April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
CONCERT AND PRESENTATION
Religious music composer will bring joyful noise to Athens
At the end of the month, the composer will bring his celebrated repertoire - which includes "Here I Am, Lord," "City of God," "Glory and Praise to Our God" and "Sing a New Song" - to St. Patrick's Church in Athens for events co-sponsored by the Catholic Community of St. Patrick's in Athens and Catskill and Oregon Catholic Press.
He will put on a concert Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. and an afternoon of reflection called "Renewing Our Call to Discipleship" the next day at 1 p.m.
Mr. Schutte says he doesn't want either event to be about him.
"I like to keep the focus on the people for whom [the songs] were written," he told The Evangelist. "They're the prayers that we sing when we come to Mass, [and they describe] all of the different moments that we experience in life - some of them joyful, some of them heartbreaking."
Mr. Schutte has been writing music since the early 1970s, when he went to a Jesuit seminary in St. Louis. He has master's degrees in theology and liturgy from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, Calif. Today, he's the composer-in-residence at the University of San Francisco.
He likes for people to join in singing during his concerts, just as he wants his music to foster participation at Mass.
"That's what the liturgy is about," he said. "Celebratory Mass is about participation. When that doesn't happen, we're not celebrating Eucharist as the Church envisioned it. It's one of the expressions of our prayers."
He said parishes are "across the board" when it comes to creating participatory environments. Attendees at his workshops - he travels to different dioceses across the country three out of four weekends - often ask for his advice on how to improve in this area.
Mr. Schutte's answer is multi-faceted and touches on types of music, sound systems, how cantors and choirs sing and invite congregants to sing, and more.
He said his talks weave his songs with "reflections about our common journey of faith." The composer tells stories about how some of his songs came to be and describes some of his favorites, which tend to be the lesser-known pieces out of his estimated 160 to 180 published pieces.
"There are others that never see the light of day," he noted.
One song that's dear to his heart is "You Are Near," which is based on Psalm 139 and "about affirming God's presence in our lives," he said. People tell him it's consoling in times of crisis or "when God seems so far and we wonder if He is even listening to us."
Some of the song's lyrics are, "Oh, Lord, I know you are near/Standing always at my side/You guard me from the foe/And you lead me in ways everlasting....Where can I run from your love?/If I climb to the heavens, you are there/If I fly to the sunrise or sail beyond the sea/Still I'd find you there."
During his visit to the Albany Diocese, Mr. Schutte hopes participants will "learn about liturgy, about their ministry. I hope they're motivated and inspired to continue doing it."
People often tell him they expected a concert, but compare his presentations to a retreat.
"If people walk away with that, I'm happy," he added. "It's about providing an experience for people that hopefully will lead them into the presence of God."[[In-content Ad]]
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