Joseph Martin 08

Nationally known composer/pianist Joseph Martin will participate in worship services at Blue Ridge Blvd. United Methodist Church on Sunday, March 16.
He will present a commissioned piece with the church choirs
at the 8:30, 9:30 & 10:50 Worship Services.

At 2:00 that afternoon he will present a piano concert, again playing the Blue Ridge commissioned music and much more!
There is no charge for the concert.

Joseph Martin (1959- ), a native of North Carolina, earned his Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. Subsequently he earned a Master of Music degree in Piano Performance at the University of Texas, Austin. Joseph taught for five years in the Piano Pedagogy Department of the University of Texas. His piano teachers include Jimmy Woodle, David Gibson, Amanda Vick Lethco, Martha Hilley and Danielle Martin. While at Furman University, we was accompanist for choral director and composer Milburn Price and, inspired by his teaching, Martin began to compose.

He is a member of the staff of Shawnee Press, Inc. as Director of Sacred Publications, with responsibilities for overseeing the editorial and creative direction of the company and also coordinating the recording and production aspects of future sacred publishing efforts.

Joseph has performed solo piano recitals and has been the featured artist with symphony orchestras in the United States and Mexico. As winner of the Nina Plant Wideman Competition, he performed with the Guadalajara Symphony Orchestra. His solo recital in Ex-convento del Carmen was broadcast nationally throughout the country. Though he continues to perform in concert, he now devotes his efforts to playing in churches and for conferences of church musicians

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) have 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, Joseph's music is published by numerous publishing houses. Over a thousand compositions are currently in print and the list continues to grow.

His composition "Pieta" was recently honored with an award from the John Ness Beck Foundation.

Along with Mark Hayes and David Angerman, Joseph has co-authored a fully graded, progressive piano method for the Christian student called Keys for the Kingdom. His major works include 16 choral cantatas and Song of Wisdom, a choral tone poem based on the best-selling children's book, Old Turtle.

His music can be heard in such diverse locations as Carnegie Hall in New York City; the Lawrence Welk Theatre in Branson, Missouri; and in hundreds of worship services in churches across the United States and Canada. He continues to surprise audiences with the variety and scope of his compositions and arrangements.

Joseph lives in Austin, Texas with his children Jonathan and Aubrey and his wife Sue.

Visit Joseph Martin's web site: www.martin88.com

MUSIC AT BLUE RIDGE

Music has always been an important part of worship here at Blue Ridge, evolving from one voice leading the singing accompanied by a pump organ, to the formation of choirs, the addition of the Hammond organ in 1952, which was later moved into the Chapel, and the installation of our pipe organ in 1965. Additional pipes were added to the organ in 1977 for a total of 29 ranks. Our newest addition was the grand piano in 2000.

The Chancel Choir has been around for decades, for longer than most of us can remember. Over the years it has been led by several choir directors, some of whom are with us today. The majority of the current Chancel Choir members have been singing in the Choir for many, many years, and we hope we will all be around for years to come. This includes our Music Assistant, Debbie Keeton, who has attended Blue Ridge all her life, and whose mother, Martha Keeton, was organist. We always welcome new members.

Mrs. Amy Krinke has been our Chancel Choir Director since 2003. Amy is also Assistant Choral Director at Blue Springs High School/Freshman Center. Our Director of Music and Organist is Mrs. Linda Mann. After coming to this church as a youth in 1969 and singing in the Youth Choir, Linda has been serving in the music ministry of this church ever since. She joined the church staff in 1975, first playing the piano for the children’s choir. She became the organist in 1976, and then also the Director of Music in 1987. She directs the Cornerstone Praise Band and Choir, which she helped form in 1998, as well as bell choirs, youth choir, and many other musical activities. Apart from church, Linda accompanies the vocal music department at Truman High School for their numerous musical classes and performances.

Our anthem today is a newly composed work by Mr. Joseph Martin, which was commissioned by and for our church in honor of Linda Mann. Accompanied by Mr. Martin, it will be presented by The Chancel Choir, along with members of The Cornerstone Praise Choir and Youth Choir, as well as guest singers. The anthem is titled Psalm of Exaltation and is based on scripture verses from Psalms 34 and 108. Read more about the music at Blue Ridge.

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