On March 18, 2020 Craig Symons wrote an email to the congregation during the Coronavirus outbreak:
Good morning, First Church!
In an effort to stay connected during this time of physical-distancing (that’s the latest phrase, because we’re staying socially connected in new and different ways!) Each Monday, I’m going to be bringing you a variety of musical topics and videos that you can explore at your leisure time, which we all will be having lots of over the coming weeks.
My first offering for you is a little tour of our Meetinghouse organ. Over the last couple of years, you have read or experienced our upgrades and renovations during worship or concerts. I created a short video talking about what was done, demonstrate those things, and a little walk-about to see various parts of the organ and where things reside in the Meetinghouse.
- First Church Organ Tour
- How pipes are made and used
- Shires Organ Pipes
- A guide to the back portion of the Pilgrim Hymnal
- Hymn background: Blest be the tie that binds
- First-Plymouth Church in Lincoln Nebraska, 2018: Pines of Rome – Ottorino Respighi
- First-Plymouth Church in Lincoln Nebraska, 2019: Christ the Lord is Risen Today, arr. John Rutter
- Mormon Tabernacle Choir, 2012: Hallelujah, from Christ on the Mount of Olives
- St. Bart’s Church, NYC, 2019: “Pascha nostrum” by Will C. MacFarlane
- Legendary organist Charles Marie Widor plays his Toccata from V Symphony Op. 42 No. 1
- Andrea Bocelli, 2020, Music For Hope – Live From the Milan Cathedral
- Hymn background: Our God, our help in ages past
- Hymn background: His Eye is on the Sparrow
- Hymn background: Hymn of Promise
- Hymn background: How Great Thou Art
- Hymn background: Eternal Father Strong To Save
- Hymn background: The Church’s One Foundation
- Hymns and Songs and the difference between the two
- Music and Protests
- The Bible in Song: Reclaiming African American Spirituals and
Sweet Honey in The Rock – Wade in the Water and O Freedom (Negro Spiritual) - The King of Love My Shepherd Is
- Our Bell Tower chimes vs. carillon
- Hymn background: Have Thine Own Way, Lord
- Christmas in July
- AGO Organfest 2020: Beauty in the midst of chaos
- Craig Symons’ choral/vocal side
- The Star Spangled Banner history
- About Claude Debussy
- Ferrante and Teicher
- The Proms