Floods of Praise and Giving--A Concert to Benefit Iowa Flood Victims

A Concert to Benefit Iowa Flood Victims

Greetings!!

The Central Iowa community gathered for a dynamic afternoon of "Floods of Praise and Giving" on Sunday, October 26, 2008. In Herrick Chapel on the campus of Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa, they sang songs of praise and gave over $2,800.00 in a concert organized to benefit Iowa residents affected by this year's severe flooding.

The concert featured soprano Randye Jones and pianist/organist William Tinker. The highlights were performance of Variants for "St. Anne", a setting of "O God, Our Help in Ages Past" led by children's choir under the direction of Sally Anderson and joined by trumpeter Rod Carlson, plus a community sing of familiar traditional songs and favorite hymns including "Kum Ba Yah" and "A Mighty Fortress is Our God." These pieces were accompanied by Dr. Tinker on Herrick Chapel's newly restored organ.

All 14 videos from the concert are below arranged in order of performance. Use the navigation features to display the different entries and click on individual images to view specific videos:

The concert program is now available by clicking the link.

Pictures from the concert follow. Click on individual pictures to view enlargements:

Additional images, videos, and program information will soon be added to the site.

While the concert is done, it's not too late to support this program. Please go to the form, print it out, and send it with your donation made out to Floods of Praise and Giving-ILC. Donations must be sent by Monday, November 17, 2008, and mailed to:

Floods of Praise

More on the Gift Recipients

Gifts will be directed towards: (1) Embrace Iowa - 2008 Iowa Disaster Fund and/or (2) Lutheran congregations damaged by tornadoes and floods.

Supplemental financial support will be provided by Thrivent Financial for Lutheran Iowa Disaster 2008 funds.

Embrace Iowa - 2008 Iowa Disaster Fund

Governor Chet Culver and Iowa business leaders have established the Embrace Iowa - 2008 Iowa Disaster Fund to receive contributions from individuals, businesses and organizations to benefit Iowans who have experienced significant hardship as a result of the storms and floods of 2008. The 2008 Iowa Disaster Fund's purpose is to promote private sector contributions from Iowans and to seek funds outside of Iowa. More information is available at: www.desmoinesfoundation.org/page10002683.cfm

Iowa Lutheran Congregations Damaged by Tornadoes and Floods

The Summer Disasters have damaged the facilities of three Lutheran congregations: Bethel Lutheran Church of Parkersburg, Iowa, St. John's Lutheran Church of Waverly, Iowa, and St. Paul's Lutheran Church and School also of Waverly. Damage amount totals are over $500,000. As religious organizations, they don't qualify for FEMA funds. Initial relief and recovery efforts have focused on assisting families with urgent needs. The needs of these damaged churches and private schools have had to take a secondary position. One goal of "Floods of Praise and Giving" is to assist these particular needs.

The Featured Musicians

Randye Jones

Randye Jones received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education from Bennett College, Greensboro, North Carolina. She completed her Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Florida State University, Tallahassee. Jones has gained international recognition for her research of African American vocalists and composers through her Web site, Afrocentric Voices in Classical Music. She is currently conducting research and regularly presents lectures and recitals on the Negro spiritual. The project, The Art of the Negro Spiritual, has been profiled in publications such as Billboard. She has served as a consultant for The Kennedy Center Honors and The Washington Chorus. She produced her debut recording of spirituals, Come Down Angels, in 2003 on AhhJay Records. Jones is currently on the library staff at Grinnell College.

William Tinker

William Tinker is a native of St Louis. He has received critical acclaim for his artistry as an organist and harpsichordist in Europe and the United States. He holds degrees from The Juilliard School, The New England Conservatory of Music, Indiana University, and the Amsterdamisch Conservatorium. He has performed more than two thousand recitals and radio broadcasts, and has performed the complete organ works of J. S. Bach five times including a series for National Public Radio and Radio Nederlands. Dr. Tinker is a Sinsinawa Dominican Associate, a resident of Grinnell, Iowa, and a retired Minister of Word and Music from St. Peter Lutheran Church, Dubuque.

Thanks for your interest in Floods of Praise and Giving!

For more information, please call 641-821-0188 or email the program organizing committee at giving@floodsofpraise.com.

Organizing Committee: Rev. David Brandt, Denise Cadwell, Randye Jones, Laura Nelson, Pat Saxton