Vote for the 2026 Hymn Tune Project
Anne Krentz Organ at LSM 2025
Lutheran Summer Music invites musicians, church leaders, alumni, supporters, and friends to help shape the next installment of the LSM Hymn Tune Project by voting for the tune that will anchor the 2026 commission.
The Hymn Tune Project is an annual series of theme-and-variations arrangements for solo instrument and keyboard by Anne Krentz Organ, LSM’s Liturgical Composer in Residence and a widely respected church musician and composer. Each work is premiered during the summer festival and then released as a free download from The LSM Press, expanding LSM’s growing collection of accessible, high-quality church music for worship and performance.
Since launching in 2023 with Holy Manna, followed by Ash Grove (2024) and Beach Spring (2025), these arrangements have been downloaded more than 1,000 times worldwide and are now used by musicians across the globe.
Help Choose the 2026 Hymn Tune
For the first time, LSM is inviting the wider community to vote on the hymn tune Anne Krentz Organ will arrange for 2026. All three options are widely known across Christian traditions, included in Lutheran hymnals, and in the public domain.
FOUNDATION
First printed in 1832, this pentatonic shape-note tune is most closely associated with How Firm a Foundation. Rooted in early American singing traditions, it is sturdy, memorable, and well suited for flexible instrumental use.
KINGSFOLD
This expressive folk tune entered hymnody through the work of Ralph Vaughan Williams, who encountered it in the English countryside and later included it in The English Hymnal (1906). Its lyrical depth and adaptability have led to its use with a wide range of hymn texts.
NETTLETON
A beloved American shape-note tune first published in 1813, best known today as the melody for Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing. Its strong, singable character has made it one of the most widely used hymn tunes in North America.
Cast Your Vote
Vote by January 31. The chosen tune will be announced shortly thereafter, with the completed arrangement premiering during LSM 2026 and released as a free download from The LSM Press.
FOUNDATION
KINGSFOLD
NETTLETON