global society. For
more information, visit www.SBUniv.edu.
