Rick Sowers and his wife, Nancy, have been members of Our Saviour’s Lutheran since 2021. Rick is serving as interim director of the Sanctuary Choir and worship consultant. He will also direct the 2023 Christmas Cantata.

Rick is a Professor Emeritus of Music at Anderson University in Anderson, Indiana, and he served as director of choral activities at the university for 37 years. He conducted several ensembles at Anderson, including the Anderson University Chorale, which has appeared at national and divisional conferences of the American Choral Directors Association. He led more than 50 domestic and international tours with the Chorale, including 12 concert tours in Europe. Also at Anderson, he taught private voice lessons, graduate and undergraduate conducting, and music education courses.

The son of a Lutheran pastor, Rick has served as a choir director and organist in six Lutheran churches since he was a college student. Most recently, he served as the organist and music director at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Anderson for 20 years.

Rick is in his 35th and final year as the conductor and music director of the Anderson Symphony Orchestra, an Anderson-based fully professional symphony orchestra that performs about seven times annually. The orchestra rehearses only the weeks of concerts, which requires Rick to be gone from home about six times for this final season. He calls himself a “recovering” horn (French horn) player.

Rick has an undergraduate degree in voice performance and music education from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University-Bloomington, a master's of music in voice and conducting from Colorado State, and a doctorate in conducting from Arizona State.

Rick and Nancy moved to the Chicagoland area following their retirement in May 2021. They have three children, two of whom live in Villa Park and Plainfield. They have five grandsons here and another grandchild on the way. Rick is honored to be entrusted with working with the fine singers in the Sanctuary Choir, and looks forward to serving with the wonderful staff at Our Saviour’s. Rick is a diehard Chicago Cubs fan.

Email: ricksowers@oursaviours.com