Pastor Repp was called to Grace in 2015 after serving for 12 years as the pastor of Epiphany Lutheran Church in Carbondale, Illinois. Before that he served for four years as an ELCA missionary in St. Petersburg, Russia, where he taught theology and church history at a Russian Lutheran seminary after completing a Ph.D. in Russian history. That was not his first time in Russia. As an undergraduate Russian language major, he studied for a semester in Moscow in 1984, and that’s how he met his wife, Helen, also then a Russian language major from the UK. They were married 2 years later and now have three grown children: Andrew, James, and Marian.
A native of Waxhaw, NC, conductor Nicholas Pierle is excited to direct the music ministry at Grace Lutheran Church and pursue a DMA Choral Music degree from The University of Illinois. Prior to moving to Champaign, Pierle worked as an Adjunct Professor of Music at Queens University of Charlotte where he taught courses in undergraduate conducting and assisted with the university choirs. He also taught middle school choir and general music courses with the Fort Mill School District in South Carolina. In addition to his work in the classroom, Pierle has served as Music Minister to Central Steele Creek Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, NC.
With a commitment to learning, Pierle continues to seek education and performance opportunities. He has participated in conducting masterclasses with Simon Carrington, Gregory Buchalter, and Larry Rachleff and participated in musical festivals including Miami Music Festival and Varna International Music Academy. Additionally, he has recently performed with and conducted the Royal Voices of Charlotte at the Kathaumixw International Choir Competition
Pierle is also an accomplished singer and has performed in venues throughout the United States and Europe, including Carnegie Hall, St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, various locations in southern United Kingdom, and venues in Prague. Most recently, Pierle has performed the roles Ralph Rackstraw in HMS Pinafore, Beadle Bamford in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street andLord Chancellor in Iolanthe. Pierle has performed as a featured soloist in performances of Michael Haydn’s Requiem in C, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, and Handel’s Messiah.
Pierle holds the Masters of Music in Choral Conducting, Vocal Performance, and Vocal Pedagogy from East Carolina University where he studied under the tutelage of Dr. James Franklin and Dr. Jami Rhodes. Additionally, he holds the Bachelor of Arts in Music: Vocal Performance from High Point University where he studied with Dr. Marc Foster and Dr. Scott MacLeod.
Mike Keeley
Organist
Michael Keeley received his first music lessons from his father, a busy church musician & choral conductor in Milwaukee. Having mastered some keyboard basics, he was asked to fill in as substitute by several desperate local organists, and took the first in a long series of church jobs while still in high school.
Formal music studies followed at Lawrence University in Appleton, WI & continued in Dallas, TX (SMU) and Evanston, IL (Northwestern), where he earned a Doctor of Music Degree in Organ Performance. A Fulbright grant in 1979 provided many amazing opportunities for organ study, performing, travel & friendships.
Michael and family moved to C-U in 1994. He has substituted at Grace many times over the past years. Mike has been the regular organist at McKinley, and in recent years has substituted at a number of local churches, including Episcopalian, Presbyterian, Catholic and Lutheran.
