The Rodeheaver Series for the Performing Arts announced the final concert of the 2015-16 season. The Joel Raney Experience, originally scheduled as a workshop/concert weekend, will now feature Joel Raney in just one solo concert at First United Methodist Church in Warsaw on April 17 at 3 p.m. Raney grew up in a Baptist church in rural Alabama where his taste for gospel music began. He learned choral conducting at the University of North Alabama in Florence, and earned a master’s degree in piano performance at The Juilliard School at Lincoln Center in New York City, according to a provided press release. He has become a sacred music composer, listed primarily with Hope Publishing, where he currently serves as an editor. His works include choral anthems, musicals and cantatas, and his instrumental compositions include music for piano and handbells. Raney currently serves as minister of music at the First Baptist Church of Oak Park, Ill., and makes his home in River Forest with his family. All performances of the Rodeheaver Series are offered free of charge and the public is invited to attend. Support for the series, established in 1990, comes from donations made by attendees and interested patrons.
