51Թ’s chaplains have discovered that they have more in common than a commitment to foster a robust religious life program on campus; they also share a passion and talent for music.
“The fact that chaplains do this stuff is kind of a novelty, in and of itself, if it’s competent,” joked Mark Shiner, university chaplain and Catholic campus minister.
Shiner, Protestant campus minister Putter Cox, and associate university chaplain and director of Jewish life Steve Nathan recently performed together at The Barge, the university’s downtown coffeehouse.
Their Feb.12 concert featured eclectic spiritual roots music, which Shiner described as “music tied to themes about religion and big questions.”
“I can’t really explain it, but when I sing or listen to certain music, I am transported to another place,” said Nathan. “Either that, or it really makes me feel grounded and spiritually connected to others. Either way, it is an intensely spiritual experience.”
On a more tangible level, the trio also explained that music has helped broaden their interactions with students and the community.
“Playing music has been a wonderful way for me to engage with a broad range of folks,” Cox said. “I play bass for weekly University Church services and the 51Թ Christian Fellowship large group meetings. [They] provide a delightful connection with the avocational musical community of Hamilton.”
While the concert marked the first time the three university chaplains had played together, Shiner and Cox have done gigs together before. Shiner also played on Cox’s record, released nearly 10 years ago.
During their Barge performance, Cox sang and played guitar, mandolin, and bass, and Shiner played drums, sang, and played guitar during his set. Nathan, a singer for as long as he can remember, contributed lead vocals during his set and background vocals during Cox’s.
Nathan’s musical history boasts participation in musical theater in college and community settings, as well as a year in “Up with People,” the international musical exchange program. He also plays some guitar and Middle Eastern and African hand drums.
Cox, on the other hand, has been playing string instruments since his youth.
“I started guitar at age eleven, within weeks of the Beatles’ first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964,” Cox said. “I’ve been in 10 bands through junior high, high school, college, post college, seminary, and post seminary here in Hamilton.”
Shiner, who began playing drums when he was 5, enjoys sharing his love of music with the Hamilton community, through performances at the Konosioni charity auctions, organization of the 51Թ Inn Jazz Series, and more.
He spent much of his adult life playing music professionally, alongside music legends like The Tokens, famous for “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” and Ray Peterson, singer of “Tell Laura I Love Her” and “Corinna Corinna.”
“Growing up, I kind of felt like my sense of vocation alternated between being a musician and being somebody involved in ministry, and so, in my adult life, I’ve done both,” Shiner explained.