MUSIC MINISTRIES & ACTIVITIES

Music is an important part of life at Zion! 

The Pipe Organ

Along with its central role in worship, our organ also serves as a community resource.
​
Zion’s pipe organ was built in 1980 by W. Zimmer & Sons of Charlotte, North Carolina.  It contains 19 “speaking” stops – distinct sounds – distributed over two manuals and pedal, for a total of 1,403 pipes.  It is a “tracker organ,” meaning that the mechanism linking keys to pipe valves is purely mechanical.  In that respect, as well as in its sound concept, it is designed to resemble organs of the baroque period – the time of Johann Sebastian Bach.

The organ is currently undergoing a major upgrade - click here for photos and upgrade details.

Organist: David Chamberlin

Photo coming soon!

David is all about pipe organs: he builds them, plays them, and writes music for them.

Since 1985, he has been employed full time at M. L. Bigelow & Company, Inc., Organ Builders, of American Fork, where he serves as vice-president and tonal director. His responsibilities include mechanical design, as well as tonal design and finishing.
​
He also freelances as a pipe organ tuner/technician.  Since 1987, he has been the organist of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Salt Lake City. In addition to playing the organ, he regularly composes psalm settings for congregational use. In 1995 Zion's congregation commissioned him to compose a new liturgical setting – "Lord, We Come to Your Table" – which is now in regular use.

David has appeared in recital in the United States and Germany, including the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, and Freiberg Cathedral (historic G. Silbermann organs). He has occasionally performed his own compositions on organs that he has helped design and build.
​
In 2003, he founded Chamberlin Music Enterprises and began publishing LDS Hymn Voluntaries, bearing the slogan: "An organ piece for every hymn in the book."About 100 of the 326 planned pieces have been published to date.

---

Chancel Choir

The Chancel Choir provides worship music during the school year at the 10:30am service, special music at Easter and Christmas, and occasional music at funerals and other events. The group's practice each Sunday at 9:15am includes discussion of how each Sunday's hymns and anthems support the themes and Bible verses designated for that day. All singers are welcome to join this very fun and supportive small group.

Rehearsal time: Sunday mornings, 9:15am-10:15am

Chancel Choir Director: Dave Zabriskie

Youth praise band: ZY Jam

​ZY Jam is Zion's youth praise band, made up of dedicated junior and senior high school students who get together to play music, praise God, and have fun! It's a great way for our young people to expand their musical talent and practice their worship leading skills.

ZY Jam presents music several times at Zion throughout the school year. The band consists of usual worship band instruments (guitar, bass guitar, keyboard, drums, singers, etc.) but is also open to any other instruments that could be used for worship leadership.

The group is always looking for other talented young people to join and lead with them. If you play an instrument or enjoy singing praise to God and would like to be a part of this exciting group contact Susan Swidnicki  at sljswidnicki@gmail.com or the Zion church office.

Youth & Children's Choirs Director: Susan Swidnicki

Photo coming soon!

Susan believes that music should be an active and joyful experience!
​
Susan Swidnicki is principal oboist of the Ballet West Orchestra and is an active freelance player and teacher in the Salt Lake City area.  She holds a master’s degree in oboe from St. Louis Conservatory of Music where she studied with Peter Bowman and a bachelor’s degree in oboe performance from the University of Utah where she was a student of Robert Stephenson.
 
Ms. Susan loves teaching the children music and is fully trained in the Orff-Schulwerk approach, which believes "that music and movement – to speak, sing and play; to listen and understand; to move and create – should be an active and joyful experience. " www.aosa.com. 
 
While the tireless children's director at Zion, Ms. Susan is currently the music specialist for Rowland Hall School, Utah and Music teacher for Canyon Rim Academy.

---

Children's Choirs

​Children's choir is a regular part of Sunday School at Zion. Zion's children's choirs use singing, movement, drums, xylophones, improvisation and speech to praise and serve God. All preschool and elementary age children have choir as part of their regular Sunday School class time - just meet downstairs in the children’s choir room. If you have questions or would like to volunteer as a choir parent (i.e. pick up the donuts!), contact Susan Swidnicki at sljswidnicki@gmail.com

All Children of all abilities are invited and encouraged to join us.  No previous experience is necessary - just bring an open heart, mind and ear. Choir for the Children of Zion Lutheran Church means: 

• Praising, worshipping and learning of God’s love through music.
• Singing
• Movement
• Rhythmic speech, poems and stories
• Improvisation and Exploration
• Percussion instruments (we use beautiful xylophones, metallophones, drums, glockenspiels and recorder)
• Learning to work together in an ensemble
• An opportunity to be fully involved in the worship life and community of Zion Lutheran Church
• Lots of fun!

Cherub Choir

Sundays ​9:45 – 10:00am
For 2, 3, and 4-year-olds

Children's Choir

Sundays ​9:15 – 9:45am
For kindergarten through 3rd grade

Youth Choir

Sundays 10:00-10:30am
For 4th grade through 6th grade

Joyful NOIZ

Sundays ​8:30 – 9:15am
An Orff Percussion Ensemble for Junior High and High School Students, learning challenging music and playing for worship about once a month.