The Hymn Society2025 Annual Conference

We Believe: Faith, Community, and the Holy Act of Singing

Detroit, Michigan
Wayne State University

July 13-16, 2025

 

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Conference Leaders

2:00 pm Registration Opens
4:00 pm Organ Recital Sponsor this Event
5:30 pm Dinner
7:30 pm Hymn Festival: "The Holy Act of Singing Shapes Faith" - Jan Kraybill, FHS & Mary Louise Bringle, FHS Sponsored by Community of Christ Church in Honor of Jan Kraybill, and the George M. Hartung Memorial Fund
After Festival Activity: First Timer’s Reception Sponsor this Event

Organ Institute

5:30 pm: Dinner – Designated table for Organ Institute participants with Nicole Keller

8:00 am Breakfast
8:45 am Morning Prayer - Matthew Boutda Sponsor this Event
9:30 am Emily Swan Perkins Plenary Address: "We Believe: Faith" - Margaret Aymer Sponsor this Event
10:30 am Break Sponsor this Event
11:15 am Featured Session A: Emerging Scholars Forum Sponsor this Event
Featured Session B: Hymnal Showcase - United Church of Canada's "Then Let Us Sing" Sponsor this Event
Featured Session C: "The Holy Act of Singing: How Faith and Singing Intertwine to Embody Holy Community" - Geoffrey Moore Sponsor this Event
12:30 pm Lunch
Lovelace Luncheon Sponsor this Event
2:00 pm Sectionals A Sponsor a Sectional
3:15 pm Break
3:30 pm Connection Zones
5:00 pm Banquet Dinner Sponsor this Event
7:30 pm Hymn Festival: "The Holy Act of Singing Heals Brokenness" - Brandon Waddles Sponsor this Event

Organ Institute

All sessions will take place at the Cathedral Church of St Paul

11:00 am – 12:30 pm: Session I

2:00 pm – 5:00 pm: Session II

8:00 am Breakfast
8:45 am Morning Prayer - Chris de Silva Sponsor this Event
9:30 am Plenary Address: "We Believe: The Holy Act of Singing" - Jennaya Robison Sponsor this Event
10:30 am Break Sponsor this Event
11:15 am Sectionals B Sponsor a Sectional
12:30 pm Lunch
2:00 pm Sectionals C Sponsor a Sectional
3:30 pm Sectionals D Sponsor a Sectional
5:30 pm Dinner
7:30 pm Hymn Festival: "The Holy Act of Singing Transforms Lives" - Robert Batastini, FHS Sponsor this Event

Organ Institute

All sessions will take place at the Cathedral Church of St Paul

11:00 am – 12:30 pm: Session III

2:00 pm – 5:00 pm: Session IV

8:00 am Breakfast
8:45 am Morning Prayer - Megan Mash Sponsor this Event
9:30 am Plenary Address: "We Believe: Community" - Peter Marty Sponsor this Event
10:30 am Break Sponsor this Event
11:00 am Plenary Roundtable - Margaret Aymer, Jennaya Robison & Peter Marty
12:30 pm Lunch
1:30 pm Sectionals E Sponsor a Sectional
3:00 pm Organ Institute Hymn Sing
4:00 pm Free Time & Dinner On the Town
7:30 pm Hymn Festival: "The Holy Act of Singing Renews Peace" - C. Michael Hawn, FHS & Phillip Morgan Sponsored by Andreas and Tracy Teich

Organ Institute

All sessions will take place at the Cathedral Church of St Paul

1:30 pm – 3:00 pm: Session V (Hymn Sing prep)

3:00 pm: Organ Institute Hymn Sing

Those who sign up for the Digital Option will be able to tune-in daily and watch Morning Prayers, Plenary Addresses, Hymn Festivals, and the Organ Recital in real time.

One Featured Session and one Sectional in each time slot will also be streamed and recorded. They are:

  • Featured Session: Emerging Scholars Forum
  • Sectional A: “Indian Melodies by Thomas Commuck” – Carol Scott
  • Sectional B: “Pastoral Musician Burnout: Faith Crisis, Clinical Diagnosis, or Both?” – Kensley Behel
  • Sectional C: “Emulating Hispanic Styles on the Keyboard for Worship” – Peter Kolar
  • Sectional D: “The Unholy Act of Singing – Grosser Gott Wir Lobe Dich: The Hymnal of National Socialism” – Andreas Teich
  • Sectional E: “Found in Translation: The Role of Mission Hymnody on the Formation of the Brazilian Baptist Identity” – Maria Monteiro and Armindo Ferreira

At the end of the conference, all recorded events will remain available to view online for an extended period.

Organists participating in The Hymn Society’s Annual Conference may also take advantage of an intensive institute on leading congregational song and playing hymns. For a modest additional fee of $50, registrants will be able to enjoy the morning plenary events and evening festivals while devoting the rest of their time to instruction and master classes on playing and leading communal singing. The institute will be directed by Nicole Keller, Organist and Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Michigan. This program is made possible by generous financial support from the George M. Hartung Memorial Fund.

Early Bird(through March 15) Advance(March 16 – June 15) Regular(June 16 and after)
Member $445 $485 $500
Non-member (includes one-year membership) $475 $500 $535
Student/Participating Spouse $295 $335 $370
Single Day $160 each $175 each $200 each
Digital Option $325 $325 $350
Conference Meal Plan $265
Monday Banquet (for those who don’t purchase Meal Plan) $ 35
Single Occupancy room with shared bath and AC – 4 nights $375
Double Occupancy room with shared bath and AC – 4 nights $315
Printed Hymn Festival Programs $ 25
 

We have various scholarships available. Click below to learn more about our opportunities!

Lovelace Scholarship

Hartung Organ Scholarship

Emerging Scholars Forum

The campus is extremely flat, so golf carts will only be provided for people with mobility issues. You must indicate your need for assistance on your online conference registration so that we may plan accordingly.

The longest walk will be from the housing/meals building to the Cathedral, which is 0.6 miles (14 minutes at a leisurely pace). Wide sidewalks and controlled crossing points are available for all walking routes.

For attendees that are coming by car, parking will be provided for a fee, which you’ll need to include during your online conference registration. The parking garage is adjacent to the on-campus housing building.

The Hymn Society Executive Committee is engaged in an ongoing process of articulating and reviewing a process in the event of instances of sexual harassment within this community. We hope it will never be necessary, but we take seriously our responsibility to be prepared for any eventuality. Our goal is to take a trauma-informed approach to any reports.

We are committed to ensuring that all our activities uphold our stated mission: “We believe that the holy act of singing together shapes faith, heals brokenness, transforms lives, and renews peace.” As such, The Hymn Society aims to foster a safe environment for all people. We do not tolerate sexual harassment or abuse in any shape or form in the context of our gatherings. We also aim to provide a clear pathway for reporting traumas or unwanted incidents.

In the event of an incident or trauma, please reach out to any member of the Executive Committee (or ask someone you trust to make this disclosure on your behalf), who will inform the Executive Director, President Elect, or Past President, as appropriate. We will honoCr the sensitivity of all reports, and will protect the confidentiality of the complainant.

Wayne State University rests on Waawiyaataanong, also referred to as Detroit, the ancestral and contemporary homeland of the Three Fires Confederacy. These sovereign lands were granted by the Ojibwe, Odawa, Potawatomi, and Wyandot nations, in 1807, through the Treaty of Detroit.