Events
Concerts and Performances
View the current concert schedule, including guest, ensemble, and Master Chorale concerts.
View the current performance schedule, including student recitals and Performance Lab.
Southwestern Music Academy
The Southwestern Music Academy offers lessons in piano, organ, voice, flute, guitar, violin and Kindermusik classes for children and is open to the seminary family as well as to the community. Click for registration form or more information.
Children's Choir
Registration for Fall 2013 will be available soon. Click here for more information.
Classes in Jazz Studies
Courses of study in Jazz Studies designed for the Church Musician are intended and designed to give our students a thorough understanding of the complex harmonic vocabulary of jazz, practice in application of various styles in the tradition of jazz literature and to directly relate instruction to worship in the church. The constitution of most praise teams resembles that of a traditional jazz ensemble; thus, further instruction in the jazz style and literature can exponentially enhance the quality of the praise-team ensemble in leading a church and worship.
Courses in jazz history, jazz improvisation, and private lessons are open to Southwestern students in all programs. Contact Dr. Joe Hardin in the School of Church Music, 817.923.1921 x3125, for more information.
School of Church Music News
Streamlined Master of Arts in Worship degree breaks distance, language barriers
A revamped School of Church Music (SCM) degree program has entered the final stages of pilot course testing and is set to launch in fall 2013. The new, streamlined Master of Arts in Worship (MAW), which features online and hybrid course options, allows students to gain theological and musical training without having to physically relocate for Fort Worth. More
Artist in Residence Kurt Sprenger to perform, teach in Tokyo
Artist in Residence, Kurt Sprenger, will travel to Japan May 17 to perform recitals in Tokyo and to teach masters violin classes at Tokyo Baptist Church. Sprenger said the recitals are a continuation of tsunami relief efforts he participated in, in the states. More
Students prepare to sing the Gospel in South Korea, Malaysia
The Southwestern Chamber Chorale presented the Gospel in song at the Music for Missions concert, April 12, telling the story of salvation from the beginning of the Word in John 1:1 to His redemptive work on the cross in John 3:16. The 10 students in the chorale will leave May 13 to share the same message in South Korea and Malaysia during a 24-day mission trip. More
Southwestern Leads Nation in Church Music
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary leads the nation in church music education, according to survey results reported last fall during the annual meeting of the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM). According to this survey of 84 schools, Southwestern is the only accredited institution to the offer a Ph.D. in church music. Also, only seven institutions—including Southwestern, as well as two other Southern Baptist seminaries—offer Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in church music. More
Helbing Trains Musical Chameleons
Jazz musician Stockton Helbing drums like a chameleon, changing the shades of his rhythm and style to blend with any musical setting.
'Messiah' Christens New Chapel in Historical Fashion
Handel’s Hallelujah chorus has a history of inaugurating buildings and the first annual production of Christmas at Southwestern was no exception. The School of Church Music (SCM) presented John Rutter’s Magnificat and G.F. Handel’s Messiah in the first-ever performance held in the new J.W. MacGorman Chapel and Performing Arts Center dedicated earlier in the day with a chapel worship service. More
Miller Rock Out for the 'Stone the Builders Rejected'
Turn a typical rock star upside down, shake them up and spin them around and the outcome may be a little closer to the kind of rock guitar artist found in Southwestern student Lindsey Miller. No amount of spotlight or stage could take her focus away from pointing people to the real main event: Christ. “I get the opportunity because I work in both the secular world and the church world,” Miller says. “I always have a doorway to people outside the church. I feel humbled that I get the opportunity to share, to be outside in the world with the people, sharing through music.” MoreJazz Pianist Says Humility, Service Keys to Music, Ministry
For master’s student Fredrick Sanders, though, faith in Christ and a purpose to his playing make for a well-portioned, God-glorifying, likely understated medley. Sanders, a veteran jazz musician who has played with music legends such as the Marsalis brothers and in industry icons such as New York’s Lincoln Center, says his music style keeps him grounded, reminding him with each ivory key his fingers tap that he is not and cannot be the center. More
Seminary Welcomes Guests to Steinway Experience
Southwestern Seminary treated guests to an intimate concert experience, Oct. 20, as students, faculty and trustees of the institution played pieces on seven Steinway pianos. The evening highlighted the seminary’s progress toward becoming an “All-Steinway” school, which represents Southwestern’s dedication to musical excellence and investing in future generations. More
Southwestern's Master Chorale Premieres Works in New York City
NEW YORK, N.Y. (SWBTS) – Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary’s Master Chorale premiered compositions of two seminary professors during a performance at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City’s Lincoln Center, May 8. The concert provided a prominent venue for the Fort Worth-based seminary.
The Master Chorale was accompanied by the New England Symphonic Ensemble, under the direction of David Thye, professor of church music at Southwestern and principal associate conductor with MidAmerica Productions. More
Gala Debuts Compositions and Hearts for Christ
FORT WORTH, Texas (SWBTS) -- The eighth annual Gala Concert of Sacred Music provided Southwestern students and friends of the seminary with a stirring, musically gifted evening of familiar hymns as well as debut compositions by faculty. Steve Green, songwriter and recording artist, joined Southwestern’s Master Chorale, Southwestern Singers and selected members of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra for the Feb. 24 event. More
SWBTS Music Dean Pens Score for
Documentary Presentation
Dr. Stephen Johnson co-wrote the score for a new documentary about the history of “The Crucifixion,” the largest painting of the crucifixion in the world, collaborating with friend and fellow composer Corb Felgenhour. The 45-foot tall, 195-foot long painting of the crucifixion by Polish artist Jan Styka today hangs in The Hall of Crucifixion and Resurrection, a museum owned by Forest Lawn Cemetery where many of Hollywood’s most famous actors are interred. After a lengthy restoration, the painting was unveiled on Good Friday, April 14, 2006. Read the entire article about the painting and the score.
The School of Church Music Turns 90
The School of Church Music at Southwestern Seminary marked 90 years of training church musicians in September 2005. Read reflections on the school's past as well as musings on the school's future by its new dean, Stephen Johnson.
An Interview with President Patterson
As president of Southwestern Seminary, Paige Patterson has proven to be a firm supporter of the School of Church Music. Read his thoughts on the theological significance of hymns and the need for comprehensive church music programs. Click here for Interview
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