Come, Experience the Arts…
At Westminster Presbyterian Church, we believe that artistic talents are sacred gifts, and that these gifts should be nurtured and shared with others. Our Fine Arts programs allow us to share our love of the arts with our neighbors by hosting music, drama, and dance performances, and visual art exhibits. Through the generosity of the Westminster Foundation and individual patrons, all of our events and concerts are completely free to the public; eliminating the cost-barrier that prevents many people in our community the ability to attend fine arts programming. Thank you for celebrating the arts with us. We invite you to join us for other opportunities when we seek to serve our community in love. If you have any questions please email Aaron Schultz, Director of Music and Arts, by clicking on the button below.
2024 Fine Arts Series Events
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Fall Sanctuary Art Exhibit
September 8 - late October
This fall the Visual Arts Committee will present a new Sanctuary art exhibit titled “Reflections on Faith.” Westminster artists have been invited to create works of art expressing their faith and/or their personal faith journey throughout life. Works will vary in style and medium – from realistic to abstract, using paint, photography, mixed media, or fabric. Each work of art will include a written description of the meaning of the piece and the artist’s thoughts in creating it.
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Bluegrass Sunday
September 8, 2024 | 10:00am
This service features a five-piece band of guitar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, upright bass and tight three-part vocal harmonies playing lively bluegrass-inspired songs both old and new.
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An Tran, Classical Guitarist
October 5, 2024 | 7:00pm
Hailed by The Boston Globe for his "subtle, graceful virtuosity" and described as a "Vietnamese Guitar Virtuoso" by Austin Classical Guitar, An Tran continues to impress audiences with his innate musicality and dynamic artistry. This will be an unforgettable evening with playing traditional Vietnamese music, pieces from his new release with Naxos of works by Napoléon Coste, and works from his debut album “Stay, My Beloved” which was included in the Chicago Tribune’s prestigious “Recordings of the Year.”
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Hoot N' Howl: An Organ Extravaganza
October 19, 2024 | 6:30pm
This annual family-friendly event features organists Juli Bey, Stephen O'Baker and Ben Hoskins. If you are bringing kids, join us in their costumes for the Halloween Carnival pre-concert that ends with pizza, fruit, and salad. Music lovers and organ enthusiasts will also appreciate the diverse selections of interactive fun organ works in addition to hauntingly impressive concert repertoire.
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Iowa Chamber Music Collective
November 3, 2024 | 2:00pm
The Iowa Chamber Music Collective is a non-profit organization created to support and encourage chamber music performances in Iowa; to further the musical education of our community by including free performances for students and families, and performing educational outreach concerts; and to organize educational programs for students from low-income families. This performance will feature extended works by Astor Piazolla and Darius Milhaud with piano, cello, clarinet, and violin.
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Intergenerational Band - A Veteran's Day Celebration
November 10, 2024 | 10:00am
Westminster instrumentalists from all ages will lead sacred and patriotic music in this Veteran's Day celebration under the direction of Karla Killinger. This is a treasured annual tradition at the church!
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Central College Candlelight Concert
December 5, 2024 | 7:30pm
Central College's A Cappella Choir and Chamber Singers will perform a Christmas Candlelight Concert under the direction of Mark Babcock, a 1991 Central graduate, professor of music and M. Joan Kuyper Farver Endowed Chair in Music. Tickets are free for Westminster Members and Fine Art Series Patrons. Call the church office at 515-274-1534 to reserve your tickets!
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Westminster Chorale presents a Midnight Clear
December 8, 2024 | 10:00am
The Westminster Chorale and a 12-piece chamber orchestra featuring professional local instrumentalists will present John Leavitt’s A Midnight Clear. This large work features arrangements of beloved Advent and Christmas songs in a Lessons and Carols format.
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Christmas Eve at Westminster
December 24, 2024 | 9:00pm
One of the most beloved services of the liturgical year, the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at Westminster offers traditional Christmas carols and anthems by the Westminster Chorale and Handbell Choir accompanied by a professional string quartet. It concludes with the singing of Silent Night by candlelight. We hope you can make Westminster a part of your Christmas tradition!
Des Moines Symphony Brass at Westminster
December 21 and 22, 2024
On December 21 and 22, you can hear the Des Moines Symphony brass like never before in their inaugural Holiday Brass Concert…right here at Westminster Presbyterian! Celebrate the sounds of the season with favorites like Joy to the World, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing and more. Our beautiful Dobson pipe organ, played by our very own Juli Bey, will be prominently featured alongside the Symphony’s powerful brass section. Don't miss your chance to experience this intimate, family-friendly holiday concert!
2025 Fine Arts Series
Here is a list of some of the Spring 2025 Fine Arts Series offerings.
Christian Stejskal; Storyteller, photographer, violinist
April 8, 2025 | 7:00pm
Easter at Westminster
April 20, 2025 | 8:45 and 11:00am
Good Friday
Organ Recital April 18, 2025 | 5:30pm
Jazz Sunday
April 27, 2025 | 10:00am
Chapel Theatre Guild Production
May 1-3, 2025 | 7:00pm
Spring Cantata
May 18, 2025 | 10:00am
Juli Bey and Michael Gookin in concert
June 2025
Become a Fine Arts Series Patron Today
The Fine Arts Series is brought to you through the generosity of the Westminster Foundation, individual patrons and corporate donations. This enables us to bring a variety of events and experiences to the community at no cost to the individual. During these uncertain economic times, you may not be in a position to give financially. And that is OK! You can become a patron of the arts by supporting artists through viewing the concerts and connecting with their work. If you are in a position to give financially, we do need your help to continue providing quality programming into the future. You can do so by one of the following options:
Give by Text
Simply text
WPCDSM to 73256
Give Online
To give online, click HERE and follow the link to complete your gift. Make sure to designate “Fine Arts” when making your donation
Give by Phone
To give by telephone or establish a monthly gift, call 515-274-1534
Give by Mail
To give by check, make check payable to "Westminster Fine Arts Series" and send to:
Westminster Presbyterian Church
4114 Allison Ave
Des Moines, IA 50310
Free Concerts On-Demand
During this time of quarantine and social distancing, our Fine Arts Series is taking a different shape this year. We still want to make high quality musical programming available to you this season. The Mini Concert Series will feature short and intimate virtual concerts; captured in spaces such as a living room, recording studio, or chapel. Westminster has a long history of supporting music and the arts, and during this time of cancelled concerts and lost gigs, we are excited to continue supporting musicians and artists during these uncertain times.
*Note: For the best viewing experience, play the videos in 1080p60HD and listen through quality headphones
Mini Concert # 9
40th Anniversary Organ Celebration
Juli Bey - Organ
Concert Order:
-Fanfare and Cortége - By: Michael McCabe (00:27)
-Sonata No. 5 in D Major Opus 65 - By: Felix Mendelssohn (04:52)
-Alma Redemptoris Mater, Opus 45, No. 5 - By: Marcel Dupré (13:44)
-Ave Verum Corpus, Opus 45, No. 6 - Marcel Dupré (16:35)
-Forget Me Not - By: J.S. Bach - featuring Aaron Schultz, tenor (19:14)
Mini Concert #8
Erin Brooker-Miller, harpist
Concert Order:
Preludes 1,5 and 10 from 12 Preludes for Harp by Jean-Michel Damase (1:28)
Andante from Violin Sonata no. 2 by J.S. Bach, trans. Marcel Grandjany (6:32)
Piece for Harp by Sergei Prokofiev (11:16)
Prelude in C, Op. 12 No. 7 by Sergei Prokofiev (14:23)
In A Landscape by John Cage (17:24)
Planxty Hewlett into Gan Ainm by Turlough O'Carolan, Traditional Irish Jig (26:49)
Loftus Jones by Turlough O'Carolan (29:37)
To connect with Erin’s work, visit her website at www.erinbrookermiller.com
Mini Concert # 7
Metro Brass Quintet
Concert Order:
-Gallito - By: Santiago Lope (00:39)
-What Saith My Dainty Darling - BY: Thomas Morley, Arr. John Sens (3:53)
-Flower Duet - By: Léo Delibes, Arr. Mervin Tay (5:12)
-Ave Verum Corpus - By: Mozart, Arr. Larry Mills-Gahl (7:56)
-Talking to the Moon - By: Bruno Mars, Arr. Melody Dawning (10:49)
-Don't Get Around Much Anymore - By: Duke Ellington, Arr. Jim Goodwin (14:28)
-The Music of George Gershwin - Arr. Zachary Smith (17:57)
-Sophisticated Lady - By: Duke Ellington (24:39)
-Captain of the Port - By: John Sens (27:02)
-I'll Fly Away with Do, Lord - Arr. Robert Tindle (29:42)
Metro Brass Quintet are:
Trumpet 1 - Doug Bown
Trumpet 2 - Ben McCartney
Horn - Joy Lucas
Tenor Trombone - Josh Deutmeyer
Bass Trombone - John Sens
Mini Concert #6
An Tran - Classical Guitarist
Concert Order:
J.S. Bach: Prelude from Cello Suite No. 1 (00:02)
Dang Ngoc Long: Remembrance (02:37)
Heitor Villa-Lobos: Prelude No. 3 (06:40)
Vietnamese Traditional (arr. Nguyen The An): Stay, My Beloved (09:34)
To connect with An Tran’s work, visit his website at www.antran.org
Mini Concert # 5
Kathy and Company - Local Des Moines String Quartet
Concert Order:
-Concerto for 2 Violins in D Minor 2nd movement By J.S. Bach
-Interludium in Modo Antico By Alexander K Glazounow Revised by Alfred Pochon
-Ashokan Farewell By Jay Ungar Arranged by J. Nurse
-Concerto VIII Opus 6 By Arcangelo Corelli
Kathy and Company are:
Kathy Naja - Violin 1
Kris Shay - Violin 2
Brad Benson - Viola
Curtis Barr - Cello
Mini Concert # 4
Hoot N’ Howl: An Organ Extravaganza!
Featuring Westminster Organist Juli Bey
Concert Order:
-Grand Jeu avec le Tonnerre from Pièces pour l'orgue: Suite du II Ton by Michel Corrette le fils (1707-1795)
-Fugue No. 3 in G Minor from Six Fugues on the Name BACH Op. 60 by Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
-Funeral March of a Marionette by Charles Gounod (1818-1893)
-Prelude and Fugue in A Minor BWV 559 by J. S. Bach (1685-1750)
-Toccata in B Minor from 10 Pièces pour orgue by Eugène Gigout (1844-1925)
Mini Concert #3
ClearJoy Music - Anna and Elaina Steenon
Concert Order:
-Foggy Dew/Morrison’s Jig/The Butterfly (0:16) Arr. Elaina and Anna Steenson
-Josephin’s Waltz (3:40) Arr. Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas
-Calliope House (9:43) Arr. Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas
-The Parting Glass (17:05) Arr. Elaina and Anna Steeson
To connect with ClearJoy Music’s work, visit their website at www.clearjoymusic.com
Mini Concert #2
Juli Bey - Westminster Organist
Concert Order: Maestoso from 4 Osterpraeludien (Easter Preludes) by Robert Führer
Larghetto by Charles Wesley
Three Interludes by Starling Goodwin
Les Cloches III by Ad Wammes
Mini Concert #1
Natalie Sherer - Concert Pianist
Concert Order:
-Nocturne, Op. 54, No 4 by Edvard Grieg
-Nocturne in C-sharp minor by Frédéric Chopin.
-Prelude in D major, Op 23 No 4 by Sergei Rachmaninoff
To connect with Natalie’s work, visit her website at www.nataliesherer.com
A Time to Rejoin and Rejoice
The Visual Arts Committee presents their second online art exhibit, “A Time to Rejoice and Rejoice.” The committee invited Westminster artists to share their artistic endeavors during the pandemic, and submissions were received from 10 artists in preparation for the church’s reopening after over a year of virtual-only worship and ministries. Artists were invited to create works that would express the joy of being together, their hopes for a brighter future, and their gratitude for God’s grace and presence through the pandemic journey.
Pandemic Expressions
The Visual Arts Committee presents our church’s first-ever online art exhibit, “Pandemic Expressions.” The committee invited Westminster artists to share their artistic endeavors during the pandemic, and submissions were received from 15 individuals representing a broad range of ages. The works reflect the artists’ thoughts and feelings during this unprecedented time in history. A wide variety of art is included – paintings, drawings, fabric art, mixed media, photography, and more.
Director of Music and Art
Aaron Schultz
Aaron Schultz joined Westminster’s staff in 2019. He has a BM-Music in Worship from North Park University in Chicago, IL and a MA in Music Ministry from Garrett Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL. Aaron is particularly interested in how liturgy and worship music respects and reflects Christianity’s rich history while also speaking truth into our particularity and ecumenical sharing of experiencing God. To learn more about Aaron’s work, you can visit his website Liturgy of Being by clicking on the button below.
More Arts at Westminster
The Anchor Coffee House is a relaxed, family-friendly venue featuring local, regional and nationally known folk, bluegrass, and blues artists.
Free child care is provided at each performance. For tickets, info, and list of artists, click HERE.
Westminster also is home to a Visual Arts Gallery space and showcases new monthly exhibits on the lower level of the church.