History

THE ESSENCE OF ABENDMUSIK

When Jack Levick arrived in Lincoln in 1972, he brought with him a vision that First-Plymouth Church could become a gathering place for the community to experience music that inspires. With the support of Pastor Otis Young and the First-Plymouth congregation, Abendmusik was born. Abendmusik (literally translated as “evening music”) began to present and produce innovative, meaningful programming, consistently of the highest artistic quality. For five decades, Abendmusik’s audiences have gathered in the beautiful sanctuary of Lincoln’s historic First-Plymouth Church, an ideal environment to encounter the finest in choral, instrumental, and organ music. Even as the seasons change, those who experience Abendmusik at First-Plymouth continue to experience music that inspires.

Abendmusik’s 50th Anniversary Gala Concert 2022

A REPERTOIRE THAT KNOWS NO BOUNDS

Beginning with the Vivaldi Gloria in 1972, Abendmusik has produced and presented many major works in the choral/orchestral repertoire, including critically-acclaimed performances of Beethoven, Brahms, Duruflé, Dvorak, Fauré, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Poulenc, Puccini, and Vaughan Williams.

Abendmusik has also welcomed many of America’s most important composers and conductors to the Abendmusik stage. Luminaries such as Randall Thompson, Daniel Pinkham, Aaron Copland, Alice Parker and, more recently, Jake Runestad and Anton Armstrong have captivated Abendmusik’s singers and audiences alike. Robert Shaw, arguably the most influential choral conductor of the twentieth century, conducted the Abendmusik Chorus in a performance of Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem in 1981. Mr. Shaw wrote of the chorus, “I have never met a group so handsomely prepared and so quick to respond. I hope they received as much pleasure as they gave.”

Abendmusik’s acclaimed performances have included commissions of many new works, championing particularly the compositions of Nebraska composers such as Robert Beadell, Marques L.A. Garrett, Kurt Knecht, Brian Pfoltner, Jack Rinke, and Tom Trenney. Renowned arrangers Jeremy Bankson, John Hotchkiss, Arthur Harris, David Sharp, Keith Snell, and Richard Webster have scored pieces for the Plymouth Brass, a group featured annually on Abendmusik’s concert series in the popular Last Blast on New Year’s Eve.

Abendmusik has also brought many intriguing works to Nebraska audiences for the first time, most notably Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Requiem, David Fanshawe’s African Sanctus, John Muehleisen’s Pietá, and Craig Hella Johnson’s Considering Matthew Shepard. Abendmusik has also “rediscovered” rarely-performed gems from the repertoire such as Horatio Parker’s Hora novissima, which was recorded and distributed internationally by Albany Records.

Though best known for its distinctive productions involving the Abendmusik Chorus and Plymouth Brass, through the years Abendmusik has been the proud presenter of many acclaimed national and international touring ensembles including inspiring performances by the Cambridge Singers, the Vienna Boys Choir, the Jason Max Ferdinand Singers, VOCES8, the Paul Winter Consort, Chanticleer, the American Spiritual Ensemble, the St. Olaf Choir, and the Trinity Choir from Cambridge, England, to name a few.

Performing in Capella Hall, St. Petersburg, Russia, in 2006

A WORLD OF MUSICAL EXPERIENCES

A devoted Anglophile, Jack Levick often reached across the Atlantic for inspiration. Abendmusik’s ongoing love affair with England prompted concerts of British coronation music, Festivals of Lessons and Carols, reenactments of Royal Weddings, and even the re-creation of the Last Night at the Proms. Prolific British composer John Rutter conducted multiple performances with the Abendmusik Chorus and Plymouth Brass. Following a concert, Rutter wrote, “I was simply stunned with your Plymouth Brass. They played the Gloria far better than I have ever heard it done before.” Rutter’s mentor and friend Sir David Willcocks became a returning favorite of audiences as well, and his influence on Abendmusik’s tradition is undeniable.

Sir David’s frequent visits built strong mutual admiration, and he invited the chorus to be featured in an international choral festival he was leading at Coventry Cathedral in England. The honor of this invitation launched a series of international travels for the Abendmusik Chorus, beginning in England and including later trips to Austria, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, and Finland. Many of the choir members’ most treasured memories and friendships were shaped through the profound spiritual experiences of the tours which they fondly recount to this day: responding with awe to the grandeur of the English cathedrals; singing for worship in the holy sanctuary of the Vatican; encountering the outpouring of emotion from the Eastern European people so moved by their music and message; and singing music of faith and hope at the Auschwitz concentration camp where faith and hope had once come to die. The tours offered life-changing experiences that deepened the choir’s artistic expression and musical commitment.

The King of Instruments

One of the most influential events in Abendmusik’s history occurred during the 25th anniversary season. After decades of dreaming and planning, fundraising and constructing, First-Plymouth celebrated the installation of its magnificent 110 rank, 6327-pipe Schoenstein organ. The unique design of this incredible instrument includes literally two organs in one: the impressive 4-manual Lied Organ in the chancel; and the resourceful Ruth Marie Amen Organ in the gallery. The great organ of the Great Plains, First-Plymouth’s Lied Organ was designed as an artistic gift to the entire community, and sharing this remarkable treasure has become part of Abendmusik’s ongoing mission. In 1998, the Lied Organ’s dedication was broadcast live on Nebraska Public Television in a spectacular concert featuring the Abendmusik Chorus, the Omaha Symphony Chamber Orchestra, and guest organist Todd Wilson, all under the direction of Abendmusik’s own Jack Levick. Over the years, most of the world’s foremost organists have performed on the Abendmusik concert series, including Virgil Fox, Frederick Swann, Thomas Murray, William Albright, Hector Olivera, John Scott, Dame Gillian Weir, and Marie-Madeline Duruflé.

A TIME OF TRANSITION AND A NEW BEGINNING

Jack Levick served as Artistic Director of Abendmusik from its inception in 1972 through his departure in October 2003. Thanks to Jack’s creativity, vision and devoted artistic leadership, Abendmusik received the Governor’s Arts Award in 1988 and the City of Lincoln’s Mayor’s Arts Award in 1985 and 2003. His thirty-plus-year tenure as founding Artistic Director established Abendmusik’s powerful mission and ensured its lasting reputation. Jack has returned frequently to conduct significant milestone events for Abendmusik over the past 20 years.

A collaborative spirit and an ongoing commitment to excellence led Abendmusik forward through nearly ten seasons of transition. The baton was handed from Jack Levick to Peter Eklund to Larry Monson to John Cummins and to Jeremy Bankson between the years of 2003 and 2009. These leaders each made significant contributions to affirm Abendmusik’s tradition and to encourage its evolution.

Tom Trenney came to Lincoln in 2009 as Minister of Music at First-Plymouth Church and Artistic Director of Abendmusik. While honoring the tradition and spirit of a rich history, Tom has encouraged Abendmusik to expand its outreach to youth and collegiate musicians, to broaden the diversity of featured repertoire and performers, and to make Abendmusik events more accessible to the community.

INSPIRING COLLABORATION

Collaboration has been always at the core of Abendmusik’s mission and vision. Five decades of performances have brought the Abendmusik Chorus together with choral ensembles from nearly every college and university in the state. The chorus has also partnered with the Nebraska Choral Arts Society, the Omaha Symphony, Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra, and the Lied Center in particularly memorable concerts over the years. Beginning in 2015, Abendmusik has brought high school choirs and instrumentalists together for an annual Youth Masterworks Festival. This unique choral/orchestral event has expanded so much that this season’s performance of Mozart’s Requiem was held at the Lied Center. Nearly 300 youth played and sang for an audience of more than 1,200—perhaps Abendmusik’s largest concert ever.

The Mighty Malone Singers prepare to sing with the American Spiritual Ensemble in 2020.

ABENDMUSIK TODAY

After celebrating our 50th season in 2022-2023, Abendmusik has never been stronger than it is today. Thanks to the dedicated leadership of the staff and board members, the strong relationship with First-Plymouth Church and, most importantly, the ongoing support of generous donors and community partners, Abendmusik is poised for growth for the next decade and beyond. As part of the 50th anniversary, Abendmusik began offering free programming and has maintained its commitment to support other nonprofits in the community. In addition to our annual beloved traditions like Christmas with Abendmusik, our Messiah Community Sing, the Last Blast with the Plymouth Brass, the Youth Masterworks Festival, and our collaborative choral/orchestral performances, we will continue to welcome new artists and to commission new music to broaden and deepen our experience with music that inspires.