This post was originally shared on the Mennonite Church USA Convention website.
In an effort to promote songwriting among Mennonites in the United States, and to broaden the musical spectrum congregationally and communally, Mountain States Mennonite Conference is organizing the first Anabaptist Songwriting Challenge (ASC), which began on March 1-, 2014.
Composers from all around the nation, people of all ages and speaking any language, qualify to participate in the ASC, by providing new compositions of music for the church. According to the organizers of the event, “What we are seeking are new songs with lyrics that expose Anabaptist/Mennonite values such as nonviolence, love of your enemy, reconciliation, life in community, etc. These compositions can be done in any musical genre and/or cultural expression.”
In the upcoming months, the ASC judges’ panel, comprised of musicians and theologians from various cultural backgrounds, will narrow the list of submissions to 10 finalists, whose music will be publicized and shared across the church. The top three songs will be awarded prizes of $1,000 each at the 2015 Mennonite Church USA convention held in Kansas City.
As we all know, music has and will continue to play a significant role in the spiritual and communal life of Anabaptist/Mennonite culture and faith formation.
The deadline to submit songs is October 1, 2014. For more information, visit the Anabaptist Songwriting Challenge website.
********* En Español
Con el propósito de promover las artes musicales entre los afiliados de la Iglesia Menonita de Estados Unidos y ampliar el espectro
musical congregacional y comunitario, la Conferencia Menonita Mountain States, está organizando el primer Anabaptist Songwriting Challenge (ASC), que se inicia el 10 de marzo del 2014.
Compositores de toda la nación, de todas las edades y en todos los idiomas, podrán participar en el primer ASC, con nuevas formas musicales para nuestra Igesia. “Lo que estamos buscando son nuevas canciones con letras que expongan valores Anabautistas/Menonitas como la no violencia, amor al enemigo, reconciliación, vida comunitaria, etc. Estas composiciones pueden abarcar cualquier género musical y/o expresión cultural,” informaron los organizadores del evento.
Durante ocho meses, el Jurado de ASC, compuesto por Músicos y Teólogos de varios transfondos culturales, clasificarán 10 temas, de los cuales tres serán distinguidos con premios de $1,000 dólares cada uno, en la Convención Nacional en Kansas City 2015.
El plazo de entred de los temas será el 1 de Octubre del 2014.
Para más información puede acceder a: http://www.anabaptistsongwritingchallenge.org/