Music Ministry
At Saint Paul UMC, music is more than just notes and rhythms—it’s an expression of our faith and community. Our musical ensembles play a vital role in our worship services each Sunday morning and evening. Whether you’re an experienced musician or just beginning, there’s a place for you in our music ministry.
The Saint Paul Choir
The Saint Paul Choir sings in worship on most Sundays, from August through May, and performs several additional concerts throughout the season. This dedicated group rehearses weekly on Wednesday evenings from 7-9 p.m. We sing classical, gospel, jazz, and everything in between!
If you’re interested in joining our choir or playing an instrument and would like to contribute your gifts in worship at Saint Paul, please contact Dr. Mary Young, Director of Music. We are always looking to include more music-makers in our church community.
SUMMER SPECIAL MUSIC
The Saint Paul Choir is taking a little break for the summer, but we’re excited to welcome a fantastic lineup of guest musicians who will share their special music with us during worship all summer long.
June 7 – VBS Kids Choir will perform some of the songs they learned throughout the week.
June 14 – On Pride Sunday, we are thrilled to welcome the Star City Chorus, Lincoln’s LGBTQIA+ and allied community choir, which cultivates an inclusive community through music by uplifting queer voices in a safe, supportive, and affirming environment.
June 21 – Saint Paul Choir member, Hannah Lambert will lead hymns.
June 28 – Kaleb Wilkening makes a return to Lincoln and will join us for morning worship! He will accompany the service, and he and Catherine Davis will present ‘Open the Gates’ by Adolphus Hailstork as special music.
July 5 – A small group of musicians will premiere a brand-new setting of America the Beautiful in Cherokee to celebrate America’s 250th birthday! The piece was arranged by Cherokee composer James E. Green for America’s 250th Birthday. He wrote this piece “for ALL Americans” and says it is to “signify 250 years of American beauty and growth.”
July 12 – Saint Paul Choir members, Hannah Lambert and Corey Brubaker, will lead hymns.
July 19 – Teimuraz Janikashvili is an internationally acclaimed violinist and concertmaster trained at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory within the Russian violin tradition. Now based in the United States, he maintains an active career as a soloist, chamber musician, educator, and artistic director.
July 26 – Star City Sound is a seasonal a cappella chorus based in Lincoln, sponsored by the Lincoln Continentals Barbershop Chorus and led by Logan Langholdt, Hannah Lambert, and Dr. Mary Young. They welcome singers of all ages and backgrounds and perform a lively mix of showtunes, barbershop, pop, and classical music.
August 16 – Sebastian Aracena is a junior at Lincoln High School, where he is enrolled in the International Baccalaureate Diploma program. He currently performs with several music ensembles in Lincoln, including the Lincoln Youth Symphony as Principal Flute, section leader of the Lincoln High Band, and a member of the Coro di Flauti community flute choir. A recipient of the Nebraska Young Artists award, Sebastian was recently selected as an attendee for several programs at Boston University’s Tanglewood Institute this coming summer. Sebastian currently studies with Lindsay Bartlett and hopes to continue his career in music performance.
Saint Paul UMC welcomed Dr. Mary Young as our Director of Music and Worship Arts in August 2025. Mary is a conductor, clinician, lecturer, singer, and pianist from Rochester, NY. She holds a BA in Piano Performance, an MA in Choral Conducting, and a DMA in choral conducting. She has conducted high school, collegiate, community, church, and children’s choirs.
Her primary field of research is Native American choral music and she enjoys working closely with Native composers and languages. She serves as co-editor of a Native American choral series with Hinshaw publishing, and founded the First Nations Choral Festival in March of 2023.
Mary completed 100 hours of research on underrepresented composers for the Institute for Composer Diversity. She also updated and expanded Dr. Marques Garrett’s list, ‘Beyond Elijah Rock: The Non-Idiomatic Choral Music of Black Composers’ while serving as the Diversity-In-Action intern for the New York Choral Consortium.
Spring Concert
The Saint Paul Chancel Choir, under the direction of Dr. Mary Young, performed Dan Forrest’s Requiem for the Living on Palm Sunday, March 29, 2026.
A Requiem is traditionally a prayer for rest for the deceased. Dan Forrest’s Requiem for the Living, however, is a narrative for the living, addressing our struggles with pain and sorrow.
Recent Music Highlights
First Friday Concert Series
Saint Paul UMC celebrates local musicians and artists on the first Friday of the month with concerts and displays. These concerts are FREE and open to the public. There is an optional light lunch served before and after the performance (11:30-12 and 1-1:30) for $5 per person.
All performances will be in the sanctuary at Saint Paul UMC (1144 M Street). Stop by over your lunch break and help us support local talent!
Cabaret for a Cause
This special night of music, laughter, and community featured the talented section leaders from the Saint Paul Choir, as well as guest performers from other local churches and the Lincoln theatre community. Instead of tickets, we kindly asked that guests bring a non-perishable food item for the Visionary Youth Holiday Food Giveaway. Cabaret for a Cause was the perfect way to celebrate local talent and help out our neighbors in need!
