We will observe All Saints Sunday on November 3 at 11am in the sanctuary with a special worship service. The Congregational Church of Austin will join us for a worship service including a lighting of candles for All Saints’ Sunday and the Brahms Requiem. We anticipate the service being 90 minutes to 2 hours. Due to the length of the requiem, we will celebrate Communion on November 10.

Under the direction of A. Villareal, the UUMC Sanctuary Choir accompanied by Dr. Eun Joo Fierro, other guest musicians and the Congregational Church of Austin Choir will present the Brahms Requiem. The Brahms’ Requiem is a renowned work, composed by Johannes Brahms during a time of personal grief to provide comfort and peace to others experiencing grief and loss. 

On November 3rd we will present Johannes Brahms Ein Deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem) as an integral part of our All Saints Service. This masterwork of the Romantic era features texts that Brahms himself selected from Luther’s translation of the Bible. The language was chosen for its accessibility to German congregations- deviating meaningfully from the Latin (Catholic) requiems. The opening line- “Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted” can serve as a succinct representation of the intention of the work: to comfort. Brahms began work on the requiem in 1857, a year after his friend Robert Schumann died. His mother Christiane passed away in 1865, and the work was completed in the summer of 1866. Many colleagues and conductors gave him guidance and feedback along this journey, including Clara Schumann.

Throughout the piece we meditate on the fleeting but meaningful qualities of life, the pain of loss in death, and the certainty of God comforting us both when we mourn, and when we die. We pass away, but the word of the Lord remains. And when we rest from our labors, our works follow after us. Together on November 3rd, amidst the lighting of candles and the voicing of names of those we have lost this year, we will have the opportunity to experience the breadth of emotions present in grief, and we will conclude with a reminder that there is great comfort to be found.

Choir: UUMC Sanctuary Choir and the Congregational Church of Austin Choir

Accompanists: Dr. Eun Joo Fierro

Conductor: A. Villarreal

Calling all tenors and basses (lower voiced friends) of any experience level- Let's get rowdy and raucous and let the tenors have the melody!! We'll sing some powerful and playful music just for the lower voices! We’ll perform in worship on Sunday, July 28.

We’ll rehearse on Wednesday, July 24 in the choir room from 7 - 8:30 pm. Afterwards we'll head to Draught House Pub & Brewery and share a pint, and a drinking song??

Questions? Contact AV!

Our Sanctuary service will feature a choir built of our chosen families this Sunday!

We’ll rehearse July 17th from 5:30 - 7 pm in the choir room. Bring your grandparent, kid, roommate, partner, best friend to join in making a joyful noise!

Questions? Contact A. Villarreal!

Calling all sopranos and altos (my higher voiced friends) of any experience level- Let's let the altos live their bass dreams and sing some lush, expressive, and energetic music just for us upper voices! What a treat, what a dream! We’ll perform during 11 am worship on Sunday, June 30.

We’ll rehearse on Wednesday in the Choir Room from 7 - 8:30 pm. Afterwards we'll head to The Tigress Pub and share a cocktail or a snack :)

Bring your grandma, children, roommates, partners, parents or friends and let’s make a joyful noise with our chosen families this week! We’ll rehearse on Wednesday and lead the music during worship on Sunday, June 10!

No experience needed and ALL are welcome!

Questions? Email AV!

The Youth Choir of Belmont UMC in Nashville, Tennessee is going on tour this summer. They’re performing in RMN churches across Austin - including UUMC! Their choir, the Open Door Singers, performs in our Sanctuary on Thursday, May 30 and you’re invited to attend!

Join us to celebrate the Ascension of Jesus with Bach's "Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen" (BWV11)! Sung by our Sanctuary Choir and accompanied by Dr. EunJoo Fierro on the organ.

We will bring you a multi-movement work which spotlights our talented UUMC Section Leaders- Soprano Cami Everitt, Mezzo-Soprano Annisha Mackenzie, Tenor Andres Ojeda, and Bass George Sani.

Our music department is excited to bring you this new version of our "Extra Joyful Noise" service in the form of this extended musical meditation on the rising and ascension of our savior. Alleluia, Christ is Risen Indeed!

Our Wesley choir (1st-12th grade) will sing “Hosanna, Hosanna” by Stan Pethel at the 11 am service on Palm Sunday, March 24th.

Wesley Choir Participants should arrive by 10:30 am.

Email Alicia for questions or to register!

The Wesley Children’s Choir will sing during worship on Children’s Sunday, September 17. They will sing “If You’re Happy Say Amen” by André Thomas.

Rehearsals will be immediately following the 11 am service on the chancel in the Sanctuary.

Parents should contact Alicia by August 13 if their children would like to participate.

The Wesley Children’s Choir will sing during worship on Children’s Sunday, September 17. They will sing “If You’re Happy Say Amen” by André Thomas.

Rehearsals will be immediately following the 11 am service on the chancel in the Sanctuary.

Parents should contact Alicia by August 13 if their children would like to participate.

All students from 1st-12th grade are welcome to sing in Wesley Choir. Younger kids will be assisted by older kids and adult volunteers. We are very much a y'all come choir and hope that all students feel welcomed to come and sing! We will rehearse every Sunday after worship during Lent (2/18-3/17), and sing at the 11 am service on Palm Sunday, March 24th.

Email Alicia for questions or to register!

All students from 1st-12th grade are welcome to sing in Wesley Choir. Younger kids will be assisted by older kids and adult volunteers. We are very much a y'all come choir and hope that all students feel welcomed to come and sing! We will rehearse every Sunday after worship during Lent (2/18-3/17), and sing at the 11 am service on Palm Sunday, March 24th.

Email Alicia for questions or to register!

All students from 1st-12th grade are welcome to sing in Wesley Choir. Younger kids will be assisted by older kids and adult volunteers. We are very much a y'all come choir and hope that all students feel welcomed to come and sing! We will rehearse every Sunday after worship during Lent (2/18-3/17), and sing at the 11 am service on Palm Sunday, March 24th.

Email Alicia for questions or to register!

Hymn writers Hal and Martha Hopson will lead a program about the writing of sacred music in our chapel. Hal Hopson has written many hymns featured at UUMC and this is a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the artists behind the songs!

Come to the Chapel during Sunday school hour and join us in singing hymns as we close the year 2023 together with joy on December 31.

Join us for worship as we remember members who died during the year.

The Sanctuary Choir will perform "Lux Aeterna" by Morten Lauridsen, a requiem in five movements. Composed in 1997, "Lux Aeterna" is a relatively contemporary requiem. Lauridsen was moved to compose the piece by the death of his mother, for whom he had great love. The piece is often compared to Brahm's "Ein Deutsches Requiem." Both composers took liberty in the selection of their text, rather than pulling from the traditional latin mass, they focused on readings that would comfort and console the living. "Lux Aeterna" features readings that reference various forms of sacred light. May this work and our singers be a light to you on a heavy day, as we remember and lift up all those in our congregation who have passed throughout the year.