Music Program

Music Director - William Balz

Welcome to the Laurel Hill United  Methodist Church Music Program. 

  We at Laurel Hill are blessed with having a very active Music Program. 

We would like to invite you to come and join our Adult Choir, which meets on Wednesday nights from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.   This is a fun-filled time of praising God with the gift of music and fellowship.  All who would like to Praise the Lord with song are invited to come.  (You do not have to read music, you just need to love to Praise the Lord with your voice).  Everyone is WELCOME!  

We would also like to invite you to join our Hand Bell Choir, which meets on Thursday nights from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.   This is a wonderful time of fellowship and making music with Hand Bells to Praise the Lord.  Playing the Hand Bells does not require previous experience or reading music.  Again, all are WELCOME! 

                                                                        Let us make a joyful noise unto the Lord!

    During this upcoming year of our 150th Anniversary, we would like to have Special Music often in our worship services, as well as during any special services.  Also, if you know of someone in our congregation or outside of Laurel Hill that you believe would be a special blessing to us for music, please let Bill know so that he may contact them to be with us during a worship service.  In addition, if there is special music or a special hymn that you would like, please let Bill know so that we can try to include them in our worship service.  

    As part of our on-going celebration, several events have already been planned:  one for Sunday, March 1st, as we welcome Bishop Charlene Kammerer to be our Guest Speaker and Tracey Welborne returns again to share with us his wonderful ministry in music.  Other events  planned are:  Palm Sunday, April 1st, as we welcome the Kean University Concert Choir and of course our usual Easter Sunday where we will again welcome Tracey Welborne as our Guest Soloist.  

Please read below for some additional information on the Kean University Choir:

     Kean University Concert Choir 45 voice choir

                     Kean University Chorale 18 voice choir

                                 Kean University Guitar Ensemble  (We have about 8 guitar majors)

   The Kean University Concert Choir and Chorale hail from Union, NJ.  The choirs have achieved increasing recognition with passionate and disciplined performances, recently including four movements from Mozart's Requiem with full orchestra.  Recent programs have also included Fauré Requiem, Mozart’s Mass in F K. 192, and Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms, 1^st mvt.  On tour, the choirs have performed to acclaim in Montreal's Chappelle du historique du bon Pasteur (2001), Boston's Old North Church (1991 and 2003), and Baltimore's John's Hopkins University Chapel (2002) where they presented a joint concert with tje John's Hopkins Choral Society Chamber Singers.  In 2000, they also received a standing ovation for their performance of Orff's Carmina Burana Pt. I in Washington, D.C.

    Founded in 1855, Kean University has grown to become one of New Jersey's largest institutions of higher education and currently occupies over 150 acres in the Townships of Union and Hillside.  While maintaining its significant role in training teachers, Kean has become a comprehensive institution offering 48 undergraduate and 28 graduate degree programs serving some 13,000 students.

    Kean is a metropolitan, comprehensive, interactive, teaching university with a campus dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in higher education.  It supports a student-centered learning environment that nurtures the development of the whole student for rewarding careers, lifelong learning and fulfilling lives in a global society.  Kean maintains a commitment to excellence and equity in enrollment, instruction and administration and is accredited by all major accrediting organizations with many majors having accreditations in their field.

   The Kean Music Department is fully accredited by the prestigious National Association of Schools of Music with an outstanding Music Education Program and has a strong reputation for the preparation of music teachers, boasting an excellent record for placing its graduates as teachers in public school systems.  In 1998, world-class performance was established at the University with the unique Affiliate Artist Program, whereby performers of national/international distinction now teach music majors and minors at Kean.

   The Kean Concert Choir has performed many major works with orchestra and student soloists including tours to Boston, Washington, D.C. and Montreal.  The Kean Concert Band is directed by the former director of the 140-piece marching band at Kent State University in Ohio.  The Kean University Jazz Ensemble is extremely popular on and off campus and is directed by the great Andy Fusco.  The Chamber Ensembles also provides students with invaluable experience in musical growth as does the Kean-affiliated Livingston Symphony in which Kean University students perform.

Sunday, April 1, 2007      11:00 a.m.

Laurel Hill United Methodist Church

1919 New Market Rd.   Richmond , VA

Come and Join Us!

                                 We are embarking upon something "new" and "exciting" at LHUMC!!

                                  Interested in learning what it is all about?  Give us a call and see!!  

                                  There is Worship Through Music Ministry available for 

                                                                       EVERY AGE GROUP.  

                                              COME & JOIN US & BRING A FRIEND OR TWO!!

Children's Choir practice is every 3rd Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and they sing at the 11:00 a.m. Worship Service.  We would like to invite all of the children to come and join our Children's Choir.  At the present time, all ages are combined into one Choir, but hopefully, when more children participate, we will have more than one Children's Choir.  Parents are encouraged to participate in Sunday School during Choir practice time. 

Anyone who has the time or can take the time is encouraged to participate in our special music ministry.  These practice times are fun-filled times of praising God through the wonderful gift of music and are great fellowship experiences.  Music is a very large part of our worship experience and the more participation we have, the more we can accomplish to make our worship service more enriching.

Laurel Hill is very blessed to have 3 wonderful musical instruments in our Sanctuary.  We have a very fine Rodgers, 2 manual electronic organ, a Kurzweil Electronic Keyboard, and a new Yamaha piano.  We are also very blessed to have 3 Octaves of Hand Bells as well.

Come be a part of "Making a Joyful Noise Unto to the Lord" in one of our choirs and our music program. 

LISTED BELOW ARE SOME HYMNS FROM OUR METHODIST HYMNAL