Strength and Stay
Ensuring
Music, Faith & Leadership for Our Future
“I thank you heav’nly Father Through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord You kept me safely through the night And brought me to the morning light Be with me through this day, I pray And keep me safe from Satan’s sway That all I think or do or say Please only you, my Strength and Stay Into your hands I now commend My body and soul until life’s end Your Angel keeps me safe from harm Until I rest in Jesus’ arm. Amen.”
From Carl Schalk’s setting of “Luther’s Morning Prayer”
Strength and Stay
Dear Friends,
Each morning during Lutheran Summer Music (LSM), the entire community gathers together in the chapel to sing Carl Schalk’s setting of “Luther’s Morning Prayer”.
As the harmonies mix and voices combine, students and faculty form a deep bond through music, creating a sense of belonging and renewed faith, and amplifying all that we are devoted to at LSM.
LSM celebrates and renews the rich musical and liturgical heritage of the Lutheran church. Our founders believed that by providing highquality training and performance opportunities to young musicians, they could cultivate a life-long love of classical and sacred music, thus renewing these art forms for generations to come.
The unique and immersive nature of LSM creates:
A SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY
A FAITH-BASED EXPERIENCE A CENTER FOR PERFORMANCE
A NATIONAL NETWORK
For 40 years, the transformational LSM experience has shaped the lives of thousands of young musicians, many of whom credit LSM as the starting place for their future careers and vocations. Over just the past few years, our participants have come from 40 states, various parts of Canada, and as far away as Hong Kong. With the addition of online performance streaming, we are able to reach over 5,000 concert attendees each summer. And, as of last season, over 4,000 people now call themselves LSM alumni.
CAMPAIGN STEERING COMMITTEE
David Krause, co-chair
Jeanine Krause, co-chair
Brian Becker
Jim Hushagen
Cheryl Taylor Lemmons
Sylvia Luekens
Because of your faithful commitment to LSM, concert halls will be filled with performers and music lovers, organ benches at churches will have skilled musicians to guide the musical life of the congregation, choirs will have members to sing our devotional hymns and inspire awe, and church pews will be filled with the faithful, coming together in worship and song.
Today’s culture often pulls students away from what’s truly important. In a world of shifting priorities, busy schedules, and stretched family finances, LSM is the hope for the next generation of leaders. Through LSM, students can confidently dedicate time to build genuine relationships, pursue excellence in music, discover authenticity, search for meaning, explore vocations, and prepare for college and young adulthood.
Now is the time to invest in our shared future. With a combination of current and legacy gifts, the creation of endowments, a focus on alumni enthusiasm, and your enduring generosity it is our goal to raise $6 million to secure the future of LSM through the STRENGTH and STAY campaign.
I invite you to join us in ensuring the deep impact of LSM continues for the next generation of leaders.
In gratitude,
Thomas Bandar Executive & Artistic Director
$6 MILLION COMPREHENSIVE CAMPAIGN GOAL
$2 MILLION: CURRENT GIFTS FOR OPERATIONS
$1 MILLION: NEW ENDOWMENT GIFTS
$3 MILLION: FUTURE LEGACY GIFTS
A SUPERB PRE-COLLEGE MUSICAL EXPERIENCE
“LSM was a life-changing experience for me. I met some of my best friends and I’m still talking to them even though they live in different states. The number of great things I could say is endless. It was truly a blessing, and I am very thankful.”
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I. Invest in TOMORROW’S LEADERS
Student scholarships remove the most common barrier to LSM attendance
LSM’s highest priority is investing in students as they become the next generation of leaders in church and society.
While many barriers to LSM attendance exist, the most common obstacle for prospective LSM students and families is cost. Removing the financial barrier by limiting fees and offering scholarships will ensure all accepted students are able to take part in this transformational experience. Through the completion of this campaign, no future student will ever be turned away due to financial reasons.
Did you know : Tuition only covers 35% of the total student cost. Unrestricted gifts allow LSM to maintain our signature low tuition model, which expands access to more families.
GIVING OPPORTUNITIES THAT SUPPORT THIS PRIORITY INCLUDE
A gift of $50,000 endows a full student scholarship in perpetuity
A gift of $25,000 endows half a student scholarship in perpetuity
A gift of $2,500 provides a full student scholarship for a single year
Unrestricted gifts of any size keep tuition more affordable for all
Jonathan from Texas
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II. Invest in EXCELLENCE
Faculty positions and vital programmatic areas secure LSM’s commitment to excellence
Building upon 40 years of success, LSM will continue our long-term commitment to musical and educational excellence.
While our students vary in their developmental stages, under the instruction of our nationally-renowned faculty and through the unique LSM experience, students develop confidence and realize their gifts. Entrusted to deliver LSM’s program and mission, faculty members:
Embody LSM’s values and commitment to excellence
Provide leadership, growth, and long-term direction for their studio or department area
Serve as year-round ambassadors for LSM to attract and retain students
Each season our faculty includes guest artists who enrich the educational experience by expanding LSM's programmatic offerings and attracting an even larger and more diverse student body.
years!
GIVING OPPORTUNITIES THAT SUPPORT THIS PRIORITY INCLUDE
A gift of $125,000 endows the full cost of a faculty studio in perpetuity
A gift of $6,000 covers the full cost of a faculty studio for a single year
Gifts of other amounts can fund worship experiences, concerts, recitals, Residencies, and other programs, either annually or perpetuity
Unrestricted gifts of any size invest in the overall LSM experience
“Learning from college-level professors was eye-opening. It not only challenged me but made me love music like never before.”
– Joseph, LSM 2022 student
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Did you know : LSM faculty members come from the nation’s leading music schools and performing ensembles. Many have taught with LSM for over 20
III. Invest in INNOVATION and EMERGING NEEDS
Creative initiatives coupled with unrestricted contributions position LSM as a national leader in music education and church music
LSM will continue to provide context for transcendence through music and worship, celebrating sacred music traditions and pursuing innovative ways to preserve and renew the musical traditions of the church.
To further position LSM as a leader in innovative and forward-thinking 21st century music education and a stronger and sustainable organization, LSM will: Grow virtual, year-round, overlapping, and partnership programs and events that strengthen the summer academy
Establish LSM as a laboratory and resource for creativity and inspiration that fuels the future of sacred music and positions the academy as a leader that can address needs historically fulfilled by colleges, universities, and seminary programs
Address the new opportunities and challenges of each year’s program, based on the enrollment, interests, and needs of our student body
Expand LSM’s digital presence to further reach a growing national and international audience
viewed over a half million times, with many people around the country starting each and every day watching and singing along with Carl Schalk’s Luther’s Morning Prayer.
“LSM focused the direction of my life and career, and opened doors for me that still influence my life today”
GIVING OPPORTUNITIES THAT SUPPORT THIS PRIORITY INCLUDE
Staff and campaign leaders will work with donors to develop a gift that aligns their area of interest with the organization’s greatest need and opportunity
Unrestricted pledges or legacy gifts of any size allow LSM to invest in digital innovations, marketing initiatives, and needed growth initiatives for the future
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– LSM Alumni
IV. Activate LSM ALUMNI
A culture of lifelong involvement for alumni places the future of LSM in their hands
With a 40 year history of LSM alumni transformed by the program, the opportunities for continued engagement are full of potential.
Through the STRENGTH and STAY campaign, LSM will grow opportunities for alumni to be organizational leaders and influencers. Alumni will make an impact on the future of LSM in various ways including:
Financially supporting programmatic areas of personal interest, such as scholarships or sponsoring their former studio
Guiding and recommending future LSM students
Planning regional events to strengthen the local LSM community and welcome more people to LSM
Creating an annual alumni gathering that overlaps with LSM Festival Week and provides musical, worship, and social opportunities for alumni
TOMORROW'S LEADERS EXCELLENCE INNOVATION ALUMNI
”20 years later, my deepest community and many of my best friends are still from LSM. I couldn't be more grateful to have had the opportunity to worship and perform with so many excellent people.”
– Rebekah, LSM ’99-‘02
P.O. Box 8687
Minneapolis, MN 55408–0687
lsmacademy.org
(612) 879-9555
lsm@lutheransummermusic.org
“LSM was integral to my Lutheran teaching ministry of 43 years and now in my “retirement,” God calls me via LSM to retake the mantle and serve Him.”
– Dottie Burroughs, “Dean Dot”
“LSM is truly one of the most important and cherished experiences of my life. It shaped the musician I became and the foundation of what I believe about worship.”
– Natalie, LSM ’98-‘01
