Paul Bouman

b. 1918

Paul Bouman was born in Hamburg, Minnestoa on August 26, 1918. He has a B.S. in Education from Concordia College, River Forest, Illinois, and attended Westphalian Church Music School, in Herford, Germany. He has held positions as a Director of Music and as a teacher at Ebenezer Lutheran Church, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; St. Paul Lutheran Church, Melrose Park, Illinois; and at Grace Lutheran Church, River Forest, Illinois.

He has received many honors including the Spiritus Christi Medal from Concordia College, River Forest, Illinois; the Te Deum Laudamus Award from Zion Lutheran Church, Dallas, Texas; and Dr. of Humane Letters from Christ Seminary-Seminex, St. Louis, Missouri.

Bouman's other activities include: Staff member at Lutheran Worship Conferences as well as workshops for Chorister's Guild and AGO in Dallas, Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Ft. Lauderdale, etc. with particular emphasis on children's choirs; Staff member of Lutheran Summer Music Program since 1986; As a member of the Illinois Grade School Music Association his children's choirs always received a top rating in the Illinois Grade School Contests.

In 1971 he co-founded with Carl Schalk the Bach Vesper Cantata Series at Grace Lutheran Church in River Forest, Illinois. In 1984 he was invited to prepare the Children's Choirs for the Bethlehem Bach Festival in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He is also a member of the Advisory Board for the Bach Choir of Bethlehem.

Bouman holds memberships in the American Guild of Organists, The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada, the American Choral Director's Association, and the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians.

He is married to Victoria Bartling and has five children.