Hear Rev. Stephanie Perdew VanSlyke and enjoy a classical guitar concert by Nander Novaes.

Rev. Stephanie Perdew VanSlyke, Ph.D is Senior Pastor of the First Congregational Church of Wilmette (United Church of Christ) . A native of Lincoln, Nebraska, and life-long member of UCC, she was ordained in the Nebraska Conference of UCC. Stephanie earned her B.A. in religion and women’s studies from St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota, and her Master of Divinity and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from Garrett- Evangelical Theological Seminary, Evanston, Illinois. She serves as Affiliate Professor of Christian History at Garrett. 

Nander Novaes is a classical guitarist, choral conductor and music minister from São Paulo, Brazil, Nander Novaes is regularly noted for his engaging and virtuosic skills as a music performer.

In his childhood, he was introduced to the paths of music under the guidance of his parents, Eunice e Orlando Novaes, and received his first formal studies in classical guitar at the Heitor Villa-Lobos Conservatory of Music under his father’s tutelage. At the age of 18, he was the youngest musician to be invited by the leadership body of the Methodist Church of Brazil to occupy a position as a Director of Music Ministries, an unprecedented achievement which years later would give him the opportunity of representing Brazil as music director at the CIEMAL – Congresso de Igrejas Evangélicas Metodistas da América Latina – in Argentina.

In 1999 he was admitted at Escola Municipal de Música de São Paulo in the classes of Henrique Pinto and Naomi Munakata to pursue further studies in both classical guitar and choir conducting. In the meantime, the Universidade Cruzeiro do Sul granted him a full merit-based scholarship to complete his Bachelor of Music degree in Guitar Performance. In 2003, his recital debut took place at the Sala Assis Chateaubriand at the Museu de Artes de São Paulo (MASP). As a classical guitar performer, Nander Novaes has concertized in Brazil, Argentina, and the United States, and his repertoire includes works of contrasting periods from the guitar literature. In 2011 he released his first solo CD entitled Allegro, recorded at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church of Bloomington, Indiana.

Approved on a highly competitive basis, Nander Novaes pursued both a Performer Diploma and a Master of Music degrees in Guitar Performance at Indiana University in the class of Ernesto Bitetti. He holds outside area degrees in Sacred Music and Early Music Voice from Jacobs School of Music as a student of Janette Fishell and Paul Elliott. Regarded as a gifted bass singer, Nander performed concerts in the United States as a member of the prominent vocal consort Concentus Ensemble under the direction of Paul Elliott and Nigel North. The triadic areas of music performance, sacred music and theology play a central role in Nander’s vocational calling. As a recipient of the prestigious Elisa Garrett scholarship, he recently pursued a Master of Arts in Music Ministry at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. Nander graduated with honors and became a member of the Theta Alpha Kappa National Honors Society for Religious Studies and Theology.
Currently, he is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Guitar Performance and Music Theory mentored by Anne Waller at the internationally acclaimed Northwestern University Bienen School of Music. Aside from his duties as a performer, Nander is highly dedicated to the art of teaching and has been a classical guitar instructor first at Jacobs and now at Bienen music schools. He serves as Director of Music Ministry at First United Methodist Church in Des Plaines, Illinois, and resides in Evanston with his beloved wife Ana Cláudia de Novaes.