Choir News
Choiristers perpare for a Sunday procession. |
We Need Musical Boys!!
Our Choir of Boys & Girls offers young singers an extraordinary opportunity for
musical training and experience, in a
supportive, close-knit, Christian community. This opportunity is open to boys and girls of parish families, and to children from outside the parish.
Right now, we are actively seeking to recruit boys (ages 8 to 11) for next year’s choir, either from within the parish or from outside.
Contact John Abdenour, Director of Music
259-3013, jabdenour@stpaulsfairfield.org
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Choir Rehearsals
Although we may make slight adjustments to certain rehearsal times, our schedule is as follows:
Boys & Girls
Monday, 4:00 – 5:00
Monday, 5:15 – 6:15
Tuesday, 4:30 – 5:30
Wednesday, 5:30 – 6:30
Thursday, 5:30 – 7:30*
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Probationer Choir
Wednesday, 4:15 – 5:00
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St. Paul’s Schola
Thursday, 7:00 – 8:15
St. Cecilia Choir
Thursday, 8:15-9:30
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*The Thursday Boys & Girls rehearsal begins at 5:30, and includes Evensong at 6:00, Pizza supper at 6:30, and a brief rehearsal with the Schola at 7:00, dismissal at 7:30.
On Sundays, the Boys & Girls (not Probationers) and the Schola warm up in the choir room at 8:30 AM for the 9:15 AM service. The St. Cecilia Choir warms up in the chancel of the church at 10:40 for the 11:15 service.
Members of the Boys & Girls Choir are required to attend two rehearsals per week, chosen at their discretion from the above schedule. Probationers and adults rehearse once a week.
About the
Choirs at St. Paul's
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About
the Choirs
At
Saint Paul’s, music is pursued as a ministry. The
work of the choirs is an offering to God, and, we pray,
a vehicle for bringing the Spirit’s joy, comfort,
and inspiration to a congregation that provides generous
and enthusiastic support. Music is an essential element
of our worship and praise of God, expressed primarily
through the Anglican tradition, centering on choral and
congregational singing accompanied by the organ. In addition
to their role in worship, the choirs are an important
area of ministry, outreach, and Christian formation.
The Saint Cecilia
Choir
The Saint Cecilia Choir is an ensemble of adult singers, which includes
a quartet of professional section leaders. Membership in the Saint Cecilia
Choir is open to all adults who enjoy singing—or wish to learn
to sing—the great choral repertoire of the church. (Special tutoring
in ear training/sight singing is available for those who desire it.)
The Saint Cecilia Choir sings the Sunday 11:15 AM service of Choral Eucharist,
September through May.
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The
Choir of Boys & Girls
As a parish-based expression of Anglican music ministry to children, the
Choir of Boys & Girls is considered by many to be one of the outstanding
choirs of its type in the eastern United States, and is one of very few that
maintain a weekly schedule of sung Evensong (Thursdays at 6:00 PM). Affiliated
with the Royal School of Church Music in America, the Choir of Boys & Girls
is composed of around 30 boys and girls, usually children of parish families.
The choir is open to all children in grades 3-8 (boys) and 3-12 (girls) who
have a strong interest in music and singing. First year members of the choir,
called probationers, have their own rehearsal and join with the choir on
Sunday morning through a gradual process as the year progresses. The boys
and girls sing on Sunday (9:15 AM Choral Eucharist II) together with the
Saint Paul’s Schola, an ensemble of skilled altos, tenors, and basses
led by professional section leaders. Because the Schola’s mission is
to support the Choir of Boys and Girls, membership in the Schola is by audition.
Since 1996, the choir has maintained an artistic relationship with the widely
acclaimed British choirmaster Barry Rose.
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The
success of the Choir of Boys and Girls is founded upon
meticulous and systematic musical training, vocal coaching,
and the development of character and self confidence, in
an informal, relaxed, and non-competitive rehearsal atmosphere.
Each generation of choristers learns that it is their duty
to teach their craft and art to the younger generation
coming up behind them.
In recent years, the Choir of Boys & Girls has made numerous appearances
outside of Saint Paul’s, on tours of the eastern United States
in 1997 and England in 1998. In 1997 the choir appeared at Carnegie Hall
in New York City. In 2003 the choir sang services at Christ Church, New
Haven, Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, New York, and was in residence
at Exeter and Bristol Cathedrals in England, where they sang ten services
in ten days.
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In 2004 the choir sang at All Saints Church, Worcester; in 2005, at Saint Bartholomew’s Church, New York City. In 2007 the choir’s third tour of the British Isles will focus on a ten day residency singing daily services at St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, Edinburgh, Scotland, and at Durham Cathedral in England.
In the fall of 2005 the choir will release its third CD, Call to Remembrance, featuring music of Anton Bruckner, Samuel Barber, John Ireland, William Walton, Thomas Tallis, and others. Previous releases were the CDs, Hymns, Psalms, and Spiritual Songs (2001) and a compact disc recording of St. Paul’s annual service of Advent Lessons and Carols (2002). Please contact the church office if you would like a copy of the recordings.
Although
the choirs occasionally appear in concert settings, they exist
to sing the liturgical music of the church: psalms, anthems,
hymns, and settings of the Ordinary of the Mass. The choirs serve
as a reminder that, in the midst of this rushed and secular world,
God’s timeless praises continue to flourish.
John
Abdenour, Director of Music
with the Probationers of 2005
Listen to selections from the St. Paul's Choir, featuring the performance of Agnus Dei* as on Performed Good Friday, 2005 (*Samuel Barber's Adagio for Stings op. 11)
For
upcoming rehersal times, see: Calendars.net http://plus.calendars.net/st_pauls_choirs
About the
Music at St. Paul's
New! Audio recordings from Sunday services:
"God Be in My Head" Rutter, 9/8/07
"Oh Lord Loosemore", 9/30/07
St. Paul's Music List for 2007-2008
Pentecost Proper 18, 2007 – Trinity Sunday, 2008
Includes info. about the music program & special events!
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For information about the Memorial Organ of St. Paul's,
click here.
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The
Boys and Girls Choir of St. Paul's at Bristol Cathedral,
England. |
Special Events for the Saint Paul ’s Choir 2007 – 2008
Sunday, October 7, 5:00 PM
Choral Evensong - Music of William Smith, C. H. H. Parry, and George Dyson
The Saint Paul ’s Choir and the Choir of All Saints Church, Worcester , MA
At All Saints Church, Worcester , MA
Friday, November 9, 8:00 PM
Gustav Mahler – Symphony No. 8
The New Haven Symphony and The Canterbury Choral Society
The Saint Paul ’s Choir of Boys & Girls and other Children’s Choirs
At Carnegie Hall , New York City
Sunday, December 9, 4:00 PM
A SERVICE of LESSONS & CAROLS for ADVENT
The Saint Paul ’s Choir, with Vincent Edwards ( St. Paul ’s, Norwalk ), Organ
Sunday, December 23, 4:00 PM
A FESTIVAL of NINE LESSONS & CAROLS
The Saint Paul ’s Choir, with Andrew Sheranian (Christ’s Church, Rye , NY ), Organ
Sunday, February 3
Thirteenth Annual Sing Praises Choir Festival
Choral Evensong for the Last Sunday after Epiphany
Directed by Dr. Barry Rose, OBE
With the Choirs of Saint Paul’s, Fairfield and Norwalk , and St. Peter’s Morristown , NJ
At the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine, New York City
Sunday, March 9, 5:00 PM
Choral Evensong - Music of Thomas Tomkins, Orlando Gibbons, and John Battishill
The Saint Paul ’s Choir, with Jeremy David Tarrant ( St. Paul ’s Cathedral, Detroit ), Organ
Sunday, May 18, 5:00 PM
Choral Evensong – Music of Bernard Rose, Michael Tippett, and Benjamin Britten
The Saint Paul ’s Choir, guest organist to be announced.
C O M P L I N E S E R I E S S u n d a y s i n L e n t a t 8 P M
Sunday, February 10, 17, 24, and March 2.
© 2003 St.
Paul’s Episcopal Church, All Rights Reserved.
