Christianity and Art Music...
Support from the Christian community for composers of church music and other Christian commercial music, both historically and currently, is a well-documented fact. Certainly, much of the history of Western music revolves around music for worship. And that support is completely appropriate, given the spiritual mandates in both the Old and New Testaments to "sing unto the Lord." But Western music history is also filled with stories of committed Christian composers glorifying the Lord Jesus with serious concert works (the terms "concert music", "art music", and/or "serious music", with all their shortcomings, are preferred to "classical music" in order to distinguish music from the late eighteenth century). The best and most frequently cited example is J.S. Bach, who apparently made little if any distinction between "sacred" and "secular" in his compositions. The twentieth century has also seen a number of prominent composers for whom the complexities of serious concert works seemed necessary to express the most profound aspects of God's nature and work: Igor Stravinsky and Olivier Messiaen are fine examples, as are Benjamin Britten and Charles Ives (although the Christian orthodoxy of the latter two remain somewhat in question). More recently, Scottish composer James MacMillan has demonstrated the powerful musical impact of a Christian worldview. Yet, amazingly, in the evangelical community's search for every possible gospel opportunity, no organization has stepped forward to encourage the activities of late-twentieth-century Christian composers who have been called to glorify the Lord Jesus and help build His kingdom through symphonies, chamber music, operas, and other serious concert works. But take heart! CFAMC is here to do just that.
The Christian Fellowship of Art Music Composers seeks to rectify the imbalance of musical support from the Christian community. For years, well-known evangelical authors have addressed the general need for Christian support and activity in serious art and culture. Francis, Frank, and Edith Schaeffer, Leland Ryken, Frank Gaebelein, Harold Best, Cahrles Colson, and others have written books and articles about the Biblical mandate for artistic quality in the evangelical community. CFAMC provides a non-denominational forum for information and dialogue about activities in art music composition by professing Christian composers, as well as professional and spiritual encouragement for its members. Member services include a quarterly email newsletter, "the CONCERTed offering", periodic conferences, a substantial web page, and a free, public email discussion group. Other endeavors include online composer catalogs, networking with major musical organizations, regional CFAMC chapters, comissioning programs, student composer scholarships, recording and broadcast projects, and much more! In short, CFAMC strives to be a place for evangelical concert composers to come together to discuss the joys and disappointments, the issues and struggles of bringing their work and witness as redeemed creative individuals to the arts music world. Although the Fellowship is geared to collegiate and professional composers, all interested parties are welcome. You're invited to prayerfully consider joining CFAMC. Most members are active composers, but some are performers wishing to stay "in touch" with both Christianity and the serious art music world.
About CFAMC and its members...
Founded in 1994 and incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1997, CFAMC has members across the United States and internationally, including Honorary composer Members James MacMillan, Charles Wuorinen, and George Tsontakis. Members receive a quarterly email newsletter, "the CONCERTed offering", which contains articles, devotions, composer profiles, prayer requests, testimonies, and other items of interest to Christian art music composers. CFAMC members are encouraged to submit newsletter items and to carry on published written dialogues in the newsletter itself. We offer peer review of compositions by mail, and performance exchanges in order to support and encourage one another. Membership is also required to attend annual CFAMC conferences.
Consider joining the Christian Fellowship of Art Music Composers!
Click here to join CFAMC NOW online, or to find out how to join by postal mail.
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Last updated on 08/25/2003