"Summer Sizzels" Ken Medema News in Grandville, Michigan, United States for Monday, 13 June 2016 "Visit Ken's Website @ www.KenMedema.com"

"Summer Sizzels" Ken Medema News in Grandville, Michigan, United States for Monday, 13 June 2016 "Visit Ken's Website @ www.KenMedema.com" 

Want to Keep the Kids Happy this Summer?
Try one of Ken Medema's summer favorites, Kid's Play, or Just Us Kids. Either of these will keep them singing, laughing and dancing even when they get a bit bored. If you remember the Tree Song, orGorgles, or Rennis the Nam, these albums are for you. Whether it's grand kids, your kids or even a family gathering, these 2 CDs will keep the children's attention for hours.
NOW ON SALE for $10 each.
NOW ON SALE for $10 each.
Kid's Play click here
Just Us Kids click here
New Medema Anthem Makes a Debut
Sacramento Master Singers
Sing a New Song - May 22, 2016
(Excerpt from an article written by Dick Frantzreb)

Ken Medema was commissioned to write a 3 part anthem bases on poems by 3 Sacramento poets for the Sacramento Master Singers. If there were ever a choral concert that could be called "historic," this was it. And there are many reasons for its meriting that term. The fundamental reason is that it was the Sacramento Master Singers' last concert in their season marking the 30th anniversary of Dr. Ralph Hughes' tenure as Artistic Director. Another reason is that this concert, appropriately titled Sing a New Song, saw the premiere of three new commissioned choral work . . . Dr. Ralph Hughes, the director, said when he was 15 he was living in Germany where his military father was stationed. They didn't have television, so he spent hours at the piano, in particular with a collection of inspirational songs by composer Ken Medema entitled, Treasures. Hughes went on to explain how he had asked Medema to compose music for the triptych (3-song set) that was upcoming on the afternoon's program.
Medema . . . was led to the piano, and Hughes noted that Medema would play and sing several 'snippets' from Treasures, adding what a thrill it was to have the hero of his young life present on such an occasion. At this point, Medema took over regaling us with several of those snippets. Medema was clearly a seasoned entertainer and had many comments to add, including how he discovered the Master Singers from a YouTube video of their performance of one of his compositions, I Will Sing Hallelujah. The emotion of that discovery caused him to contact them and eventually led to his composing a new song cycle for the Master Singers this season. Through all of this, Hughes was standing at 'stage left,' while Medema spoke and sang from the piano at 'stage right.' Hughes was clearly savoring the moment, and I've never seen him laugh so heartily.
Next Medema announced that he would perform I Will Sing Hallelujah. Accompanying himself, he displayed a remarkably good voice for his 72 years. For those of us unfamiliar with the piece, the text was striking with this refrain: The music never ends till strangers turn to friends. And where we go, the world will know, the music never ends. Medema sang the verses with gusto, hammered the piano in the interludes, and urged us to sing the oft-repeated refrain, which both the chorus and many in the audience did. Medema's energy was extraordinary and the effect was electric. When he finished, I heard "wow" from several around me, and heavy breathing that was probably accompanied by a few tears. You should have been there: I certainly was glad I was. As Medema was escorted from the stage, Hughes observed: 'I hope when you're in your 50s your hero shows up.'
So much more was coming. Ken Medema is an extraordinarily prolific and talented composer. If you explore the scope of his work on the Internet, as I did later, you will be astounded. No surprise then that he was able to put 3 very different, complex poems to music, as he did in the triptych,Where the Rivers Meet that was about to be performed by the Master Singers. All the poems were about Sacramento, and the poets had been introduced earlier.
First was Look to Where the Rivers Meet by Master Singers soprano Elli Johnston. It was remarkably evocative of what we all have experienced of Sacramento and fundamentally a tribute to the city. Predictably, the music fit the text perfectly.
The Concert, (a poem) by James DenBoer painted a picture of a classical concert at the Crocker Museum interrupted by the roaring of motorcycles - a bizarre but credible portrayal of two contrasting cultures in our community . . . I was amazed that anyone could put words and images like this to music. The chorus was very animated as they sang this piece, but it was accompanist Heidi Van Regenmorter who was on fire. Medema's writing was merciless, and Van Rogenmorter was playing with an intensity and speed that reminded me of sections of George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. There was a lot of musicality, of course, but there were also chords that could only be played with one's fist: after all we were talking about Harley-Davidson motorcycles!
Sacramento, by Sally Worthing, was a complete change of mood, another tribute to Sacramento, a loving portrait built on images familiar to those of us who live here. I thought, as the triptych concluded, that this Sacramento theme was particularly appropriate in this celebration of Ralph Hughes' anniversary since, though raised in the South, he has spent such a large portion of his career here."
Thank you, Dick, for your generous review.
Ken
For information on having Ken Medema compose an anthem for you, your organization or town, contact Dave Vander Molen at
DaveVanderMolen@KenMedema.com
Or if you wish to purchase the Treasures Songbook, Click Here

Think Fall Bookings
Invite Ken for a weekend for worship services, a banquet for people involved with worship or musical ensembles, a Choir Retreat, a Fall/Winter or Spring Festival, or a full concert. Dates are available in September 2016 through all of 2017.
Contact Beverly Vander Molen
at 415-637-4493 or Bevvmolen@aol.com
Ken's Music is on the Move

Over the past several months, Dave Vander Molen, Ken's office manager and Beverly, Ken's Booking Agent, have been preparing to move Ken Medema's entire music library and collection to Mercer University in Macon, GA where it will be permanently housed. This was an enormous task. Over 75 boxes of anthems, CDs, albums, sheet music, masters, photos, newspaper articles and books needed to be organized and prepared for shipping. 

Mercer University has always been a welcoming place for Ken to perform but also a place where Interlude and Prelude Retreats of which Ken is a vital part are held.
"They have a superior music program", Medema says. "It's a great place where research can be done and where ideas can flourish."

After finishing the huge task of going through thousands of documents, the task was to have the boxes sent to Georgia. Glen Warner, a long time Medema fan and supporter of Ken's work, volunteered to personally drive the treasures in a rented truck from Grandville, Michigan to Macon, Georgia, a 845 mile trip. NOTE: Glen has been the primary fund raiser who continues to hold fund raisers to fund the library on an on-going basis.
The Medema library at Mercer will open Spring of 2017. In the meantime all Medema product is still available at the Medema Store in Grandville, MI. Visit our website at www.KenMedema.com
If you would like to make a monetary contribution to the support of the library you may call 888-536-5365.
Ken Medema Music

4324 Canal

Grandville, Michigan 49418, United States
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