By: Cora Saddler, Communications Associate 

It’s not unusual to gather in the Chapel of Our Lord on a late Sunday afternoon—to listen to Concordia University Chicago musicians as their melodies float through the rafters and out the narthex doors. But one performance, which began with a thunderous clash of a cymbal and the voices of 90 choir and orchestra members, holds a special place for Dr. Jonathan Stahlke.

A longtime music professor, Stahlke celebrated his 30th year at Concordia-Chicago with the world premiere of his “Song of All Songs” this summer. This 45-minute musical work, inspired by the entire biblical text of Song of Songs (also known as Song of Solomon or the Canticle of Canticles), was performed by members of the Music Alumni Reunion Choir and Orchestra on June 21. More than just a performance, the premiere was part of the larger Festival of Scripture & The Arts, which raised $2,200 in donations for the event and saw around 200 attendees.  

While much of that preparation began in 2025, the seed for the festival was planted more than 40 years before.  

In 1980, Stahlke, a sophomore at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, became drawn to Song of Songs, wondering why no one had ever set the entire piece to music. That question followed him for the next decade, into the 1990s, and across the sea to Hong Kong, where he taught at Hong Kong Baptist University. There, he began to examine the structure and interpretation of the poem more deeply.  

“The structure is hard to understand. It kept bothering me, and I kept ruminating about it,” said Stahlke, who considered himself inexplicably drawn to the text (though his family would call it an obsession).  

Stahlke described its poetic form as he hears it: full of mosaic-like patterns that repeat and shift in a non-linear fashion—yet each motif has a place and comes together to form a larger story of God’s enduring commitment to His people.  

He began setting this story to music in January 2013 while on sabbatical. By early May, he had a complete piece for voice and piano, and by 2017, he finished setting the piece for orchestra, with the final, printed scores ready in fall 2023.  

Though initial plans for the premiere included an all-music reunion for orchestra and choir, it quickly blossomed into what Stahlke called a multidisciplinary “grassroots effort” by faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends of the University.  

Dr. Charles Schulz, professor of theology, added a theological track by inviting pastors and authors Rev. Dr. Andrew Steinmann, Rev. Dr. Paul Raabe, and Rev. Dr. Joel C. Elowsky to be guest lecturers at the event—an opportunity that coincided with the upcoming release of Raabe’s and Elowsky’s “Interpreting the Song of Songs: Reception History from Qumran to the Modern Era.”  

Many faculty and alumni also lent their artistic talents to bring the festival to life.  

“Since the Song of Songs would have been a spoken experience to its contemporary audience, we decided to honor the oral nature of the poetry,” said Megan Wells, assistant professor of theater, who organized a theatrical procession and recited all eight chapters of Song of Songs at the performance. “Hearing the poems recited illuminates the innocence, joy, and celebration of love which holds all the poems together as a coherent emotional journey.” 

Anton Jones, associate professor of English, deepened that poetic experience by encouraging his students to write poems in the spirit of Song of Songs to read at the festival.  

“Each student had a unique take on the beginning of romantic love, the loss of love, or love as a concept. They explored how the themes found in the Song of Songs exist today in their contemporary lives,” explained Jones.   

Meanwhile, Nikkole Huss, professor of art, arts department program leader, and the Ferguson Art Gallery director, and Angela Dieffenbach, assistant professor of art, worked with alumna April Parviz (BA ‘11) to create dedicated artwork for the event. Alumnus Caleb Egland (BA ‘24) was also brought on by Wells to design gazelle puppets for the procession.  

The performance would also not have been possible without the support of the musicians, many of whom traveled across the country to perform.  

Dr. Brittan Braddock (BME ‘09), director of bands and coordinator of music education at the Townsend School of Music at Mercer University in Macon, Ga., was the principal clarinet player in the orchestra.  

On the performance, he stated, “It was the first time since graduating that I had the opportunity to make music with so many of my closest classmates. Getting to do that through our theory professor’s composition, and with the conducting mentors of Dr. Maurice Boyer, made for an unforgettable weekend.” 

Tiffany Darling, a graduate student in the Master of Church Music program at CUC and one of the singers in the choir, added: “I found myself in a group of dedicated, kind musicians all working to create the best possible showing. Once the orchestra and choirs began, the music became a transformational experience.” 

While the festival has concluded, Stahlke, among others, hopes to see the piece performed again, with potential for a smaller arrangement on the way. On the horizon, Stahlke continues to write—with plans for an orchestral piece inspired by his six children, all adopted from Ukraine.  

For now, Stahlke is enjoying the post-festival calm, reflecting not only on his accomplishment but on the generosity of others. Made possible by the hands of many, the festival remains a reminder of the community’s enduring love for Christ.  

“The whole effort—the composition, performance, and participation—is an offering to God,” said Stahlke, who compared the sacrifices made for the festival to Mary of Bethany anointing Christ with an alabaster jar of spikenard. “That weekend, I was reminded that there are hundreds who are ready to take this alabaster jar and pour it out as an offering to the Lord.”