Fri. Feb. 4, 2022
Music, Love & Worship
Karen Horton
Last summer, before worship in the garden at Strawberry Banke, fellow choir member Charlie Bickford and I chatted about my progress studying toward a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Music. He could see how much I love my studies, and how happy and grateful I am for the opportunity, given that I’m 63 years old. He asked me to write a reflection about it, and I promised him I would.
This burst of creative enthusiasm started early in 2017 when I began attending St. John’s and singing in the choir. But let me back up. My religious upbringing was firmly Calvinist: Dutch Reformed and Presbyterian. I started singing in choirs as a child. I had excellent music teachers, and by high school I was rehearsing and practicing about 3 hours daily. I wandered into the Episcopal Church through my piano teacher Kathleen Funk Pearson, who was the organist and choir director at Christ Church in Poughkeepsie, New York, as well as the Vassar Chapel organist. In my late teens and early twenties she invited me to sing with their choir for special events such as Britten’s Ceremony of Carols and midnight Christmas Eve services. I also took lessons from Kay on the beautiful organ in Christ Church. I got hooked on the Episcopal Church through the beauty of the liturgy, the beauty of the music, and the beauty of the mission, exemplified by a food co-op in the church basement. Shortly after my graduation from college I was confirmed in the Episcopal Church. I gave up trying to resolve my confusion over predestination. I learned that Christ Church was not the only church that could throw a good party.
I began college as a music major, but in spite of Kay’s urging I couldn’t see my way forward to a career in music. Over the following forty years music played an ever decreasing role in my life, including in my spiritual life, as circumstances dictated how and where I spent my time. In college I moved from music to more practical professional pursuits. For 25 years I have spent my weekdays teaching engineering technology at the University of Maine. Some years ago my husband Robert began working in Kittery. I now spend most weekends at our home in Eliot, including Sunday mornings at St. John’s.
In 2010 I again worshipped at Christ Church at Kay Pearson’s memorial service. Her obituary noted that she worshipped “primarily through music” and this might have been evident to me, but young people don’t always see the obvious. The music at St. John’s, including in the outreach missions, frequently reminds me of my formative time at Christ Church. Jen, Ashley, Olin, the choir with choir scholars, the children’s choirs, the choir school, the compline choir, the brass musicians and other guest musicians, the clergy, and the parishioners, all help me understand the role music plays in deepening the worship and the mission of the church. I have acknowledged the hole in my soul that needs to be filled by spending time crafting and sharing music.
University music classes and lessons are free for UMaine employees accepted into the major. Four years ago Ashley helped me prepare a successful audition, and I’ve been studying part-time ever since. The music faculty members and students are a joy, and age has not been a barrier. I am much happier spending time daily learning to create the best music I am able, and engaging in St. John’s mission by singing in the choir. Thank you to everyone at St. John’s for helping me become whole again.