Renewal & Rejoicing
Music Ministry
“Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord,
praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.”(Psalm 96, vs 1-2)
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The Music Ministry is very active in the community of faith at Pine Shores. The Chancel Choir provides the primary music for the Sunday morning worship service and other special services throughout the year. Other choirs regularly participate and enrich the worship services. All choirs also add music to church-wide activities and community events in Sarasota. All of our choirs are ready for new members, so please join us and “sing to the Lord a new song.”
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The Chancel Choir rehearses on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m.
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Clara Kaiser Carillon handbell choir rehearses on Thursday evenings at 7:00 p.m.
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Sounds of the Soul first Friday music offerings resumed in October and are also being livestreamed thanks to our new wireless camera.
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Pine Shores welcomes you to join us at an upcoming musical celebration. To learn specific dates and times for our musical calendar, please call the office at (941) 922-1597.
Choir
Chancel Choir: Adults (high school and older) rehearse Wednesday at 7 p.m. with our Director of Music, Rick Holdsworth. This choir provides music for the Sunday morning worship service and ecumenical services throughout the year and participates in seasonal concerts and festivals.
Handbells
Handbells have been an integral part of the music ministry at Pine Shores Presbyterian Church since 1968. On April 15, 2018 we held our “50 Years of Handbells” Celebration. Combined Handbell Choirs from Pine Shores premiered “Praise to the Lord the Almighty.” This arrangement was commissioned to celebrate the church’s 50 years of handbell music ministry. Click here to see and hear the special arrangement by Cathy Moklebust.
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Our handbell choirs currently include:
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• Clara Kaiser Carillon: The Clara Kaiser Carillon Handbell Choir is for experienced ringers. The choir is in its 50th year of ringing and rehearses on Thursdays at 7 p.m. In addition to contributing music to the worship services.
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There’s always a place for new ringers. Simply contact our Director of Music, Rick Holdsworth for information: (941) 922-1597 ext. 104 or email music@pineshorespres.org.
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The church’s handbell collection consists of a five-octave set, and a second three-octave set of Schulmerich handbells, a four-octave set of Malmark ChoirChimes (C3 through C7), a three-octave set of Malmark ChoirChimes and a three-octave set of Schulmerich MelodyChimes.
Sounds of the Souls
Sounds of the Souls is a free concert open to the public that takes place outside on our campus grounds by the Gazebo. (if the weather is threatening, we move inside to the Sanctuary.) We have a new artist the first Friday night of each month, November through April and all concerts begin at 6:00 p.m. and last about 45 minutes. Be sure to bring a chair and/or blanket if you plan to attend.
Pine Shores’ 2023-2024 Concert Series
Pine Shores sponsors an annual Concert Series which is free and open to the public from October through March. A variety of genres are presented.
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Are you Interested in supporting this program?
Please call our Music Director Rick Holdsworth to find out how; music@pineshorespres.org, (941)922-1597, ext. 104.
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The Concert Series is made possible by the generosity of many donors. Concerts are held in the Pine Shore Presbyterian Church Sanctuary.
Westminster Concert Bell Choir
Tuesday, January 16th
7:00 p.m.
The 16-member Westminster Concert Bell Choir is composed of undergraduate and graduate students at Rider University. Its conductor is Kathleen Ebling Shaw. This year marks the 46th year of the handbell curriculum at Westminster Choir College who was the first institution in the world to develop such a program.
Hailed for its virtuosity, the Westminster Concert Bell Choir uses the largest range of handbells in the world – 8 octaves, from C1 to C9. Many of the bells are made of bronze and range in weight from four ounces to eleven pounds; the Choir also uses the large “Basso Profundo” aluminum-cast bells that are a new phenomenon in handbell ringing. The Choir supplements their handbell set with a six-octave set of Malmark Choirchime® instruments from C2 to C8 – the widest range in existence.
The Westminster Concert Bell Choir has appeared on Public Television’s “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” and several holiday broadcasts of the “Today” show, including one in which NBC television personalities Katie Couric and Willard Scott joined the ensemble. Its holiday performances have been heard annually on National Public Radio’s “Performance Today,” and it is included on NPR’s Christmas Around The Country II recording.
The Choir has performed at Carnegie Hall twice during the Christmas season and was featured on New Jersey Network’s State Of The Arts program.
The Westminster Concert Bell Choir under the direction of Mrs. Shaw made its Carnegie Hall debut in December 2001 as the first American handbell ensemble to perform there. They have also been featured on Lifetime Television, QVC, NBC’s TODAY Show, New Jersey Network, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and NBC’s nationally televised Lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. She has also produced eight recordings with the Westminster Concert Bell Choir.
– A free will offering will be collected –
Dr. John Behnke,organist
Sunday, January 28, 2024
5:00 p.m.
Dr. John A. Behnke is the Organist at Trinity Lutheran Church of SWFL in Port Charlotte, FL.
He enjoys composing and arranging, having over 500 compositions in print with nineteen different publishers in the United States, Germany, Hong Kong and Taiwan. He is Emeritus Professor of Music at Concordia University, in Mequon, Wisconsin where for 29 years (1986-2015) he taught organ, church music courses, and directed The Alleluia Ringers, Concordia’s touring handbell choir.
He has concertized throughout the USA, in Taiwan, Japan, Germany, and Norway. He was the director of the Milwaukee Handbell Ensemble and Music Editor of AGEHR Publishing – Handbell Musicians of America from 2003 until 2019.
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He was recently awarded an Honorary Life Member of the Handbell Musicians of America.
And he serves as a Board Member of the AGO Sarasota/Manatee Chapter.
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Click HERE on January 28th to watch the concert held at Pine Shores.
Riverview High School Chorus
Sunday, March 24, 2024
5:00 p.m.
The choirs at Riverview High School (RHS) have been in existence since the school’s opening in 1958 and have held a long history of musical and performance excellence.
The current program consists of over 100 students, five different choirs under the direction of David and Whitney Verdoni and a dedicated group of parent volunteers that help make the program exciting and vibrant.
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The Beginning Ladies choir and Men’s chorus are open to all students with no audition or experience necessary. The Advanced Ladies Choir is made up of mostly 2nd year ladies or new students to RHS that audition into the group. Mixed Choir is made up of 3rd and 4th year ladies and our men. The chamber choir is a mixed voice ensemble with students from all grades that meets afterschool and is our top group that performs the most throughout the community.
The program focuses on exposing students to a wide variety of choral genres and styles, teaching music literacy skills, healthy vocal production and promoting self-esteem, leadership and group cooperation.
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​Click HERE on March 24th to watch the concert held at Pine Shores.
Interested in supporting the music programs at Pine Shores? Please contact our Music Director Rick Holdsworth at music@pineshorespres.org,
(941) 922-1597, ext. 104.