Early Music St. Louis offers St. Louis's early music fans two mid-summer concerts as well as a hands-on Baroque Academy for high school string players.

Early Music St. Louis presents a concert featuring the music of George Friederich Handel and Heinrich Biber on Saturday, July 15. The concert will take place at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 6800 Washington Avenue in the University City Loop at 7:30 p.m. The program includes Handel's Bb Organ Concerto and Biber's "Assumption Sonata" from his collection known as the Mystery Sonatas. Neal Richardson, co-founder of Early Music St. Louis, will be the featured soloist in the Handel Organ Concerto.

One week later, on Sunday, July 23, Early Music St. Louis will perform an all-Vivaldi concert featuring a cantata and a concerto. The concert will take place at Trinity Presbyterian Church at 3:00 p.m. Vivaldi composed hundreds of concertos, many featuring his own instrument, the violin. "Il Gardellino," one of Vivaldi's most charming and most famous concertos, will be performed by William Bauer, co-founder and director of Early Music St. Louis. In recent years, Vivaldi's vocal music has been rediscovered and has proven as popular as his instrumental output. Counter tenor Jay Carter will join the Early Music St. Louis ensemble to perform Vivaldi's cantata "Cesate, Omai Cesate." Carter is a young singer from Kansas City whose recent appearances include well-received recitals in St. Louis, featured solos in numerous baroque choral works as well as a critically acclaimed staging of a Bach Passion at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. For further information about the Early Music St. Louis Baroque Concerts:

Early Music St. Louis:
Phone: 314-773-8769
Email: earlymusicstlouis@yahoo.com

For further information about the Early Music St. Louis Baroque Academy:

Community Music School of Webster University
Phone: (314) 968-5939
Email: http://www.webster.edu/depts/finearts/cms/index.html

Dan Anderson-Little

• May / June Senior High Activities
• 2006 Church Picnic

Dr. Daniel Anderson-Little, Pastor

We have some exciting plans for worship this summer. We will continue to worship downstairs in the Dining Room until the Sanctuary is ready to return to. By the time the carpenters are done and professional cleaners go through the entire Sanctuary, it will probably be mid-June. When the Sanctuary is ready, we will worship there without the pipe organ. Reassembly of the organ will begin in July and August (many pipes were not taken to Canada to be repaired). The pipes from Canada will be returned in September and the organ should be ready for worship toward late October. While it will be wonderful to have the organ back and be worshipping in the Sanctuary, our experience in the Dining Room has been great! It's amazing what some banners, some wonderful artwork and passionate people can do to transform a dining room into sacred space.

This summer we will be focusing on two parts of the Bible: the Gospel of Mark and the 6th chapter of John. If you want to read ahead, look at Mark, Chapters Four through Six. Pay attention to Jesus' interaction with others and the language he uses. It is at the same time both comforting and startling. Starting on July 30 we will spend five weeks in the John chapter 6. Eating and communion with Jesus are important themes in this chapter. I would invite you to read through the chapter each week before worship to familiarize yourself with the rich images that Jesus uses. I will be gone for three or four Sundays this summer (once my plans are finalized I will let you know); when I am gone, the energy of worship with continue with vibrant preaching and creative music planning. I will see you in church!

Rhonda Dunbar

This summer for seven days, the Senior High Youth will be participating in the day-to-day work at Clairvaux Farm in Earleville, Maryland. Eight youth and two adults will become part of their community, taking part in the daily routines and work at Clairvaux Farm.

Clairvaux Farm is one of three facilities that make up Meeting Ground. Meeting Ground was created in 1981 in Maryland and Delaware as a faith-based response to homelessness. Meeting Ground's mission is to bring together homeless and non-homeless persons in a context of shared life and work by providing hospitality, shelter, food and education. Meeting Ground's mission is to make "home" a reality for the homeless rather than only providing "shelter." Each year Meeting Ground: provides over 18,000 bednights of emergency and transitional housing; serves over 35,000 meals; is available 24 hours a day/7 days a week for referrals and supportive services; and assists over 300 persons in the transition from being homeless.

During our mission trip, we will be working on projects at the three facilities and living at Clarivaux Farm. The Senior High Youth will be at Clairvaux Farm from June 11th-17th. Please keep the entire group in your thoughts and prayers. If you want to find out more about Clairvaux Farm and the Meeting Ground, go to: http://www.meetingground.org.

The search committee that will be seeking a Christian education person and an equipping person is now in place. The committee is comprised of Christy Thompson, George Philips, Rhonda Dunbar, John Roman, and Lisa Bernhard. Because of the similarity between these two positions (one equips children and the other equips adults), the Session has appointed one committee. The committee plans to have job descriptions to the Session by its June 7 meeting so they can get started with their searches. If you have thoughts or input for the search committee, please speak with one of the members directly.

Paul Vasile, Minister of Music

Music is a marvelous gift of God and such a vital part of our congregation's life. It helps us to pray more deeply; it brings energy and color to our liturgy; it connects us to our hearts, minds and bodies, to those around us and to God! Trinity is blessed to have faithful, skilled musicians of all ages who share their musical gifts with us from week to week. Our worship is also enriched by guest musicians, from brass and percussion to strings and harp, who help us to sing and praise God with all that is in us. This amazing array of talent reflects the diversity of Psalm 150, which encourages "every instrument and creature to celebrate until the earth rings, 'Hallelujah!"'

Trinity's music ministry also continues beyond Sunday morning - a variety of joyful noises resound throughout the church almost every day of the week! Since last May, Trinity has been a partner with OASIS, a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of mature adults. Their musical ensembles rehearse in the church throughout the week, enriching us with their energy and grateful spirits. This fall we will begin an exciting, new partnership with the Community Music School of Webster University, serving as a satellite location for early childhood music classes, Suzuki violin classes and for private instruction. This will also bring new individuals through our doors, filling the church with even more music and telling our community that we support programs that enrich people's lives!

Thanks to your ongoing support, we were able to offer our first Reverberations concert series, welcoming fine performers and over 400 audience members from our community. An enthusiastic team is already planning concerts for the coming year, including a program that will feature the newly refurbished pipe organ, a theater piece with music, a world music offering, an educational concert for children and more. We imagine that these concerts will become a distinctive part of our community's musical life, drawing new individuals to the church and giving further witness to our welcome.

Your generous gifts to the Psalm 150 Fund will help to sustain a music ministry that is touching our congregation and our community. They will provide resources and support for our choirs and volunteer musicians. They will enrich our worship with glorious brass and strings, flutes and pipes, cymbals and drums. These financial resources will also allow us to continue reaching out in new ways, giving witness to a church that is active and engaged, deeply connected to the community in which we live.

Offering envelopes can be found in the Dining Room and returned in the offering plate or to the church office. Thank you, as always, for your enthusiastic support!

Paul Vasile

There are some wonderful opportunities to participate in Trinity's music ministry in the coming months. The Summer Choir, which is open to everyone, will sing in worship on June 25, July 9, July 23, August 6, August 20 and September 3. Simply come to rehearsal at 8:30 a.m. that morning and learn an easy anthem.

There will also be an opportunity to learn how to ring handbells this summer. A series of hour-long rehearsals will be held after worship (from 11 to 12) on June 25, July 2, July 9 and July 16. We will focus on basic ringing technique and note reading, culminating in a performance in worship on Sunday, July 23. Please contact me if you are interested!

Finally, I will teach another five-week small group to help participants develop their singing voices beginning on Sunday, June 25 at 7 p.m. We'll also read John Bell's insightful book The Singing Thing and talk about why we sing in the first place. If you are interested in participating, speak with me personally or send an email (paul_tpc@swbell.net). And if you can't participate this time around, I hope you will join the next class in early September.

Paul Vasile

Two years ago we had a wonderful experience hosting the Boy's Choir of Kenya. This summer, in partnership with the Saint Louis African Chorus, we are pleased to welcome the Choeur Enfant du Benin (The Children's Choir of Benin) in concert on Thursday, June 22, at 7 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public. A reception will follow in the Dining Room.

Following their success at the World of Children's Choirs Festival in Vancouver, Canada, the group has toured in Europe and Asia. This is their first tour through the United States. Felix Nassi, the group's director, was self-taught at his native Natitingou, Benin (West Africa), and later studied choral conducting in France and the Netherlands. Nassi also created the choral festival: Les Rencontres Polyphoniques du Benin, which brings choral groups together for festivals and cultural exchange.

The program will include traditional Fon folksongs and Agbazar dances, which are indigenous to the peoples of the Benin and Togo region of West Africa.

I strongly encourage you to invite your family and friends to this exciting event! If you can help with advertising, ushering and hosting the reception, please let me know.

Concert flyer:

• .JPG format
• .PDF format

This is a list of Trinity Members who need our prayers. If you would like to be added to the prayer list or know of a member in need of prayer, please call the church office, 314-725-3840.

Prayers for Homebound Members

• Helen Bauer
• Myrtle Beckmeyer
• Juanita Bruns
• Eleanor Griffin
• Mabel Howell
• Russell Kramer
• Edna Paul
• Margaret Smith
• Maxine Story
• Dorothy Strickler

Prayers for Losses

• Paul Devine
• Virginia Sassmanshausen

Prayers for Health Concerns

• Marcus Elliot
• Katy Gordon and Tim Woodcock
• Kellie Jones
• Kim Merritt
• Colleen Osborne
• Jim Pettus
• Monte Plourde
• Ethel Scott
• Don Weems
• Jim White

Prayers for Those Relocating

• Vera Morrow
• Omen Safavi and Rebecca Glaspie
• Barb and Tim Rand

Jim Person

So important in many disaster situations, an infrastructure is essential to an effective disaster response. This includes people, logistics and money. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Agency of the Presbyterian Church (USA) (PDA) has been providing these services and equipping churches for responding to disasters around the world for many years with the goals of:.

• Focusing on the long term recovery of disaster impacted communities
• Providing training and disaster preparedness for presbyteries and synods
• Working collaboratively with church partners and members of the ACT Alliance (Action by Churches Together) internationally, and nationally with other faith based responders
• Connecting partners locally and internationally with key organizations active in the response - United Nations, NVOAD (National Voluntary Agencies Active in Disaster), World Food Program, Red Cross, FEMA and others

The adult mission trip to New Orleans in March was my second under the auspices of PDA. My first was to Nicaragua after Hurricane Mitch in 2001. That trip was coordinated by PDA, Church World Services, and The Council of Evangelical Churches (CEPAD) in Nicaragua where we helped build homes for displaced people two years after the storm. Also, our daughter, Katie, was part of a PDA-coordinated trip to Kosovo during the Serbian invasion to help refugees' children cope with the effects of the conflict.

PDA's core budget, including staff and administrative costs, is funded through the One Great Hour of Sharing, and its program work is additionally funded through designated gifts. The work in natural disasters is divided into three stages: emergency, relief, and recovery. The current response to Katrina is in the late relief to early recovery stage with the recovery stage currently projected to last anywhere between 7-10 years, a scope underscoring the enormity of the disaster.

PDA has coordinated the US hurricane response of unprecedented financial gifts and volunteer labor by Presbyterian congregations, other governing bodies and institutions, and individuals. For example:

• $20,307,000 in financial gifts were given in response to Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma, the largest single response ever to a disaster.
• Five volunteers from one Ohio Presbyterian congregation helped Louisville PDA staff with hurricane-related telephone calls and data input.
• 14 volunteers set-up and managed the PDA Volunteer Villages to host volunteer work teams in Mississippi, Texas, and Louisiana.
• 18 members of the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Team were put in the field to respond to hurricanes along with two PC(USA) mission specialists.
• 41 volunteers assisted with registering volunteer work teams for recovery and rebuilding activities in the Gulf Coast.
• From September through December 2005, more than 2,000 volunteers contributed approximately 11,000 hours through the PDA Volunteer Villages, and an equal or greater number responded directly to affected presbyteries or congregations.

It is through networking that we at Trinity can work with other communities of faith in affirming our role as the primary agent of mission and evangelism, affirming our unity in Christ in times of disaster.

Trinity is planning another work trip to the New Orleans area in January. Consider if you can make the trip or support those who minister in our name through the equipping ministry of PDA.

Paul Vasile

The Organ Fundraising Team would like to extend deepest thanks to the many members and friends of the Trinity congregation who have made gifts and pledges in support of the organ repair and restoration. We are also deeply grateful for the financial leadership and foresight of the Endowment Board and Corporate Affairs Commission, whose significant lead gifts paved the way for the congregation's fundraising efforts.

We also owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the Scholin family, whose generous musical and financial gifts have made a lasting impression on this congregation. C. Albert Scholin served as Organist and Choirmaster from 1934 to 1958, starting at Kingshighway Presbyterian Church and moving to Trinity Presbyterian Church in 1953. He established a strong and vibrant music ministry; he was also a noted composer whose choral music was published locally and nationally. Ray and Ginny Scholin have served as faithful leaders in our congregation. Ray chaired the committee that purchased our organ in 1970. He has also recently served as honorary chair of the current Organ Fundraising Team and his family's generosity has helped to ensure the success of our fundraising efforts. In celebration of the Scholin family's lasting contributions to Trinity's worship life, we now name our instrument the Scholin Memorial Organ.

In appreciation of your generosity:

This list includes gifts and pledges received from January 2003 to April 2006. If we have inadvertently omitted your name, or if you wish to make a gift to the organ fundraising efforts, please contact Paul Vasile or pick up a pledge card in the Narthex.

Ann Fischer

Is this our sanctuary? Walking into Trinity on a recent May day, I find long boxes perched all over the pews. A be-goggled worker in the corner cuts meticulously through an organ pipe too big to ship to the factory (half of it will stay in St. Louis while the other half is repaired). Occasionally a couple of guys drift through carrying metal rocket-like tubes and stack them behind the lectern. In the middle of this hubbub, stuffing shredded packing around box after box of pipes, is Carroll Hanson of Casavant Freres Ltd., the organ builders who will transform Trinity's organ.

Hanson, the holder of bachelors and masters degrees in German literature, has been the regional representative for Casavant since 1971. But, he says, he has "been crazy about organs" since high school. Both his mother and his father, a Norwegian immigrant, had a great appreciation for church music. The Norwegian connection, in fact, originally led Hanson to Casavant. His family began attending the ethnic Norwegian Lutheran church in Minneapolis that had recently installed a Casavant organ. "I've cast my lot with them ever since then," he says. He has worked at the shop and in the field, and has maintained and tuned the Trinity organ for years. It's something you learn to do on the job. "It's just like walking - you simply have to do it. You develop your own technique and style of how to do it." After all these years, Carroll Hanson still loves tuning.

Organs and organ music obviously resonate deeply with this master craftsman. He says the literature for organs is fabulous. And he loves how an organ functions in a traditional service. "Where the tire hits the road for an organ," he believes, "is in hymn singing."

According to Hanson, Trinity's organ, built in the 1960s, is a "quintessential instrument" of the Orgel Bewegung, "the organ reform movement" of its time. He sees parallels between the Bauhaus school of architecture and the Orgel Bewegung. Later instruments "softened" this bright sound, almost to a neo-romanticism. In the revamped Trinity organ the reed stops will be closer to the latter trend - "a little darker and fuller, a little more brilliant." This will make the instrument more useful, Hanson believes, and will not disturb the instrument's overall integrity.

What else will change? Pipes that have bent or broken will be fixed. The console will acquire a combination action and a solid state system that allow pre-sets, increasing the instrument's versatility. The playing action will be put on a multiplex and the console on a moveable platform, also making the instrument much more flexible. The console is being configured so that an antiphonal organ could be added at some future time.

To listeners in the pews, the instrument will sound more focused, Hanson believes. He says that one of the hallmarks of Trinity's organ is its versatility; the changes will make it even more so. "It is an eclectic instrument in the best sense of the word." It will have double the number of general pistons. Paul Vasile says this opens up a much wider repertoire and will allow greatly expanded use with the choir. It will be especially good for hymn singing.

A project of this size offers plenty of challenges. Just getting everything to the shop in Quebec is one. There are some 2500 fragile pipes - ranging from 16-footers to those with a ¼-inch speaking length - plus pieces of the console and other parts. Asked whether knowing a congregation's expectations is another challenge, Hanson first says yes. Then he says that the choice of a Casavant itself tells a lot about a congregation's point of view. Such congregations have strong expectations of the music program and definite opinions. "They are people with a love of music and choral singing."

In concluding, Hanson talks about music as a bridge. Although he grew up among conservative Lutherans, he doesn't consider himself as conservative now. "But," he says, "I can get along with them all. I've worked with churches with vast theological differences at the same time. And yet they all sing the same hymns together."

Lori Damon is originally from Maryland, and most recently lived in the Washington, D.C., area. She currently works in the real estate industry and is still working out of D.C. She commutes one week a month to her office there, and works from home the remainder of the time.

Lori met her husband Mike Krivonak a member of Trinity, through work. He lived in St. Louis and she in D.C. She flew to St. Louis for their first date. After building up many frequent flier miles, Mike proposed, and Lori moved to St. Louis. Mike and Lori live in University City, where they are busy doing renovations on their home. She enjoys cooking and reading. She loves the Loop, and spends time there with her husband and her stepson, who is in college at the University of Missouri.

- Jasman Lutz

Jayne Howard grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and came to St. Louis as a student at Washington University. During her first career - in retail - she met her husband Bill. The Howards settled in Clayton and have two children, John (9) and Katie (6). After staying home for a few years to raise her small children, Jayne returned to school to obtain her public school teacher certification. She is now in her first year teaching 6th-grade math at Long Middle School in South City. Jayne coaches T-ball and is an avid fan of kids' sports of all kinds.

- Sarah Schmidt

Confirmands: Two young men were confirmed on Sunday May 21 during the worship service. They are Ethan Pfeifer, son of John Pfeifer and Andrea Pfeifer-Stephens, and Henry Schmidt, son of Chris and Sarah Schmidt. We welcome them into full membership at Trinity and offer them our love and prayers! Look for pictures and profiles of them in next month's Trinity News.

Do Kirk

We experienced a profound moment on Sunday May 14 - we were the Whole Body of Christ! Our children led us and shared in worship with us. Children sang, every child included, all ages participating, each fully giving his or her best, the honoring of all talents, yet a "place in the choir" for all by using motions, instruments, and the Word. Praise and Blessings to Paul Vasile and Karen Coletti for helping us find our way...anew. Using block time enabled families with crazy, busy schedules to participate. Children were empowered - it was clear the children had ownership of their creations, songs, music, and words.

The emphasis for some 20 years in the larger church, all denominations, has been trying to create ways to be the "Whole Body of Christ". The problem is, how does the church do this? Presbyterians have tried it all:

• Requiring children to stay in worship when their attention span lasts 8 to 10 minutes.
• Having children's sermons, when the best of our kids see it as an opportunity to show off a bit.
• Creating little choirs for children, where robed children, at times, are fearful of others' expectations and do not sing out or participate.

The result too often is that adults get angry at parents who do not keep their children quiet. Adults mad at adults that are mad at...on and on. Well, we had a glimpse of Wholeness on Sunday. Children fully participating, followed by adult worship times and children's center time. Alleluia!

Remember the wonderful river water on our feet, the fresh air and nature walks? We're going back to Mound Ridge Camp for our Trinity Retreat. Save the dates of August 26 and 27!

Paul Vasile

For the past five years, I have traveled to Orvieto, Italy to teach, lead opera and theater workshops and compose. The Trinity congregation and staff have been so supportive of these trips and I am grateful for the opportunity to be in Orvieto again this June.

The group I am working with has now become an official non-profit company and is establishing a presence both in Italy and in New York City. La Compagnia de' Colombari (The Company of the Colombari) is an international, interdenominational, and interracial theater company concerned about a world increasingly resistant to grace. We are committed to bridging international, linguistic, historic and theological divides and work to foster a cooperative, collaborative spirit that runs against the grain of cultural commercialism and hegemony. After successful workshops in 2004 and 2005, this year we are excited to present the inaugural production of Laude in Urbis: Praises in the City, a 21st century adaptation of medieval mystery plays. Updating a traditional combination of hijinks and solemnity, the sacred and profane, texts and music, Laude moves theater into the streets to explore our relationship to the Divine and to redefine how theater can be true to the present and the eternal.

For more information on our fledgling company, including some remarkable images from earlier productions, check out our website: www.colombari.org As always, I appreciate your thoughts and prayers while I am traveling and appreciate the strong leadership of our choirs, soloists and other volunteers in my absence. I look forward to sharing some reflections from my trip when I return. Ci vediamo!

Dan Anderson-Little

On May 7 after worship, the Trinity community collectively thanked Karon Bilbrey for her faithful years of service. Karon retired from her position of Church Administrator on May 11. We are now in a time of transition with our office staff. Trinity is blessed with Linde Baechle (our Financial Secretary) who will capably fill in as Church Administrator until we have a permanent solution. Once we have our new staff in place, we will let you know. If you have questions, you can leave voice messages either in the Church Office mailbox or in Linde's mailbox. Likewise, you can continue to send emails to tpcucity@swbell.net. Linde will be checking those emails regularly. We do appreciate your prayers as we move through this time of change.

This adult fellowship group - open to all Trinity adults - will go to Kirkwood Park, Geyer Road and West Adams, on Tuesday June 6 to attend Heartland Chautauqua.

Bring your lawn chair, come at 6:30 for the entertainment, or at 7:30 for the performance which begins at 7:45. Get more details on the flyer in the dining room or from the Sallwassers. Please call Jean or George Sallwasser at 314-966-8087 if you plan to be there.

Karen Coletti, Director of Christian Education

The James E. Scholin / Todd C. Weems Scholarship Fund Committee has named eight young people of Trinity who will begin or further their university studies in the 2006-2007 school year with benefits from the fund.

Recipients this year are Griffin Devine, Kate Shoemaker, Kristen Campbell and Timothy Merritt, all of whom will begin college in the fall. Also receiving awards are Porter Campbell, Katie Merritt, Claire Santoro and Lindsay Peglar, who are continuing their college studies. On June 4 we will recognize these students in our worship.

Congratulations go to all of these young people, with grateful thanks to the Scholin Family and the Weems Family and all of the donors to the scholarship fund.