Art and Music, Gifts You Lend Us (Conference)

	Good Shepherd Institute Conference: Art and Music, Gifts You Lend Us
	For Immediate Release August 20, 2015 FORT WAYNE, IND. (CTSFW)—The “noble art of music,” as Martin Luther described it, is a prominent feature of each Good Shepherd Institute Conference. The theme for the 2015 conference is “Art and Music, Gifts You Lend Us,” and will take place on the Concordia Theological Seminary (CTSFW), Fort Wayne, Indiana, campus November 1–3. This year’s conference adds the visual arts as a literal focal point for our consideration. In addition to the fine music, Christ-centered worship and thoughtful presentations, an ecclesiastical art exhibition will be on display.  Additional information and online registration is available at www.ctsfw.edu/GSI/Annual-Conference.   Musical and visual arts used in service of the Gospel are theologically-informed and also inform theologically. Dr. Gene Edward Veith, author or editor of 24 books on topics involving Christianity and culture, classical education, literature and the arts; and the Rev. Stephen P. Starke, one of the Church’s foremost hymn writers and pastor of St. John Lutheran Church (Amelith), Bay City, Michigan, will give plenary addresses regarding the role of art and music as first article gifts and how the principles of design apply to Christian hymnody. Practical ideas of how to apply art and music to the local parish, as well as sectionals for organists, choir directors and pastors, will underscore the theme of the conference. Those scheduled to present are: •Kevin Hildebrand, kantor at CTSFW and frequent recitalist and hymn festival presenter, as well as a composer whose works are published by Concordia Publishing House and MorningStar Music Publishers; •John Hrehov, chair and professor of the Department of Fine Arts at Indiana-Purdue University, Fort Wayne; •Matthew Machemer, associate kantor at CTSFW and a composer with music available through Concordia Publishing House and Liturgy Solutions; and •Kelly Schumacher, a 2013 Master of Fine Arts graduate from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia. “The Good Shepherd Institute conference has become for many an oasis of beauty and a clear confession of the Christian faith in a culture that is increasingly indifferent to such things,” commented Hildebrand. “We look forward to welcoming back those who attend regularly and meeting others who are visiting our campus and this conference for the first time.”