Author: Greg Scheer

After a particularly quick response to a music request, an appreciative GSM customer suggested there should be a coffee mug that states: “The world is a better place because of Greg Scheer.” I don’t know that I or those who live with me always agree with this sentiment, but it’s nice to hear, nonetheless!

The annual Calvin Worship Symposium kicks off on January 30 and it is shaping up to be a fun year for me. On Thursday I’ll lead my yearly songwriters’ workshop; this year I’m joined by Wendell Kimbrough, Swee Hong Lim, and Kate Williams. Friday and Saturday morning’s worship will feature a new song I wrote with Wendell, after which the plenary will begin with my arrangement of “Anta Anthemon” from Lebanon. Fri/Sat afternoon Bob Keeley and I will give a workshop entitled, “Everything I Know about Worship Bands I Learned from The Beatles” which is guaranteed to be interesting. Friday night I’ll play string bass with the Aeolians; their director, Jason Max Ferdinand, will lead the congregation in singing my new arrangement of “Children of the Heavenly Father” in the closing service Saturday. And, of course, worship symposium wouldn’t be complete without a St. Sinner Orchestra concert at Schmohz, Thursday at 9pm. If you’re attending, please say hi!

One could certainly do worse than this recent testimonial from John Lemmenes after hearing my arrangement of Keur Moussa’s “Magnificat”: Great music repeats without being repetitious; surprises without alarm; transports and we are transformed to emerge, as from a fever dream, in the embrace of the unknowable. So this. Bravo Maestro, Bravo.

In 2020, the St. Sinner Orchestra is releasing an album entitled One. Long. Year. This is an unusual project in that it is a concept album (a song cycle following the inner life of an unnamed protagonist as his outer life unravels) and a serial album (with tracks released throughout 2020). You can read more about the project on my blog. The first track–“We’re Holding On”–is below.