Southwestern A Cappella arrangements available to outside groups through Semsen Music

The ministry of the Southwestern A Cappella group of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary continues to expand as some of their arrangements are now available for purchase through Semsen Music.

Charles Lewis, associate dean of the School of Church Music and Worship and original director of Southwestern A Cappella, said the group had been working with Cliff Duren and Phil Nitz to create arrangements specifically for them, saying a cappella arrangements are difficult to find. But Lewis said it was never their intention to hold on to those arrangements without making them available to others.

“We felt like the arrangements … were so fresh and so creative and of modern songs that are just hard to find, and we were hoping to be able to provide those to other churches, other colleges, other a cappella groups that are looking for fresh, more modern, but Christ-centered, biblically grounded songs of praise and worship that they could use for their ministries.”

While attending and participating in the Getty SING! Conference in Nashville in 2023, Lewis said Southwestern A Cappella would occasionally sing at their booth for visitors learning about Southwestern. It was there that Daniel Semsen, himself a worship pastor out of California who at the time had moved into the digital publishing industry for choral music, heard the group for the first time. In February 2024, Southwestern began to pursue a partnership with Semsen Music, and with the finalization of the contract, all the digital files of five Southwestern A Cappella arrangements, including video and audio files, were provided to Semsen Music.

“That is the new thing for us, is the opportunity to get, number one, the songs that we’ve commissioned and recorded out there so other people can learn it and sing it,” Lewis said, saying some groups have already purchased and performed the arrangements. “… And that really represents a big step for us as the School of Church Music and Worship, to now be taking our custom arrangements and publishing them. Anybody in the world can get them through Semsen Music.”

Currently, arrangements of ‘Yet Not I, But Through Christ in Me,’ ‘I Can Only Imagine,’ ‘Only a Holy God,’ and the English and Spanish translations of ‘Psalm 150’ are available for purchase through Semsen Music. Video produced by Southwestern are still available to view for free online.

Luke Hannah, currently a Doctor of Musical Arts in Church Music candidate, is a tenor and section leader in Southwestern A Cappella and said being a part of the group is unique and rewarding, requiring hours of investment as they develop their sound and strive for excellence. But Hannah said that work is justified when they are able to lead others in worship through their musical offering.

“Having our arrangements published is amazing news,” Hannah said. “The joy and ministry those songs had for us are now available to the global church. Grateful to be a small part of the ministry that strives to make His name made more!”

Lewis said the next step will likely include doing recordings of the worship bands Southwestern students lead under the direction of Ricky Jones, director of bands. Many of the arrangements that the worship bands use in chapel services, for example, are their own arrangements.

“We hope that this is a first step into many steps,” Lewis said of these first arrangements available and the hope to record and publish more. “A lot of our ensembles are creating custom arrangements. Many of them are done in house by our own students and we would love to be able to be a blessing to other churches and other groups that want to use some of those arrangements.”

Southwestern A Cappella was founded in the fall of 2020, when their practices were held while wearing masks and practicing social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic. It is predominantly composed of graduate students and has represented Southwestern Seminary at events such as the Getty SING! conferences and Southern Baptist Convention annual meetings. They will also participate in a spring tour, giving them the opportunity to visit local churches and colleges.