Elim Lutheran Church is sponsoring a free Holiday Concert at 3 p.m. on Nov. 20 at the First Congregational Church, 312 W. Main St., in Marshalltown. The concert will feature holiday music presented by local talent including an organist, a pianist and a community handbell choir.

The organist is Hudson Lourenco, a native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, recently settled in Marshalltown. Lourenco was encouraged in his youth by several church musicians (many of whom were relatives) to pursue a bachelor’s degree in music with an emphasis in organ performance. This study took place at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Porto Alegre, Brazil. After graduation, Lourenco was selected to participate in a cultural exchange program called “Music in Churches of the USA” at Lebanon Valley College, Penn. Activities in the program exposed Lourenco to the rich musical traditions, history, liturgy and cultural heritage of many prominent church denominations in the U.S. After the exchange program followed by auditions, he was accepted into graduate college at the University of Iowa, where he earned a master’s degree in organ performance. Since moving to Marshalltown in 2019, Lourenco has taken organist positions at the First Congregational Church in Waterloo, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Cedar Falls and at Trinity Lutheran Church and Redeemer Lutheran Church, both in Marshalltown. He also holds the title of Artist-in-Residence at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Marshalltown, while also working as pianist accompanist for the vocal department programs at Lenihan Intermediate school and Miller Middle schools.

The pianist is Josh Grimes from Toledo. Grimes started his musical journey by playing a battery-operated 25-note keyboard when he was three years old. By the age of nine, Grimes performed his first keyboard solo at the Assembly of God Church in Tama where his grandfather was the preacher. With one grandmother being a church pianist and another grandmother being a church organist, Grimes did not lack for encouragement to continue teaching himself to play. During his teen years, he participated in fine arts festivals and music competitions as he continued to improve his skills. His talents are now displayed with his musical family (The Seymours) who are a popular gospel music group in this area. Grimes also plays regularly at Elim Lutheran Church and at Faith Assembly of God Church each weekend here in Marshalltown. He has also accompanied vocal/drama department programs at South Tama High with the most recent being a production of “Into the Woods.”

Handbell players from four Marshalltown churches have come together to create a ‘community’ bell choir for this concert. Those participating are Vickie Unferth, Hallie Hugen and Todd Metge from Trinity Lutheran; Betsy Macke and Pat Kirner from St. Francis Parish/St. Henry’s Church; Krystal Randall, Gary Heggen, Lynn Maas and Jody Brintnall from First Congregational Church and Mark Proescholdt, Ann Pfantz and Larry Pfantz from Elim Lutheran Church. The choir has been able to mold a variety of experiences and techniques into a cohesive handbell ensemble.

This free Holiday Concert at 3 p.m. immediately precedes the opening of the Holiday Stroll on Nov. 20. Strollers are invited to begin the evening’s activities at this concert at First Congregational Church before ‘strolling’ down Main Street.