Sonnenberg Station will begin rehearsal for the fall season in just a few weeks! Keep watching here for updates on concert locations, dates, and times.
Composer Pepper Choplin: We Are Not Alone
One of audiences' favorite Sonnenberg Station pieces this season has been "We Are Not Alone" by Pepper Choplin. It's a simple, heartfelt a cappella anthem offering a solid comfort that God is with us always, regardless of our circumstances.
The article below, written in 1998, is a great profile piece on Choplin, giving insight into the person behind the composition.
December 4, 1998
The News & Observer
THE MUSIC MAN
By Eleanor Lee Yates; Correspondent
RALEIGH -- It's Wednesday night at Greystone Baptist Church. The evening meal is over; choir practices have started. There's lots of Christmas music to work on. In a back room crammed with a piano and metal folding chairs, third-, fourth- and fifth-graders practice their hallelujahs.
"La la la," intones Pepper Choplin, their minister of music.
"La la la," repeat the children, in perfect unison.
"A little stronger now," Choplin says.
"The girls are singing too high," complains a boy in the back.
A half-hour later Choplin works with the adult choir. Between sessions he's running from room to room in the church, getting music, checking with church members about times and dates and who's performing what.
Choplin plans all the music for Greystone's worship services. He also writes much of it.
Choplin has composed 50 choral anthems sold by a major music publisher to church choirs all over the country. Choplin recently released his first CD, "Psalms of the Wood," made up of 13 anthems and distributed by GlorySound, a division of Shawnee Press Inc., which publishes Choplin's choral music.
"The recording started in February, but the company had been planning it for a while," says Choplin, a lanky, fair-haired man who bears a faint resemblance to entertainer John Tesh. A GlorySound producer was scheduled to come to Raleigh but was called to another project. Choplin told the company he thought he could produce the project - then wondered what he'd gotten into.
"I had never produced anything," he says. The learning curve was a sharp one, like cramming in two years of college. Choplin assembled a number of singer friends, including two members of the Greystone choir and two ministers of music. Musician friends helped out on pennywhistle, guitar, hammer dulcimer and accordion. The musicians recorded instrumental versions of the anthems. Then came 15 hours of recording sessions spread over two days for the vocalists.
The melodies of Choplin's songs are distinctive. Some have a folksy feel, others an Irish bent. Still others are grand and formal.
The choirs at Greystone are thrilled with Choplin's success. But because Choplin is so affable and down-to-earth and they've known him since "back when," they feel comfortable putting in their occasional two cents' worth when he tries out new compositions on them.
"They're pretty bold about their critiques," Choplin says.
BORN TO PERFORM: Choplin's parents recognized early that their son enjoyed music and did their best to encourage him. He took piano lessons at 4. He was reading music at 5. A Raleigh native, Choplin was active in New Hope Baptist Church as a youth, participating in several choirs and performing in musicals. At Millbrook High School, Choplin played trumpet in the band but always was eager to learn new instruments, adding banjo, guitar and recorder to his repertoire.
Choplin's unusual first name is not a moniker - it's real. "My parents were creative, but it caused me some trouble," Choplin says, so growing up, he used his middle name, Dean.
He majored in music education with a voice principal at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He took only a couple of composition classes. During summers, he performed a stage act at Carowinds. He took only a few composing courses.
Choplin's first job was music minister at Myrtle Grove Baptist Church in Wilmington. During his two-year tenure, he decided to pursue his interest in composing. He enrolled in Southwestern Baptist Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, to earn his master's degree in composition. After graduation, Choplin worked as music minister for a church in Orlando, Fla.
"I didn't write anything for three years. There never seemed to be enough time," he says. He had married his wife, Heather. Daughter Kelcy, now 13, and Erin, now 10, were born. "Then we needed a musical to perform and I just decided to write one. I did it on deadline, kind of like I was on an assembly line," he recalls.
The 40-minute musical, "The Heavens Are Telling," was a hit with his church and motivated Choplin to make more time for composing. (The musical is being performed this Christmas season at many Triangle-area churches. Among the churches presenting the musical are The First Presbyterian Church of Garner, New Hope Baptist Church in Raleigh and Ephesus Baptist Church in Durham, all Dec. 13.)
In 1991, a year after Choplin arrived at Greystone, Shawnee Press published an anthem from his musical. Shawnee, in Delaware Water Gap, Pa., has regularly published Choplin's work since. Fred Waring, noted choral conductor and bandleader of the Young Pennsylvanians, established the company in the 1930s.
Krista Hoell Montgomery, director of advertising at Shawnee, says Choplin is one of most creative and freshest composers to "come along in a long time."
"His music is very spiritual and moving. It leads people to worship," she says. "He has a folk quality. He incorporates instruments that are not traditional."
Choplin separates his church duties from his composing, doing his writing in his home office which includes a keyboard, a piano and a computer. He hooks the computer to a keyboard to write most of his work.
"I get the concept down on the piano. But the computer is so versatile. You can write music in one key, hit a button and instantly transpose it," he says.
BUSY DAYS: As minister of music, Choplin's duties include planning the music for worship services, working with the adult choir, an adult ensemble, the youth choir and three children's choirs. He is also an outreach minister, which means visiting the hospitalized and the ill. Greystone Baptist, on Lead Mine Road, has about 650 members.
The Rev. Gene Watterson, who arrived at Greystone as senior pastor 10 months ago, says he knew of Choplin by reputation long before. "He has a huge reputation among ministers," Watterson says. He noted Choplin's rare musical talent but also his gift for human relationships.
"He's a very genuine Christian, in his outlook and his actions. He has great integrity. When he says he'll do something, you can take it to the bank," Watterson says. "I have no idea what the future holds for this young man, but I have visions of his being a major player."
Brian Perkinson, a Greystone member, joined the choir shortly before Choplin arrived. "He made us more disciplined," Perkinson says. "We always had fun but were less attentive to all the notes. Now we pay attention to all the notes. Pepper has improved the quality of music at Greystone. We learned to work harder without losing the fun."
Perkinson says the choir loves to give feedback on Choplin's works in progress. "We like to think we're part of 'composition by committee.' We don't hesitate to say the composer was wrong."
Sometimes choir members are perplexed when they open up their crisp, black-and-white sheet music to practice one of Choplin's songs. It's not the same as the printouts he gave them before the music was printed.
Choplin, of course, had done some fine-tuning. He uses a variety of music in the services, with just a small percentage being his own. Perkinson notes that Choplin excels at choosing music, which communicates the message of the minister's text, of tying hymns and music to the sermon.
Six years ago Choplin thought seriously about going into composing full time. He went to Nashville, where much of the Christian-music industry is based, and talked to contacts and acquaintances. But church ministry, he decided, is for him.
"There's a lot of insecurity in chasing the big time. I'm in a good position now. I didn't see anything worth changing my life over," Choplin says.
For more information: 'Psalms of the Wood' retails for $15.98 and can be purchased in Raleigh at Burrage Music Co. at 4900 Green Road, at Lifeway Bookstore at 3000 Wake Forest Road, and at The Sign of the Fish Christian Bookstore, 1657 N. Market Drive.
Copyright 1998 by The News & Observer Pub. Co.
Oak Grove Mennonite Church
Thank you, Oak Grove, for being such a warm and welcoming audience. What a privilege to spend the evening with you.
Wanting Memories: An Interview with Ysaye Barnwell
One of Sonnenberg Station's pieces this season is "Wanting Memories," written by Ysaye Barnwell and performed by Sweet Honey in the Rock, an amazing, all-woman, African-American a cappella ensemble. Sue, a Sonnenberg Station fan who attended their concert in Wooster on March 19 as part of the Music on Market series, asked about the song, so I thought it would be appropriate to share this beautiful interview with the songwriter, featuring the song as its soundtrack. Enjoy! ~Denice.
Craig Strasbaugh: Within Zion's Walls
Last Season, I was invited to sing with Sonnenberg Station for the first time. I had heard the group perform before and had been drawn to keep singing. In my first season with the group, we sang "Zion’s Walls." It is a strong, impassioned appeal for the whole family or community to gather to worship God within the walls of the Jerusalem Temple. The men of the choir stand in place of the people's patriarchs. They love to worship God together, and they pass that faith on through the generations.
For me, "Zion's Walls" is a powerful song that leaves your senses buzzing at the end. That description could serve just as well to summarize my experience with Sonnenberg Station.
Sadly, I am missing most of this season’s performances, though I have practiced, and, even now, have my music near me. Yet as I type, I sit within the boundary walls between Jerusalem’s countryside and Bethlehem in Israel.
Today, I walked the streets of the walled, Old City of Jerusalem (Zion). Song bursts forth here in every Quarter, in every language, and from multiple religions. Here is a place people still gather for worship. I can now say that I have sung "Zion’s Walls" within Zion’s walls (and with all of the Sonnenberg Station men in my consciousness).
As I prayed and sang within Zion’s walls, I was struck by the fact that my singing and worship here are not an end unto themselves, but are indeed preparing me for prayer and worship and singing elsewhere.
God is now dwelling in hearts of flesh in you and me. And that is the faith that we invite others to participate in when we gather together and sing.
Craig Strasbaugh
Music on Market
This evening's concert was held at the wonderful venue that is Wooster United Methodist--a great place for singing choral music. The ensemble sang for a sizable, warm, and receptive crowd, thanks to the efforts of Music on Market's hardworking, energetic Nancy Franck.
The beautiful crowd at Music on Market in Wooster.
It's always fun to make connections with the audience. Someone recognizes a singer from their blog post. Someone else expresses interest in booking the group at their church in the fall. And tonight, a six-year-old attendee recognized a song in the program and was excited to hear it, but had to wait until the end of the concert to hear it. When the group had finished performing the song, the girl excitedly turned to her mother and said, "Now that's what I call entertainment!" The song was "Skip to My Lou."
"Skip to my Lou, my darling...."
Just goes to show that there's something for everyone during a Sonnenberg Station concert!
See you Saturday night, March 22 at 7 pm at St. Mary's in Massillon!
Travis Pauli: AKA "Ugly Face"
They call me ugly face.
That’s not true. At least I hope it’s not. I guess you can never really know for sure, but the group members don't seem the type to have that in them.
The only reason I even mention this is because of Bill Seymour. If you've seen his blog post, you'll know that, on occasion, my countenance has been a point of discussion--specifically, my expression when I sing. On a normal day, I'm not going to win any beauty pageants, but when I sing, something happens. Something which I can only hope the vocal stylings coming from my mouth can counter. As Bill mentioned, I do work hard at trying to create the best sound I can, but it comes at the cost of a facial expression which starts off as a sorrow/pain hybrid and morphs into anger/pain as the song gets louder or the notes get higher. It’s something I've been aware of for a very long time and something that I'm always working hard to fix.
Well, kind of.
Okay, um, not really.
I just sing. If you want to see a nice smile, take a look at Ellis, or Jeremy, or Daniel. They're always smiling, and they look like they love what they're doing. That’s why they're always in the front. If you want to see a guy at the pinnacle of concentration (and with a look of constipation), I'm the guy you want, and they're trying to hide me in the back row. Well, you know what? I'm a giant, and I can't be hidden. So, look whenever.
Actually, it’s probably not a good idea. Nothing good can come of it. Look at the front row and enjoy, and if I ever sing a solo, just close your eyes, picture someone attractive and smiling doing the singing, and soak it in. But always know that I’m up there loving every second of it.
I am not an original member of the group. I believe I joined in the spring of 2008, but I honestly can't tell you that’s 100% correct. If it is, that would make this my 13th round of performances with the group. I've never tallied that before. That seems huge!
But singing in this group is one of those things that feels like you've been doing it forever, yet, at the same time, it’s like it just started yesterday. It’s set up perfectly for me. We do a few performances, and then we take some time off. Every time we are ready to get started again, I get excited. It has never felt old or burdensome for a single day, and I think that’s what makes me appreciate the opportunity so much.
Singing has always been a very important part of my life. I was very active in different things in high school, but music was always my favorite. Then, suddenly, graduation happened, and it came to an abrupt end. The college years went by, and through my early 20s, there didn't seem to be an outlet. Then the opportunity came that I could join the group, and what a group it is! Every season is a vocal and mental challenge, and I sing with some very talented and knowledgeable people. I often feel so inadequate with my knowledge of musical history or theory when I'm with these guys. They're discussing pentatonic scales and suspended minor fifths (I don't even know if that’s a real thing), and I'm just here thinking, “I know I go from a C to a G here, and if I do that right and keep my mouth shut, no one will know that I'm kind of an idiot."
But no one cares anyway. We sing, we enjoy each other’s company, and if there were no concerts at the end of the season, I think most of us would still show up for the camaraderie and the chance to make fun of each other a little bit. The only thing I do know is this: The only way I’m not going to be a part of this group is if they kick me out, and if that happens, there’s going to be a fight. Fists will fly. I’m not real tough, so they may not land anywhere, but they will be a-flyin’.
I've been asked to share some things about myself, and I don't really know where to start. The easiest place is probably with my family. I live with my wonderful wife, Heather, and two amazing daughters, Ellie (3) and Bailey (1). There is always singing going on in the house, but the music of choice is currently most of the soundtrack to Disney’s Frozen. Both of my daughters are in love with the movie, and Ellie has most of the songs memorized, down to the vocal inflection of the characters as they sing. I prefer songs that have a little more soul and grit. Some past Sonnenberg Station favorites include “Nobody’s Fault” and “My God Called." You can really let loose on a song like that without the rigid precision that other songs require. My absolute favorite has to be the song, “Things That Never Die." It’s a beautiful, flowing song (in contrast to what I just said I liked--I'm a walking, talking contradiction) in which I had the opportunity stand beside one of the most talented singers I’ve been around – Hank Rossiter – and got to listen to accompaniment by another of the most talented musicians I've known – Kevin Himes. The opportunity to make music with those two and Tim Shue make singing in Sonnenberg Station so much fun. Truly some of the most talented people I've ever been around.
Jeremy Braun: Singing as Therapy
Jeremy Braun has discovered what many since the beginning of time have experienced--that music can help us express what we have difficulty putting into words on our own. Singing with Sonnenberg Station has also helped Jeremy work through some difficult life experiences as well as celebrate life's joys.
The Braun family
Jeremy grew up in Goshen, Indiana with his three brothers, Joe, Tim, and, closest to him in age, Marc, an accomplished piano and guitar player, and one of Jeremy's musical heroes who, like Jeremy, loved to sing. As a young boy, Jeremy sang in his church's children's choir and joined a barbershop quartet in high school, which he figures didn't sound nearly as good as they thought they were, but they had fun anyway. His earliest musical memory is of singing German Christmas carols after the family's Boxing Day meal in Canada.
"I still don't know German," Braun says, "but those Canadians sure can sing."
Jeremy and Carli.
He headed to Northern Michigan University and worked at Camp Friedenswald during college as summer staff and then, after college, spent a full year there as maintenance assistant. There, he met Carli, who was also a summer staff member, and they fell in love. By 2007, Jeremy had decided to move to Ohio to be near Carli, who was then battling Hodgkin's lymphoma. The two married and started a family, and the lymphoma surrendered. In 2013, Jeremy decided to add singing to the mix, so he joined Sonnenberg Station in the fall.
For Braun, singing with the ensemble is a way to express a side of himself that he doesn't often show people. While he admits to belting out a tune in the work van (he's an HVAC installer and pipe fitter), Sonnenberg Station gives him the opportunity to polish up a few pieces to share with people who want to listen. He also enjoys the challenge of joining his voice with the voices of others who sharpen his skills.
"Sonnenberg Station has a great many singers with excellent tone and knowledge of musical theory, most of it that I can't begin to understand," Jeremy says. "This is humbling for me, and I hope I catch on quickly enough that they don't find out I have no clue what they're talking about in Latin, or how to count through the difficult rhythm sections."
Jeremy and his brother Marc.
When asked to choose his favorite piece, Jeremy says it's difficult to choose. He's a sucker for mushy songs about loved ones, especially missing loved ones. Singing these pieces has been great therapy for Jeremy to work through devastating loss. His brother Marc, who was closest to Jeremy in age and someone he greatly admired, made the decision to leave this earthly life in 2012 after struggling for years with depression and bipolar disease, an illness that carries with it 10 to 20 times the suicide rate of the general population. March 9 marked the two year anniversary of Marc's death, something Jeremy struggles to process and accept. And yet, it continues to shape him in ways he finds it difficult to define.
"Marc was my role model, and now he's no longer here, which just sucks," Jeremy says. At this year's Frohliche Dorf, Jeremy introduced a song that puts some of his feelings into words. "Wanting Memories," a piece in Sonnenberg Station's repertoire this season, is one he can relate to well.
"It speaks of missing a person who said they would help us through life but is no longer around. The refrain repeats this, but the verses transition from longing to the realization that this missing person abides within me, declaring, 'I know that I am you, and you are me, and we are one.' That line grabbed me right away.
"It's difficult to sing sometimes," Jeremy says, "but it's good to express these feelings through song.
"Truth is," Jeremy says, "I just love to sing, and this group enables me to do just that. I feel like so much of our popular music is made great by recordings and computer calibrated intonation, but Sonnenberg is raw. A cappella singing is such a naked expression of art that it becomes intimidating to perform sometimes, but when the performance is strong, it feels great."
Jeremy lives in Dalton with his sweet children and his beautiful wife, who has been cured of Hodgkin's lymphoma. And, whenever he gets the chance, he grabs the opportunity to lift his voice in song, whether sharing it with an audience at a Sonnenberg Station concert, or singing for himself alone in the work van, because music is a significant and healing part of Jeremy Braun's life.
