Perkins Hosts 65th Anniversary Sacred Music Reunion
The last time Perkins hosted a reunion for alumni of the Sacred Music program was March 9–11, 2020. Just two days later, the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the world. In the years that followed, church musicians scrambled to adapt.
The massive changes of the past five years gave attendees much to reflect on when Perkins hosted the 65th Anniversary Sacred Music Reunion last month, Feb. 24–26. According to Marcell Silva Steuernagel, director of the Master of Sacred Music Program at Perkins, the event was a great success.
Approximately 70 alumni, faculty, students, and friends attended from 40 cities, spanning 52 years of the program. The earliest graduate in attendance from the class of 1972. “I think people enjoyed having alumni from different generations share their
experiences and compare notes,” Silva Steuernagel said.
The program featured representatives from all departments involved with the interdisciplinary Sacred Music programs. Presenters included Anthony Elia, director of Bridwell Library; Thomas Keck, director of the Division of Music in the SMU Meadows School of the Arts; and Margaret Winchell, the director of Choral Activities at Meadows. The Meadows Chamber Singers also performed during closing worship.
The reunion opened with an Alumni Organ Concert featuring Charles Eidelman, an up-and-coming organ student at SMU; Dr. Michael Conrady (M.S.M. ’09, M.T.S. ’09, D.Min. ’19), director of music, organist and choirmaster at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church; Alissa Brewer (M.S.M. ’15), an organist and choirmaster at St. Vincent’s Anglican Cathedral; and Dr. Wayne A. Barr (M.S.M. ’92), director of choral activities at Tuskegee University.
Worship services and musical performances provided attendees with opportunities to reconnect and engage with peers. Keynote speakers Dr. Steve Guthrie, Dr. Monique M. Ingalls, and Dr. Jeffrey A. Murdock reflected on the changes in church music scholarship and practice, as well as topics on music and theology. An outing to Westlake Brewery in Deep Ellum for an evening of “Beer & Hymns” gave attendees a chance to experience Dallas.
Another highlight was the presentation of the Soli Deo Gloria Awards honoring outstanding service in church music. This year’s awardees included:
- Wayne A. Barr
- Tim Morrison (M.S.M. ’85), music director at Custer Road UMC for four decades
- Judith Laoyan-Mosomos (M.S.M. ’85), a visionary church musician and educator serving in Southeast Asia and beyond
- Clark W. Joseph (M.T.S. in Church Music ’05), minister of music and worship arts at St. John Church Unleashed
Silva Steuernagel praised the hard work of the reunion team, including Jackie Ancelet, Fernando Berwig Silva, Chris Anderson, Michael Hawn and the dedicated staff at Perkins.
“The best events are more than the sum of their parts, and that really happened this time,” he said. “The last five years have been tumultuous for many church musicians; this reunion served as a beautiful bookending of that time.”