Registration is open for a music workshop for church choir members to be held Saturday, Feb. 25, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in downtown Salem. It it will led by a noted African-American musician, Dr.James Abbington and is open to singers of any age and level. The workshop, “Sing to the Rafters: Encouraging and Enriching Congregational Singing,” will be from 9:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
The workshop will precede a Brotherhood Month concert to be held Sunday, Feb. 26, at 4 p.m. at Shiloh Baptist Church on South Market Street in Salem. It is free and will include selections from two neighborhood choirs. The predominantly white Episcopal choir and the predominantly African-American Baptist choir will present three anthems from their own traditions, then mingle for others.
Abbington is nationally known in church music circles for his editing of a hymnal of spiritual songs of the black tradition. Currently an associate professor of church music and worship at Candler School of Theology of Emory University in Atlanta, he travels widely as a representative of GIA Publications which is sponsoring the workshop along with the two congregations.
For more information about the workshop go to www.giamusic.com/aacms. The $25 registration fee includes samples of church music.