06 November 2016

Well, it was absolutely beautiful...

...while it lasted. For the past seven years we've feasted on the very best of Lutheran organ music (Bach, Buxdehute, Pachelbel to only name some of my very favorites); our choir has been immeasurably enriched by absolutely stunning conducting, taking us from your run of the mill church choir, to a choir that could pull off pieces and do them well, way beyond anything we'd ever dared dream. Mozart Mass in C? No problem! Faure's Cantique de Jean Racine. Got it! Manz' E'en So. Nailed it! We've sung in Latin (Panis Angelicus, for instance) and German (Luther's Herr Gott, Dich Loben Wir), and probably the most challenging stuff has been some John Rutter pieces for Christmas. Anywho...the man who accomplished this improbably feat? Mr. Carlo Van Ulft. Sadly, today's bulletin announced that he's submitted his letter of resignation and that his time at St. Paul's draws rapidly to a close. His final Sunday will be on November 20th. My sadness is beyond words that this wonderful experience with him is almost over, but I will always, always be thankful for the way he enriched and transformed our congregation's music. We have been remarkably graced. God bless you, Carlo, and may your music continue to bring joy to the hearts of those who will be blessed to hear you play and sing under your leadership in the future. 

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