Christmas Musicals for Church
Issue link: http://read.jwpepper.com/i/1182450
56 48624 Ken Medema was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan and graduated from Grand Rapids Christian School and Michigan State University (BA. MMus). Blind himself, he was a music therapist at Fort Wayne State Hospital and a Graduate Research Assistant at Michigan State University, and Director of Activity Therapy, Essex County Hospital Center, Cedar Grove, New Jersey. Medema is currently giving concerts, as a "Traveling Minstrel," to quote his words; and he has numerous publications to his credit, including several musicals, solo and instrument works. www.kenmedema.com Mark Cabaniss is a music publisher, producer, and composer based in Nashville, Tennessee. As an ASCAP composer and arranger, Mark's published compositions have been performed nationally and abroad, and include musicals, cantatas, and instrumental works. His stage adaptation of the film It's a Wonderful Life, titled Miracle in Bedford Falls (premiered by the Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre), has been subsequently performed coast-to-coast. Other musicals include The Homework Machine, The Stardust Supper Club, and The 50th Annual Polk County Picnic. Mark is a multiple recipient of ASCAP's Popular Music Award and a Dove Award and Angel Award-winning producer. He is a member of the National Academy of Ruth Elaine Schram wrote her first song at the age of twelve, and her first octavo was published twenty years later, in 1988. In 1992, she became a full-time composer and arranger and now has over 2,000 published works. Over seventeen million copies of her songs have been purchased in their various venues, and she has been a recipient of the ASCAP Special Award each year since 1990. In addition to her choral music for church and school choirs, her songs appear on thirty albums (four of which have been Dove Award Finalists) and numerous children's videos, including sixteen songs on four gold videos, and four songs on one multi-platinum video. Her songs have also appeared on such diverse television shows as The 700 Club and HBO's acclaimed series The Sopranos. Ruthie began piano and theory lessons at the age of five. She studied music at Lancaster Bible College and Millersville State College and taught Elementary Recording Arts and Sciences (Grammy) and serves on the Board of Advisors for The Music Man Square, a museum and foundation in Mason City, Iowa, dedicated to furthering music education and honoring the legacy of Meredith Willson (creator of Broadway's The Music Man). Mark was named Outstanding Alumnus of the Year by Mars Hill University and serves on the University's Board of Trustees. Mark also founded and permanently endowed The Helen Cole Krause Music Scholarship. Mark's work in music business and broadcasting has led to collaborations with television icon Andy Griffith, Academy Award-winner Shirley Jones, legendary entertainer Steve Allen, Broadway/pop songwriter Rupert Holmes, broadcaster Kathie Lee Gifford, producer/composer/conductor Buryl Red, gospel singer Cynthia Clawson, and others. Mark also serves as an adjunct professor of Music Business at Belmont University in Nashville. He holds degrees in Music Education and Communications from Mars Hill University and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. www.markcabaniss.com Music in Pennsylvania for several years. She now lives in Birmingham, Alabama with her husband, Scott, and they have two grown daughters, Crystie and Celsie. Her current published works, with samples of audio excerpts and select pages of the scores, are listed on her web site: www.choralmusic.com. For Preview Only