Two Decorah Congregations to Premiere Newly Commissioned Good Friday Cantata
“Still Reaching” by award-winning composer Kyle Pederson premieres April 3
DECORAH, Iowa — First Lutheran Church and Decorah Lutheran Church will present the world premiere of “Still Reaching,” a newly commissioned cantata by composer Kyle Pederson, on Good Friday, April 3, at 7:00 PM at Decorah Lutheran Church. The community is warmly invited to this special service of music and worship. Admission is free.
The Good Friday Cantata is partially supported by Thrivent Choice donations. Thrivent members can designate Thrivent Choice Dollars through March 31 by visiting thrivent.com/thriventchoice.
Earlier on Good Friday, First Lutheran Church will hold a noon worship service at its sanctuary, 604 W. Broadway, focusing on the Passion of Jesus Christ according to St. Matthew and featuring the church’s ancient bidding prayers — solemn intercessions offered for those in need, for the church, and for the world.
The community is invited to worship throughout Holy Week at both congregations, from Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday, including an Easter Vigil service at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church on Saturday evening, April 4. For a full schedule of Holy Week services, visit First Lutheran Church at FirstLutheranDecorah.org
The two congregations have partnered for several years on Holy Week worship. This year’s collaboration features an original cantata commissioned in part by the two congregations. The combined choirs of both churches, along with guest musicians, will bring Pederson’s new work to life under the direction of Dr. Mark Potvin, First Lutheran’s music director and Luther College faculty member. Decorah Lutheran Church’s choir is co-directed by Gabriel Hiner and Julia Severtson, both Luther College students.
“Still Reaching” weaves together scripture, hymns, and original music in a meditation on the final days of Jesus’ life — exploring themes of love, service, grief, betrayal, and the quiet persistence of grace. The title evokes the posture of Jesus throughout Holy Week: reaching to wash feet, to share bread, to forgive, to surrender. Across time and silence, Christ is still reaching — toward us, and toward the world he loves.
“Each spring, it is a privilege to mark our congregations’ common Good Friday remembrance through extended musical reflection,” said Dr. Mark Potvin, music director at First Lutheran Church. “When Kyle Pederson, a friend and colleague, reached out with his idea for ‘Still Reaching,’ it was obvious to me that First Lutheran and Decorah Lutheran were ideal partners for the commissioning consortium. What Kyle presented us is evocative, challenging, and accessible; his masterful weaving of melody, text, story, and mood invites us to look at the Holy Week story with fresh eyes. Preparing the work has been a wonderful experience; we hope it will be just as well-received by the community.”
“I am pleased to once again welcome the community to Decorah Lutheran Church for such a holy night,” said Pastor Peter Kowitz, senior pastor at Decorah Lutheran Church. “The collaboration of our choirs through words and music is powerful. We are telling God’s story in a beautiful, public way.”
Pederson is a Minneapolis-based composer, lyricist, pianist, and educator whose music has been commissioned and performed by choirs around the world. He is a winner of the American Prize in Choral Composition (2019) and the American Choral Directors Association Genesis Prize (2020), and has served as composer-in-residence for the Wartburg Choir and at Carnegie Hall. His work explores the intersection of the sacred and secular, inviting listeners to be agents of hope, grace, and compassion.
More Information
- Pastor Mike Wilker, Senior Pastor
- 563-419-4488
- PastorMike@FirstLutheranDecorah.org
- More Information