A new composition was performed for the first time during the 71st annual Mid-America Music Festival hosted by Union Adventist University. “The Lord is my Shepherd” is an adaptation of Psalm 23 composed by Dr. David Nino, the music director at Highland View Academy in Maryland. Written formass choir and orchestra, Nino said he chose the theme of Psalm 23 because “it is not only the testimony of King David, but my testimony as well.”
Union’s Music Program commissioned the composition following the 2024 Mid-America Music Festival to commemorate the school’s name changing from Union College to Union Adventist University. “Throughout the history of Union College and now Union Adventist University, one constant has been our abiding faith in God’s leading,” said Yami Bazan, university president. “The 23rd Psalm perfectly reflects our experience as an institution and the personal experience of so many Christians who have learned to rely on God through the highs and lows that life brings.”
In the video below, you can listen to the festival choir premier this original piece.
Revelation Song
On the Friday of the Mid-America Music Festival, students in Union’s Introduction to Music Production and Technology (MAUP 110) tackled a marathon project. Over the course of three hours, the class recorded 120 tracks. The end result? A cover of “Revelation Song” starring approximately 200 vocalists from seven Adventist academies.
“When we got together with the Enrollment team to brainstorm ways to make this weekend a little bit more impactful, a little more exciting and a little more memorable, we thought why not incorporate something we’re already doing?” said Steven Hutchison, assistant professor of music. “We thought, let’s bring them all into our music studio. But our music studio isn’t that big.”
The choirs were recorded separately then combined digitally to include all of the high school students. With vocal coaching from Mayah Evans, a senior nursing major, vocalists from each school recorded the solo tracks, though only six were featured in the final song. The selection process was completely blind — based solely on the quality of the recording and the voice. Because of the anonymous selection process, we do not know which students made the final cut.
Written by Jennie Lee Riddle, “Revelation Song” references passages throughout the Book of Revelation. It has been covered by Christian recording artists including Philips, Craig and Dean, Kari Jobe and The Newsboys. This Music Festival recording features an original arrangement by Hutchison.
“One of the things we love doing at Union is amplifying voices,” Hutchison said. “By that, I mean we have so many unique perspectives and so many students from different areas of the country and different walks of life coming together here on our campus. They all have a story, and we help them find their voice. We have students now taking classes in our recording studio on how to produce podcasts and record music and write their own music.”
The song can be played below or downloaded to your personal device here.
In this video, we have set the music to a slideshow of photos from throughout the Music Festival weekend. The Music Program is raising money to continue work on the recording studio. If you would like to contribute, make a gift online at https://www.4giving.com/donation/4623