Dale Peterson is an institution. Not only has he dedicated 30 years of his life to the art of Baptist chorals, he’s done it all at one church. On May 23–25, Auburn’s First Baptist Church celebrated 30 years of Peterson’s leadership as head of the college choir.
His longevity at the musical helm is cause enough for fanfare, but the real testimony to his ministry comes in the form of minivans and SUVs filled with former Auburn students and their families, traveling across the country for a reunion. Once every five years since 1993 choir alumni arrive in Auburn for the chance to sing “just one more concert” led by “the best choral director in the country,” said Ben Polidoro, who joined the choir the year of Peterson’s arrival.
Bill Hornbuckle, Peterson’s predecessor at First, Auburn, was Peterson’s minister of music in high school in Louisville, Ky. — “the man who actually got me into leading choir.”
“I had no idea I was going to be here for 30 years when I came,” Peterson said, laughing. “But now I know it’s where I’m going to stay.”
“Each year holds special memories and each group has shared in special experiences,” Peterson recalled.
Although he refused to name his favorite out of the 30 choirs, he cited the enduring musical talent of the First, Auburn, congregation as a definite job perk.
“There’s a lot of talent in this church, and they have a commitment to worship and to music ministry. We’re a congregation where we still sing the great hymns of the faith and feel that the songs used to praise God for hundreds of years can still be used today.”
The three-day reunion, which included a picnic at Auburn’s Keisel Park and “plenty of practice,” concluded with a Sunday morning performance.
The services included the song “When I Survey The Wondrous Cross,” the traditional closer of a Peterson-led choir tour, and the Peterson-penned hymn “We Shall Rejoice Again,” written specifically for 1993’s 20-year reunion.
“I think the lyrics to that song are still appropriate,” Peterson said. “They say, ‘We have come again, O Lord, to this place where we have met before.’”
Also in this year’s repertoire was Peterson’s hymn for the 25-year reunion, “You Are God” and this year’s “This is the Day.”
“It’s wonderful that we can still get together after all these years and praise God,” Peterson said.
This year’s reunion choir not only had an appreciation for the joy of praising God but also an appreciation for Peterson’s musical and spiritual guidance throughout the years.
“Dale is brilliant,” said Melanie Brasseale, choir member from 1973–77, “and the way he can bring you to the point we are when we sing with him is phenomenal. His inspiration and passion for music has been so vital in my life.”
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