Dawn Baker Jurkiewicz has composed an anthem to celebrate our church centennial. It will be offered by the Sanctuary Choir accompanied by organ and trumpet (played by George Rabbai) on Sunday, June 4th at 10am. We are very excited to be rehearsing this wonderful piece and sharing it with the congregation as we kick off our anniversary month.
When Dawn was first approached about writing a piece specifically for this occasion, she began by selecting texts from scripture. She chose two passages from Ephesians chapter 2: verse 10 and verses 20 and 21.
Dawn had a clear understanding of the vocal and instrumental resources she could employ as she created the music. She has been extremely active (and essential) in the musical life of our church. She has been composing and performing music for solo voice, mixed choir, Sunshine Singers and VBS for over 20 years. She is a faithful member of the Sanctuary Choir, substitute organist and accompanist, vocal soloist, and music educator.
She also took our church’s focus on mission as inspiration for her composition. At a recent rehearsal of the piece, she shared a fascinating insight about the rhythmic pattern played in the organ accompaniment throughout the piece: it mimics the sound of multiple hammers at a Habitat for Humanity build!
We are very grateful to Dawn for sharing her remarkable gifts, crafting an anthem that intimately reflects the heart and soul of our church.