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Hymn Arrangement for Orchestra: Be Thou My Vision

Be Thou My Vision was commissioned by Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, and premiered at their fifth annual Desiring God National Conference back in September. As with all of my hymn arrangements for orchestra, I try to stay true to…
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Christmas SATB Choral Anthem: Gloria in Excelsis Deo

Although I like all of The Word Became Flesh, I think Gloria in Excelsis Deo is undoubtedly one of the most exciting moments in the whole work. If you listen carefully throughout the underscores of The Word Became Flesh,, you'll notice a distinctively…
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Christmas SATB Choral Anthem: Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus

I think this is one of the most beautiful hymn tunes. And Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus is one of my favorite hymn settings. I have attempted to make the musical arrangement portray the sense of longing that the Hebrew people felt as they awaited…
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Christmas SATB Choral Anthem: Unto Us a Child Is Born

Unto Us a Child Will Be Born takes the longing of Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus and infuses it with a sort of sort of celebratory expression of expectation. If you listen closely, you will see that the melody in the Savior Foretold Underscore…
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Orchestral Hymn Arrangement of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony Masterpiece

I just completed work on my new orchestral setting of the classic hymn Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee. As I contemplated how to best arrange this piece for church orchestra, I could think of nothing more joyous than Beethoven’s original musical…

SATB Choral Anthem: Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee with Asifiwe Bwana

Recently, I had a director ask me how my and Heidi's unique setting of Joyful, Joyful with Asifiwe Bwana came to be. So here is the story behind this unique arrangement. Randy Edwards, the director of YouthCUE, asked me to compose some new…
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Jesus, In His Own Words in Washington DC

Heidi and I were blessed to attend the YouthCUE Nation’s Capital performance of In His Own Words on June 29th, 2008. This concert featured a chorus comprised of almost 300 teenagers (from seven states and six denominations) accompanied by…

Psalm 13 Choral Anthem: Your Unfailing Love

On September 1st of 2007, Heidi's extended family gathered together for the burial of her Aunt Julie’s ashes. Auntie Julie, as we called her, died on November 3rd, 2006 after a year-long battle with cancer. She was only fifty-four. Even…
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Welch’s TV commercial with Alton Brown

Just after I finished composing and producing music for the two Great Western Bank spots, I was contacted by my good friend Stephen Yarbrough. Stephen was the professor  of theory and composition at the University of South Dakota. He had been…
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Leaving Nashville

After a decade of living in Nashville and working in the music industry, I was ready for a change…not just professionally but for our family as well. After the birth of our second daughter in 2005, we wanted to be closer to family, reduce…