Ken Medema
KEN MEDEMA has been singing over 32 years in every venue imaginable for 50 - 50,000 people, from churches to conventions to colleges to corporations, Ken has always custom designed an event for every occasion. Using his gift of improvisation, Ken hears with his heart, stories from people or themes from events or speeches and sings the stories back to audiences of all ages. At home in San Francisco with his wife Jane, they spend their time reading books, watching movies (yes Ken is an avid movie goer) and delighting in their grandchildren, Charlotte and Henry. In addition to having music published through numerous publishers, Ken also publishes through his own publishing company, Brier Patch Music. For more information on Ken Medema, visit www.kenmedema.com.
Works by Ken Medema
Incorporating three treasured Christmas carols (Oh Come, All Ye Faithful; Away in a Manger; The First Noel), this anthem for children's choir and congregation paints a vivid picture for people of all ages. The children's choir repeats the call, “All the way to Bethlehem. Come and see the infant Holy...” to which the congregation responds with the singing of carols.
Using Hebrews 12 as the refrain, this song reminds us of the cloud of witnesses that have gone before us. Containing an abundance of the vibrant imagery that Ken Medema is renowned for, this work is well-suited for services celebrating the life of the church.
The work is written for three choirs: SATB adult, SATB youth, and unison children, as well as a child soprano and youth tenor duet at the beginning. Adults can sing the youth parts if fielding an SATB youth choir would be infeasible.
Contrasting a punctuated repetition of the phrases "To the music of the harp and the psaltery" and "to the music of the lute and the lyre" against a soaring melody of "How beautiful it is to give thanks," with harp and oboe accompaniment, this anthem is simultaneously playful and mysterious. In addition to the words from Psalm 92, two hymn texts are quoted: "Blessed Assurance: Jesus Is Mine!" and "I Will Sing of My Redeemer."
This anthem is suitable for choirs at intermediate to advanced levels.