Dordt to host evening concert on singing the Psalms

Dordt University will host “Singing the Psalms: How the Psalter Speaks to All Church Music Styles” on Saturday, October 11, from 7:00–8:30 p.m. in the B.J. Haan Auditorium. The evening will feature organist Dr. Michael Kearney, assistant professor of communication at Dordt, and guest guitarist Matthew David Montgomery.

The program will highlight instrumental and vocal music centered on the psalter, demonstrating how the ancient songs of Scripture speak into diverse worship traditions. Attendees will also be invited to participate in congregational singing led by Kearney and Montgomery. The event is free and open to the public.

Dr. Michael Kearney is a pianist, organist, and composer with a special interest in psalmody. In addition to his faculty role at Dordt, he has given organ concerts across the U.S., Canada, and the Netherlands and has collaborated with musicians such as André Knevel and Gert van Hoef. Kearney has served in a variety of Reformed and Presbyterian churches and has led psalm-singing workshops at churches and conferences. His URC Psalmody website and YouTube channel feature more than 600 recordings of psalms, hymns, and organ music.

Matthew David Montgomery is a guitarist, recording artist, and church musician who currently serves at Tates Creek Presbyterian Church in Lexington, Kentucky. He has also ministered in Pittsburgh and Nashville, including roles at Grove City College and Covenant Presbyterian Church. Montgomery composes original works and psalm settings for congregational worship and has collaborated with artists such as Phil Keaggy and Jeremy Casella.

Earlier that day, Kearney and Montgomery will lead a workshop titled “Singing in the Face of Death: How the Psalms Model and Shape Our Congregational Singing” from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at First Christian Reformed Church in Sioux Center. The session will explore how the psalms guide congregational singing and the ways churches may benefit from the historic practice of psalm-singing.

Both events are free and open to the public.

About Dordt University

As an institution of higher education committed to the Reformed Christian perspective, Dordt University equips students, faculty, alumni, and the broader community to work toward Christ-centered renewal in all aspects of contemporary life. Located in Sioux Center, Iowa, Dordt is a comprehensive university named to the best college lists by U.S. News and World Report, the Wall Street Journal, Times Higher Education, Forbes.com, Washington Monthly, and Princeton Review.