by Erin Busch (she/her), Director of Music Ministry

It has been a joy to begin my tenure as your new Transitional Director of Music Ministry! It has been a busy start, and I can’t wait to share what I’ve been working on with all of you.

Firstly, I am excited to announce that I have started a new guest musician series for our Sunday services. Each month, we will welcome a professional musician into our sanctuary to provide special music for our service. It is my hope that these Sundays will allow us to stretch outside of our auditory comfort zones, enhancing the meaning-making that we strive to do each time we step into the sanctuary. For our fall season, we will feature trumpet player Fareed Simpson-Hankins on September 25, violist Lorenzo Raval on October 30, violinist Carlos Santiago on November 20, and vocalist Megnot Toggia on December 18. This guest musician series is made possible by a generous grant from our Endowment Committee to provide funding for BIPOC musicians. The grant was awarded to my predecessor Caryl Tipton back in 2019 and has been extended due to the pandemic.

Secondly, I am thrilled to announce that the UUCWC concert series is back! We have three concerts booked for this fall:

1. Cosmic Crossings will return on Saturday, October 8 at 8pm. If you are a fan of ambient music, electroacoustic sounds, or exploring the galaxies, this is the concert for you! Organized by Nick Mellis, 100% of the proceeds from this event will go to UUCWC. $10 suggested donation.
2. On Sunday, November 6 at 1pm, we will welcome Raul y su ClaveAché to our sanctuary for the first time. This family-friendly event features authentic Cuban music and original compositions direct from Santiago de Cuba, and the energy level will be high, so prepare to bring your dancing shoes! $5–20 suggested donation.
3. To close out our fall season on Sunday, December 11 at 12 pm, we will welcome back the South Philly Big Band for a concert of holiday favorites and jazz standards. After a few years off due to the pandemic, the SPBB is thrilled to return to our sanctuary to spread some holiday cheer! Family-friendly event, $5–20 suggested donation.

I am so excited to welcome these groups into our sanctuary, and hope to also welcome some community members to attend as well. We want to make sure our musicians are paid well for their efforts, and we can only achieve that goal if we raise enough funds through the door donation. If you’d like to spread the word about these events, please print this flyer and distribute it in your community, or pick up a few copies in the lobby.

Hope to see you there!

Erin