Testimonials

Sharon Lehmann, a member of Zion Lutheran Church for over 45 years, is no stranger to good music. Indeed she has enjoyed singing in both the Senior and the Woman’s Choir at Zion and in the Lutheran Hymn Festival Choir at the Meyerson.

“Powerful”, is how she describes her experience in the joint Lutheran Choir. “It is so powerful to be in a choir with all who come from different churches with different names but with the same faith. Singing at the Meyerson, in that world-class Hall, is indescribable. It is simply fabulous!”

When Sharon is not singing she is a happy and devoted grandmother to five grandsons – and, yes, she is soonto see her first granddaughter this Fall. Her grandchildren have a very experienced grandmother – Sharon was a foster mother to 52 children over a seven-year period.

Sharon will be singing at the Meyerson this September 19th. And she will probably be saying once again, “ And when we come to the last hymn, my, I am so sad. I want the Festival to go on and on.”

"I was filled with awe....It is a moment I won't forget!"
Walt Baumann

Walt Baumann, a longtime member of Grace Lutheran Church, Arlington, has sung in some elite settings – at The Today Show in New York City, with Fred Warring and the Pennsylvanians, and at the Miss America pageant. But he says he was overwhelmed the first time he stepped onto the stage of the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center. “The Meyerson is such a beautiful hall. It was just a pleasure to be in such a fine building. There were 150 members in the choir and I was so proud to be a part of that group of fellow Lutherans. When we looked out into the hall we saw all these seats filled with Lutherans ready to sing and worship with us. I was filled with awe. It is a moment I won’t forget.” It is also a role that Walt has repeated five times. He has sung in every Lutheran Hymn Festival at the Meyerson!

Walt first sang with his Junior and Senior High choirs in his native state of North Dakota. It was while he was a cadet at the Naval Aviation Academy in Pensacola, Florida, that his singing and professional careers ‘took off’. He credits his success in singing to another strong bass who stood behind him and sang all the right notes. His success and safety in flight school and as a fighter pilot is a gift from a gracious and protective Heavenly Father. In 4 years of active service and 28 and half years with the reserves, Walt states that he never was in danger while flying.

When asked what he would tell someone thinking of singing in the Hymn Festival, Walt said, “Join up. It’s alot of fun. And you get to meet some fine people, some fellow Lutherans.” Walt and his lovely wife, Diane, both holders of perfect attendance records, will be some of those fine people, those fellow Lutherans, that you can meet on September 19th. Join up, you’all!

"Uplifting.....I felt like I was part of the angel choir!"
Stephanie Allmon

Stephanie Allmon calls her experience of singing in the Lutheran Hymn Festival ‘uplifting’. “It was a wonderful opportunity to sing hymns that I love in a celebratory setting. The Meyerson rivals the grand music halls of Europe and the sounds in this music room are magnificent. I felt like I was part of the angel choir especially with that big pipe organ so close. The stage reverberates with the sound so I not only heard but felt the music.”

Stephanie is the Assistant Features Editor for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. She has had the opportunity to take part in some wild and wonderful ‘adventures’: a week-end cruise on the ‘orange’ cruise ship in the Mediterranean, disco hopping, kick-boxing as well as following the North Texas concert circuit.

She jumps at the chance to try something new. Of the Lutheran Hymn Festival she says, “ 90% of North Texas residents won’t have the opportunity to be on stage at the Meyerson. Go ahead and sign up and sing. The day is a true festival – a celebration of God’s goodness to us. It’s an opportunity to share with others the blessings of our faith and our hope in the Lord.”