My wife Cindy and I live in Moline, Illinois where I am a music educator at Moline High School and the organist/worship leader for Trinity Lutheran Church (also in Moline). We have 2 grown children (Tyson/Abbey with granddaughter Avery in Chicago and Briony/Michael in Tacoma, WA) who we raised here in what we call the Quad Cities of Iowa and Illinois. Cindy and I met working on a community theatre production of “The Sound of Music” and theatre has been a great pastime/part-time job since then. I also was part of the beginnings of a professional opera company for the Quad Cities in 2001 and still serve as its president and musical director.
I love all kinds of church music from formal to informal and in recent years have been drawn to the sincerity and beauty of the old-time gospel hymns from the 30’s. In my last visit to Holden we had a great time creating a bluegrass group to some of those old fashioned tunes!! Maybe we can do it again?
I went to undergraduate school at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois where one of my teachers was Beanie Lundholm-one of the driving forces that started Holden Village. One of his trademarks was a village sing-a-long called “Beanie Sings”. Anyone interested in recreating an old fashioned camp sing-a-long should look me up and we will see what we can create.
If it isn’t fun…don’t even think of doing it!