04/05/2013

Lutheran Music Program Expands Offerings to Engage Older Adults

Lutheran Music Program, the Minneapolis-based nonprofit organization that produces the annual Lutheran Summer Music Academy & Festival, announces the expansion of its program offerings to include a five-day lifelong learning retreat for older adults in conjunction with its renowned summer academy. The 2013 Senior Adult Retreat will take place July 17 to 21, 2013, and is supported through a partnership with Illinois-based Lutheran Life Communities. Retreat participants will attend workshops, Bible studies, and seminars, immerse themselves in LSM’s culminating student recitals and concerts, and join the LSM community for worship.

The 32nd Lutheran Summer Music Academy & Festival (LSM) will take place from June 23 to July 21 on the campus of Luther College in Decorah, IA. More than 150 high school students, 12 college interns, and 34 faculty members will convene from around the country for four weeks of rigorous musical training in a supportive, faith-centered community. The final days of the program, called Festival Week, feature culminating performances by LSM’s large ensembles – band, choir, and orchestra – as well as studio recitals, chamber music recitals, jazz and pipe organ concerts, and the popular LSM hymn festival.

Registrations are now being accepted from adults ages 55 and older for the Senior Adult Retreat, which will coincide with the LSM Festival Week activities. In addition to attending the musical offerings listed above, attendees will participate in pre-concert chats with ensemble conductors; bible studies and daily devotions; a lecture series entitled "Journeys through the Holy Land"; and hands-on activities led by arts and aging specialists. Senior Adult Retreat participants are also invited to join the LSM community for worship services, including Evening Prayer following each night’s concert and Sunday Morning’s closing worship service. The program will appeal to older adults interested in music, young people, and traditional, liturgical Lutheran worship.

Artists and faculty engaged to lead the program include Rev. Wayne Weissenbuehler, former LSM chaplain and retired bishop of the Rocky Mountain Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Rev. Susanne Smith, senior pastor at Messiah Lutheran Church in Burlington, IA; Rev. Richard Koehneke, retired pastor of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (and a member of the Lutheran Music Program board of directors); Dr. Richard Bimler, ambassador for Health, Hope and Aging for Lutheran Life Communities (also a member of the Lutheran Music Program board of directors); Dr. Karen Black, LSM chapel choir conductor; Dr. Jeffrey Doebler, LSM band conductor; Dr. Allen Hightower, LSM choir conductor; and Dr. David Upham, LSM orchestra conductor.

Senior Adult Retreat participants will enjoy the convenience of living on the Luther College campus in apartment-style dormitory housing, and eating meals in the Luther cafeteria during a time when Decorah area hotels and restaurants are filled with LSM parents and Festival Week visitors. Registration for the five-day program is just $500 per person and includes room and board, workshops, recitals and concerts, and all program materials. Individuals interested in receiving registration information are invited to email lsm@lutheransummermusic.org or call Lutheran Music Program at 888-635-6583 toll-free. Space is limited, so interested adults are encouraged to register before May 1.

About Lutheran Music Program

Founded in 1981, Lutheran Music Program offers training and performance opportunities for musicians and music appreciators through a variety of programs and services. LMP fulfills its mission to transform lives and connect people through faith and music through its primary program, the Lutheran Summer Music Academy & Festival, and a variety of other musical offerings offered throughout the U.S. LSM has brought together talented young musicians from across the U.S. for a month-long musical immersion for more than 30 years and actively trains the next generation of musicians for the Lutheran church. More than 55% of LSM alumni go on to attend a Lutheran college, and 90% study music while in college. The national offices for Lutheran Music Program are located in Minneapolis, MN. Learn more at www.lutheranmusicprogram.org. About Lutheran Life Communities

Lutheran Life Communities reaches out to the community-at-large with comprehensive services and programs that empower vibrant, grace-filled living across all generations, including rehabilitation services, home health, adult day care, relocation and moving services, hospice, pastoral services, volunteer programs, and even child care. The national offices for Lutheran Life Communities are located in Arlington, IL. Learn more at www.lutheranlifecommunities.org.