Thank you for joining us in celebrating the talented composers in our catalogs for the last year! Each month of 2025 we have featured a composer who has a new piece coming out soon or who has recently published with us in an installment of "Beyond the Score."

In this final installment, we are talking with Nancy Raabe

What inspired you to begin studying music? 

Classical music was played in my house for as long as I can remember, as my father was an amateur violinist and lover of great music. In high school I took up the French horn; my defining moment was when my parents took me to the Claremont Music Festival at Pomona College to hear Barry Tuckwell play the Brahms Horn Trio. I knew then that music would be my life. I went on to be a music major at Pomona, then entered a doctoral program in musicology at Brandeis University. Because there were few university jobs at the time, I became a classical music critic for the next 15 years. It was the perfect job. I got to go to concerts and be paid for writing about them!

Although I eventually went into pastoral ministry, my love of music continued. I served various parishes not only as pastor but as musician--keyboard, choir and even handbells. In my first year of seminary I began writing music for class projects, then started weekly composition lessons with John Carter. He encouraged me to submit my first piano pieces and I was shocked when they were accepted. My five rigorous semesters of music theory as an undergraduate really helped.

What motivates you musically today?  

The desire to fully and vigorously proclaim the hymns that we sing. Music offers us such powerful proclamation of the gospel! I try to plumb the inner character of a given marriage of text and tune and then to convey my understanding of that through the language of music. 

What do you draw on for inspiration as you begin a new composition?  

The Holy Spirit. Everything I do is a work of the Spirit.  

What is your favorite piece of music (or one of the inevitable many) and why?

Gustav Mahler's Symphony No 3 because it proclaims, using the language of music, a complete cosmology of God's creation. I still hope to write a book about this.

What draws you to write music for the church, and how do you approach text and music for ensembles that are mostly music-loving amateurs?

My life is in the church; everything I do serves Jesus Christ and his body. In my writing I try to be clear, concise, and free if sentimentality or excess. One of the best compliments I have had was, "You could almost sight read this!" 

What is one experience that you have had that wouldn’t have been available if you hadn’t been in the music world? 

 So many friendships have come from my life in church music. I thank God for each one.

What is a favorite hobby or interest outside of music? 

I love watching birds. 

We are grateful for Nancy's work and the impact it has on the ministry we serve. To learn more about Nancy and her work, check out her releases through Augsburg Fortress here.