John Sall, Director of Music Ministries

John Sall serves Abington Presbyterian Church, founded in 1714, as Director of Music Ministries. He leads youth and adult choirs and the Abington Symphony Orchestra and oversees congregational music programs and the Music at Abington concert series. With a background including organ, choral, and church music studies, Kenyan percussion choral accompaniments, and work with children, youth, and adults, John brings a variety of personal and professional experiences to the musical worship life of Abington Presbyterian Church. He has developed unique and creative programs which combine the rich and varied resources of the Abington Symphony Orchestra and Oratorio Choir in literature ranging from baroque cantatas to newly composed works for a cappella choir or solo orchestra, as well as classic Oratorios from the 18th to the 20th Centuries.

John Sall's interest in music was fostered in the rich resources of strong school, church, and private music study in Holdrege, Nebraska, and through the Lutheran Summer Music program. A graduate of St. Olaf College (Minnesota), John was uniquely involved in the touring performance tradition of the school as a member of the St. Olaf Choir, St. Olaf Orchestra, and St. Olaf Band in addition to his studies in Church Music and Organ with John Ferguson; he received the Bachelor of Music degree in Church Music and Organ magna cum laude. John Sall studied conducting with Alan Harler and completed the Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting at Temple University's Boyer College of Music and Dance in 2007 and was honored with the Elaine Brown Tribute Award, presented by the choral department each year to an outstanding student for their work in "relating music to broader issues of community-building and human expression." Following graduation John taught conducting and was served as a visiting Choral Scholar conducting the Temple Women's Choir and regularly covering rehearsals with the Contemporary Music Ensemble. John has studied choral conducting and worked in masterclass settings with Joseph Flummerfelt, David Hayes, Dale Warland, and Robert Scholz, and has studied orchestral conducting with Luis Biava and Steven Amundson.

John enjoys composing and orchestrating for his ensembles and in other settings, distinguishing himself as the Grand Prize winner in the First Annual Composition Contest for Young Composers, Riverside Church, New York, with his anthem, "Is Not This The Fast That I Choose?" composed for choir, organ and string quartet. Sall has published percussion performance suggestions for several African hymns and choral anthems, and he helped develop and lead an experiential day camp to teach liturgy and worship with children. John is currently serving an elected term on the national executive board of the Presbyterian Association of Musicians (PAM). He is also a member of the American Guild of Organists participating in the Philadelphia chapter. John came to Abington in 2001 and makes a home with his wife Ruth and their three daughters.


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