Hillert Awarded Honorary Doctorate
August 1st, 2002 in the Grace NotesRichard Hillert was awarded an honorary doctorate of sacred music at the annual commencement exercises of Valparaiso University held May 19, 2002. The citation stated:
Your contributions to the use of music in worship are rivaled by few. As music editor for the Worship Supplement and for the Lutheran Book of Worship you played a major role in developing liturgical resources central to worship within the Lutheran Church. Your impact extends into many denominations, and it has been estimated that more that eight million people sing you compositions each Sunday. Lutherans throughout the world are familiar with you setting of Holy Communion in the Lutheran Book of Worship and Lutheran Worship, and your canticle "This is the Feast of Victory" is found in hymn books of many Christian denominations. You are a prolific composer whose reputation extends well beyond the church. You have written more than 300 compositions, including works for piano, organ, choral groups, chamber ensembles, and orchestras. Your musical arrangements are found on many recordings, including two devoted entirely to your music. You earned the respect of colleagues and students during a teaching career of more than thirty years at Concordia University in River Forest, Illinois, You have been a popular writer for scholarly publications, and you have made lasting contributions as a mentor to may students who are enjoying careers as church musicians, teachers, music editors, publishers, and composers. In conferring upon you the degree Doctor of Sacred Music, honoris causa, we offer public tribute to your unique contributions as a composer, an educator, author, and a mentor to those who follow your example.
A recent commission was for the collection of five motets entitled "Prayers of Peace" written for the Oak Park Concert Chorale and the Paul Lindblad Choristers for a memorial concert given in honor of Victor Hildner, founder of the Oak Park Concert Chorale who died this past August. The motets were performed on May 5 at Grace Lutheran Church, River Forest, Illinois, in a program billed as a "Richard Hillert Festival". The program included six Hillert works in addition to the "Prayers of Peace".