Variety of Musical Styles and Instruments
Music on Sunday mornings at Birmingham Unitarian Church ranges from classical piano pieces to Scott Joplin’s ragtime tunes, from a Mozart violin sonata to a brass quartet playing Sousa, from a singer/songwriter playing his own composition to a soprano singing Italian opera. Because BUC is not a liturgical church, we are not bound by the expectation that all music must be religious in nature. The only requirement is that the music on Sunday mornings should enhance the worship experience. The church owns a seven-foot Steinway grand piano and a harpsichord, but no organ, facts which suggest that the congregation values diverse musical styles and instruments. The music on any given Sunday morning might come from the fifteenth century or the twenty first, from classical Europe or modern India or Steven Sondheim’s Broadway. What is certain is that BUC celebrates music and takes it seriously. Many current members say that the fine music is what first drew them to Birmingham Unitarian Church, and that the diverse, high quality of the music remains an on-going reason to attend Sunday services. Hear a Barbara Wolf Sunday morning improvisation. Barbara is pianist and Director of Music for BUC.
An Adult Choir, a Youth Chorus, and Featured Musicians
Members of the congregation who are professional musicians, including Detroit Symphony Orchestra members, jazz, folk, and pop musicians, frequently play as featured artists as do non-member musicians hired to perform on Sunday mornings. A different young musician from the congregation is featured one Sunday each month when the children attend the beginning of the service before they go to Religious Education classes. The adult choir sings three Sundays a month, and the youth chorus regularly brings playful tunes and youthful voices to Sunday morning worship.
Music as Social Support and Spiritual Growth
Music at BUC is not only charged with enhancing worship; the church has a long tradition of taking music seriously as a way for the congregation to participate in the community life of the church. The adult choir with its 60 members (between 30 and 40 sing on any given Sunday) is a strong, social support group. For many choir members, the regular Wednesday evening choir practice is a highlight of the week, both a social and a musical pleasure and an opportunity to grow spiritually and personally by singing music from the world’s repertoire of choral works as well as popular and modern favorites. Choir members do not wear robes, but they often choose a color scheme and all wear those colors. On special occasions, they don new colorful stoles.
Twice a year, in December and in the spring, the choir presents a special musical program for the congregation, sometimes accompanied by a small orchestra. They have taken on challenging music such as the Brahms’ Requiem, his Liebeslieder Waltzes, John Rutter’s Magnificat and his Gloria, and a Schubert mass. Musical themes of recent Choir Sundays include “From War to Peace,” “Rivers,” and “In Nature.”
Joining the Choir
Anyone who loves to sing and is willing to attend weekly Wednesday choir practice and to work on the music is welcome to join BUC’s choir. There are no tryouts. With a 50 year span in ages, the choir draws from all segments of the congregation. From time to time the choir travels to other UU churches to sing and expand their UU musical connections. They’ve traveled to Toledo, Cincinnati, and Rochester, NY in recent years. And that’s just choir exchanges in the U.S. In 1988, 1992, and 1996, the BUC choir toured in Europe where they sang in churches and cathedrals in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, England, and Hungary.
Youth Chorus and Teen Choir
In their uniforms of colorful tee shirts with logos, the youth chorus might accompany a song with sign language or wear funny hats to capture the spirit of a piece. From time to time they sing with the adult choir and have even gotten their parents to join them in performing. The Youth Chorus is open to all 2nd through 7th graders. (First graders may join in their second semester). It meets weekly between services from 10:45-11:10.
This year by popular demand, Youth Music Director, Pamela McAlpin, will bring her lighthearted approach to music to a new teen choir.
Festival Orchestra
Last December the BUC Festival Orchestra, also known as the No Fault Orchestra, drew 56 musicians. Experienced musicians, rusty musicians, and anyone with at least a year’s experience playing an instrument is welcome to join the orchestra that plays for one Sunday service during the holidays under the direction of Pam McAlpin. This year there were 7 parent and child/ren combinations, 5 pairs of siblings, 1 pair of cousins, 2 sets of spouses and a 50 year age range. A good time was had by all.
Special Concerts and Benefits
Twice or more each year, the BUC music program presents special musical events to which the congregation and the public are invited. One of those programs always caters to family audiences and is billed as an intergenerational musical evening. In 2004 Emmon Scott in curly white wig and satin breeches impersonated Mozart. His witty and hilarious version of “The Magic Flute” intrigued the 165 people of all ages in the audience. After the performance Karen DiChiera of the Michigan Opera Theatre led a discussion for teens and adults about the moral issues in the opera.
In October, The Mighty Winds benefit concert featured the Michigan Flute Orchestra and the Grunyons, a men’s vocal jazz ensemble. In April, concert pianist Cynthia Raim, presented a musical benefit when she returned to BUC where she served as church pianist as a teenager. She has gone on to become a concert soloist and chamber musician.
MAMA’s Coffeehouse
MAMA’s Coffeehouse is a satellite music program sponsored by the church. The Michigan Acoustic Musicians’Alliance (MAMA) puts on shows the third Saturday of the month from September through May. Open mic starts at 7:15 followed by an opening act at 8:00, then the featured performers. Local folk artists Matt Watroba, Robert Jones, and Kitty Donohoe have played MAMA’s as have nationally-known stars like Michael Smith and Pat Donohue. Ten years ago when MAMA’s began, the coffeehouse booked acoustic folk artists and singer/songwriters predominantly from Michigan. Today MAMA’s spices up the folk lineup with performers from around the nation and with musicians who blend folk with jazz, rock, blues, gospel and pop. Check out MAMA’s website www.mamascoffeehouse.org for a list of upcoming shows.
People in the Music Program
Director of Music and Pianist
Barbara Woolf coordinates the church music program including the choirs, guest artists, and special programs. A virtuoso pianist with perfect pitch, Barbara accompanies the choirs and solo artists, and she brings music of the world’s great composers to Sunday morning services. She holds a B.Mus from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and M.Mus. in piano performance from the University of Michigan and has taught classical piano at the U of M and to a host of private piano students through the years.
Adult Choir Director
Abha Dearing, director of the adult choir, is both a teaching and a performing musician in her weekday life. She heads the music program at Mercy High School where she directs the orchestra and three choirs, including the Mercyaires, a select performing choir. She and her husband, Steven, perform professionally as the Dearing Concert Duo, with Steven playing classical guitar and Abha singing vocals and playing flute. She is currently working on her Master’s in Vocal Music Performance.
Youth Music Director
Pamela McAlpin brings a light-hearted attitude to the youth chorus in the selection of music they sing and in the way she makes performing fun. She holds a B.A. in Music Education and two master’s degrees in music and counseling. Along with her directing duties, she teaches twice a month bringing the hymnal and UU values to the classrooms in the nursery-1st grades. The first Sunday of the month Pam does a worship service along with Rosemary (Religious Education) for children in grades 2-5.
Currently Pam is Musical Director at Boulan Middle School and teaches music in classrooms at Fox Hills Preschool.