LSM alumni and other members of the LSM community contributed to a memorial service for Richard Wagner, former Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in downtown Houston, Texas. Trinity has been a longtime supporter of LSM.

LSM Faculty members Cheryl Lemmons and Paul Morton reunited in Lafayette, Louisiana, when Lemmons played in a recital for one of Morton’s trumpet students at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Both Lemmons and Morton are longtime LSM Faculty, with a combined 51 summers at LSM.

Lawrence University Choirs performed a concert on November 14, 2025, featuring members of the LSM community. Dr. Shannon Gravelle, who leads the LSM Festival Choir, conducted two ensembles and was joined by former LSM fellow Isaac Keith and LSM Alumni Donte, Eden, and John Paul.

This is just one example of the many ways LSM’s community lasts long after the end of the summer. Congratulations to all involved!

LSM Cantor Chad Fothergill was featured in a recent episode of the Duke Chapel Podcast, Sounds of Faith. The interview offers a glimpse into the ways that he chooses music for worship, the role of the organ in leading a congregation, and his work at LSM.

On Nov. 20, LSM Concert Band conductor Jeffrey Scott Doebler will conduct Windiana in a concert program featuring “A Movement for Rosa” by Mark Camphouse.

LSM's community and support for church music spread far beyond the confines of our summer academy. Many LSM community members attended and took part in last weekend's Dallas Hymn Festival, which celebrates the Lutheran musical tradition's long history and bright future.

Valparaiso University’s Homecoming Showcase tomorrow, October 25, will feature LSM faculty and alumni. Join the LSM and Valparaiso communities tomorrow, October 25, at 4:00 PM to celebrate VU’s Homecoming and the strong relationship between our institutions. The concert will take place in the Chapel of the Resurrection.

LSM Student Kai (LSM 2025) played Beach Spring, an LSM Hymn Tune Project arrangement, during the Offertory at Peace Lutheran Church in Salem, OR, on September 21. This new arrangement by Liturgical Composer in Residence Anne Krentz Organ was commissioned for the 2025 LSM community.

On October 26, LSM Cantor Chad Fothergill (LSM 2000) will be featured in the Lankford Arts Series at First Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The concert will include a new hymn arrangement for organ, brass, and timpani arranged by Fothergill, alongside other works by Bach and Luther.

The Valparaiso University Chamber Concert Band will tour Indiana and Ohio this October 9-12 under the direction of LSM Festival Band Conductor Dr. Doebler.

LSM Faculty member Dr. David Cherwien will perform as the featured guest organist at this year’s Lutheran Hymn Festival benefiting LSM students at the Myerson Symphony Center in Dallas, Texas, on October 19th at 4:30 PM.

LSM Faculty member Dr. April Kim will host the second Korean Composers Festival September 27-28 at St. Olaf College. This festival celebrates music composed by Korean and Korean diaspora composers through both performance and scholarship.

LSM Festival Band Conductor Dr. Doebler will lead all three of Valparaiso University’s bands in performance on Saturday, October 4. The Valparaiso University Chamber Concert Band will perform at 4:00 PM, and at 7:30 PM the Valparaiso University Luce Concert Band and Valparaiso Community/University Concert Band will perform.

Congratulations and best wishes to LSM student Lauren who will be competing in powerlifting at the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games, hosted in Minneapolis next summer. When Lauren attended LSM 2024, she could deadlift 240 lbs. Now she's up to 280 lbs! Go Lauren!

Congratulations to former LSM Board Member and faculty member Martin Jean on his reappointment to lead the Yale Institute of Sacred Music. The ISM prepares leaders to integrate the study and practice of religion with that of music and the arts through engagement with the sacred through music, worship, and the arts in Christian communities, diverse religious traditions, and public life.