PHOTO BY JACOB KESSLER / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
RING … The Raleigh Ringers perform before a crowd of hundreds at Founders Hall on July 3, opening the 10th anniversary season of St. Martin’s Concert Series.
By: Jacob Kessler
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jacob@thevillagereporter.com
St. Martin’s Concert Series in Archbold is celebrating its 10th anniversary season with five performances featuring internationally acclaimed musicians, accomplished artists and performers with local connections.
The anniversary season opened Friday, July 3, with a performance by The Raleigh Ringers at Founders Hall. The Emmy-nominated, internationally acclaimed handbell choir from North Carolina drew an estimated crowd of between 450 and 500 people, according to St. Martin’s Director of Music and Worship Matthew Wachtman.
Because of the size of the ensemble, the amount of equipment involved and the large attendance expected, the performance was held at Archbold’s Founders Hall rather than St. Martin’s Lutheran Church.
The concert series began in 2016 as St. Martin’s celebrated its 150th anniversary. What started as a year of special concerts proved popular enough to continue, and the church is now marking both its 160th year and the 10th anniversary of the concert series.
“Everybody really liked it,” Wachtman said. “And so, for the last 10 years, the congregation’s been doing these concerts.”
Wachtman joined the staff at St. Martin’s in 2023 and said continuing the series was important to him from the beginning.
With the 10th anniversary arriving this year, he wanted to make the season especially memorable.
“With this being the 10th anniversary of the concert series, I wanted to do something really big,” Wachtman said. “And so we have large names coming in, ensembles, artists, all the likes.”
The July 3 performance was the first of five concerts scheduled for the 2026-27 season. The remaining four will be held at St. Martin’s Lutheran Church, and all programs are free and open to the public.
The next concert will be held Sunday, September 27, at 3 p.m. and will feature a hymn festival led by acclaimed organist Dr. David Cherwien alongside the St. Martin’s Chancel Choir.
Dr. Cole Burger, a Bowling Green State University professor of piano, will perform Sunday, November 22, at 3 p.m., presenting music ranging from classical works to popular tunes.
The season will continue Sunday, February 21, 2027, at 3 p.m. with mezzo-soprano Marie Engle and pianist Robert Levinger. Engle grew up in Pettisville and later studied at the Juilliard School of Music in New York City.
Wachtman described her upcoming appearance as something of a homecoming and an opportunity to recognize how far a performer with northwest Ohio roots has gone in her musical career.
The season will conclude Sunday, April 25, 2027, at 3 p.m. with violinist Andrew Hoverman, the grandson of longtime Archbold High School band director Philip Hoverman.
Wachtman previously had the opportunity to accompany the young violinist on piano and said the experience helped inspire the idea of bringing him back for the anniversary season.
“He is one of the best violinists I’ve ever heard in my life,” Wachtman said. “Just incredible.”
For Wachtman, however, the concert series is about more than music. He sees the performances as an opportunity to bring people together and create a welcoming point of connection for those who may otherwise never enter a church.
“People rarely walk into a new church for worship,” Wachtman said. “They always will come for something else, like a concert. It will be their entry point into something.”
The response has extended well beyond St. Martin’s congregation. Wachtman said a typical concert may draw around 100 people, with only about 25 or 30 coming from the congregation itself.
“The rest of them are people from the community who are attached to different congregations or maybe none at all,” Wachtman said. “And I think that’s the best part. It’s not just a service to ourselves at St. Martin’s. It’s a service to the community.”
That reach was especially evident during the Raleigh Ringers’ performance, which attracted attendees from the Cleveland area, Kalamazoo, Michigan, and Indiana.
“That it’s special enough that they drove all that way, it must really mean something to the community at large,” Wachtman said. “And I find that really energizing.”
