Choir (SATB), piano

This work was composed for Blacknall Memorial Presbyterian Church (Durham, NC) and premiered in its Good Friday service in 2002 under the direction of Dave Stuntz.  It employs the last three lines of John Donne’s “Crucifying,” the fifth in a cycle of seven Holy Sonnets whose first and last lines link them into a ring.

Text:
"Now thou art lifted up, draw me to thee,
And at thy death giving such liberal dole,
Moist, with one drop of thy blood, my dry soule."

Choir (SATB), piano

Text from Jeremiah 17:5-9, closing with the first verse of the hymn, “If thou but suffer God to guide thee.”

Choir (SATB), piano

Composed for a Pentecost Sunday service at Blacknall Memorial Presbyterian Church (Durham, NC). The text is from an old Lutheran hymn, but the music is a fiery new adventure.

Choir (SATB), strings

An arrangement of “O Little Town of Bethlehem” composed for a Christmastime concert at Northwestern College of Iowa (Orange City).

Choir (SATB), Piano, 2 Trumpets

Commissioned by Greg Scheer and performed under his direction at Trinity Reformed Church (Orange City, IA).  The piece includes a prelude (scored separately) and a coda for two trumpets.

Choir (SATB) a cappella

A meditative setting of Psalm 126, composed during the COVID pandemic. Premiered at a national conference of the Christian Fellowship of Art Music Composers.

Choir (SATB), Flute, Clarinet, Horn, Trumpet, and Piano

Composed in collaboration with Dave Stuntz, music director at Blacknall Memorial Presbyterian Church (Durham, NC).  Premiered by the Blacknall choir during CFAMC’s “Forging Links” conference in 2004.

Choir (SATB) a cappella

Commissioned by the North Carolina – Israel Project for a tour of Israel during Summer 2000.  The Project asked for an American composer to set a Hebrew text, and vice versa.   I completed the Hebrew setting and Tsvi Avni set an English text.

Performances by the North Carolina/Israel Chorale, dir. Dave Stuntz:
* Pre-tour choral concert, Durham NC, 6/26/00. 
* Six performances during Israel tour, Summer 2000.

Choir (SATB) a cappella

Commissioned by the North Carolina – Israel Project for a tour of Israel, which asked for an American composer to set a Hebrew text, and vice versa. Performed by the NCIP choir seven times in various locales.

The original Hebrew setting was slightly expanded with added sections in English.

For worship leader, congregation, and instruments

Composed for my brother, the late Rev. Joel Sauerwein, for use in Advent services at his Lutheran church in North Dakota. Texts are based on Joel’s rendering of traditional antiphons in modern English.  The church was not able to use the music in worship, so the pieces were actually premiered as part of my 2007 faculty concert at Belhaven University.

Choir (SATB) a cappella

A Christmas carol, setting an original text.  Performed annually from 2007 to 2019 by the Belhaven University Singing Christmas Tree, as well as in church services in various states (e.g. CO, NC, MI, MS).