Sukup Family Renews Support for LSM Church Music Program
Dr. Cathy Rodland works with organ student at LSM 2025
Lutheran Summer Music is pleased to announce the renewal of The Eugene and Mary Sukup Church Music Program for an additional three years, generously gifted through a grant from the Sukup Family Foundation of Sheffield, Iowa.
In the last three years, this program has left a transformative mark on the LSM program, hundreds of students, and countless congregations and communities. The Sukup Church Music Program has secured LSM as the premier training ground for young church musicians and made the program a sought-after destination for those young people interested in organ, church music, and hymnody.
Anne Krentz Organ working with LSM 2025 Church Music Elective
The Program will continue to renew LSM’s focus on preparing the next generation of church musicians and organists and expand LSM’s curriculum and educational offerings. Most recently, this program’s initiatives and priorities have included:
Funded scholarships for organ students, ensuring all interested students were able to attend- no organ students were turned away due to financial concerns
Over 30 students studied organ in some capacity in 2025, a great sign of optimism for the future of church music. Organ students performed solo works as well as played for many of the worship services throughout LSM
Supported over 50 liturgies throughout LSM 2025
Created a new Class Organ elective, designed to introduce organ playing to those students with basic keyboard skills
Liturgical Composer-in Residence Anne Krentz Organ wrote the third installment in the Hymn Tune Project, with this year’s arrangement based on the Tune “Beach Spring”. All LSM students have a copy of the piece, and hundreds of more people have downloaded it from the LSM website
Underwrote the annual Bach Cantata Eucharist Service; 2025 featured Cantata BWV 77, Du sollt Gott, deinen Herren, lieben (You shall love God, your Lord)
Attracted nationally renowned organ and church music faculty, including Dr. Cathy Rodland from St. Olaf College and Dr. David Cherwien
Sponsored a rental organ to help meet the needs of practice instruments during LSM
The increase in organ students and faculty led to the inaugural Faculty Organ Recital in 2025, a musical and worship highlight of the summer
This kind of donor support, as found in the Eugene and Mary Sukup Church Music Program, grants LSM the ability to continue educating young people to lead lives of service to the Church. Future students and young alumni will grow to become leaders who preserve and renew the important traditions of Lutheran faith, liturgy, and worship for generations to come because of generous gifts such as these. LSM continues to be ever grateful for all donor support that make these specialized, intentional programs possible.
Charles and Mary Sukup
Charles Sukup, a former Lutheran Music Program board member, shares that “Worship is the grateful response of the living Church. The deep faith of my parents and the importance of worship have been a blessing to us. Church music and particularly organ, the king of instruments, can nurture spiritual growth as well as provide mountain-top experiences. Lutheran Summer Music is an extraordinary program that focuses on Christian faith, musical excellence, and mutual care to inspire young people in the glories of worship.”
The Eugene and Mary Sukup Church Music Program advances LSM’s strategic goal of establishing LSM as a laboratory for the creativity and innovation that fuels the future of sacred music. LSM is committed to articulating the ongoing work of reformation in the church through a Lutheran lens that embraces a holistic understanding of music. LSM will continue to be a prominent national organization that inspires, educates, and trains the next generation of church music leaders and advocates.