One Lord...One Faith
Lutheran Fine Arts Council of Topeka
Dr. David Cherwien is currently working as a private instructor at the Mount Calvary Academy of Music and as a faculty artist for Lutheran Summer Music. Having stepped away from full-time parish ministry, his 2026 roles focus primarily on teaching, workshops, and seasonal conducting.
Current Roles & Engagements
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Mount Calvary Academy of Music: He joined the academy in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area as the inaugural instructor for their "Music of the Church" program, teaching one-on-one private lessons in congregation song, basic organ, and improvisation.
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Lutheran Summer Music (LSM): He continues to serve on the worship and organ faculty, directing the LSM Chapel Choir and leading initiatives like the inaugural LSM Choral Gathering at St. Olaf College.
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Clinician and Guest Leader: He maintains an active schedule leading national workshops and guest hymn festivals, such as providing webinars for the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians.
David Cherwien served as Cantor at Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Minneapolis from 2001-2024, continuing the tradition of creative hymn singing. From 2001 until 2022 he also served as Artistic Director of the National Lutheran Choir. Prior to those he has served in church music positions in Minneapolis, Chicago, Seattle, and Berlin, Germany. He is a nationally known conductor, composer and organist. Recognized for his contributions to the field of church music and liturgy, he is often called upon to serve as clinician and hymn festival leader across the country.
He has composed and published a considerable amount of music for the church with several publishers. During his time with the National Lutheran Choir, he served as editor of the National Lutheran Choir Series of choral music published by Morningstar Music Publishers and produced many recordings including the “Hymns We Love To Sing” series which is still available at www.nlca.com. He is a founding member of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians and has served in its leadership in a variety of capacities, including as National President from 1993 to 1997.
David Cherwien is a prolific composer with over 150 publications of choral and organ music, with several publishers including MorningStar Music, and is the 2007 winner of the Raabe Prize for Excellence in Sacred Composition for his piece, "The Souls of the Righteous." For the National Lutheran Choir alone, Cherwien has composed at least 24 new works during his tenure with the Choir. He has released numerous recordings of Hymns and Choral Music through Mount Olive Lutheran Church, and the National Lutheran Choir, and serves editor for the National Lutheran Choir Series with MorningStar. Recordings and music may be found at: nlca.com, mountolivechurch.org, and morningstarmusic.com.
David is a founding member of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians, serving in its leadership in a variety of capacities, including National President from 1993 to 1997. He is also active in the American Guild of Organists and Choristers Guild.