Choirs

Each week during the school year approximately one hundred singers of all ages and levels of ability and experience come together for the express purpose of creating something beautiful for God, performing first and foremost for an audience of one. With the exception of an occasional concert, all our performances of sacred choral music are offered within the context of the liturgy of the church, and have as their purpose the glorification of God and the eternal edification of all those who worship here.

The pursuit of a high and consistent standard of excellence in church music requires discipline and constant hard work, and our choristers gladly (most of the time!) commit themselves to this challenge. Participation in the choirs serves many other purposes:

association with a small, intentional Christian community within a larger parish
fun and fellowship on a regular and dependable basis
learning great music and being deepened as a person
developing an “ear” for music
learning musical skills and cultivating the voice
giving back to others something uniquely beautiful and beneficial to their souls
forming life-long habits of personal responsibility and shared commitment to a larger purpose

New singers are welcome. Please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Quinn with any questions that you may have about choral music at the Chapel of the Cross.

Choir Schedules

Junior Choir
Senior Choir
Cantus Choir
Compline Choir
Parish Choir

Junior Choir

This choir of 35-40 singers is open to all young people beginning in the third grade and ending with high school graduation. The Junior Choir sings for all 9:00 a.m. Sunday Eucharists and on other occasions throughout the year such as Ash Wednesday and Christmas Eve. With the Senior Choir they sing two performances of an Advent Procession with Lessons and Carols and a Solemn Evensong for Epiphany. At the end of the school year they sing a Sacred Concert, popularly known as “The Junior Choir’s Greatest Hits.”

Senior Choir

This auditioned choir of 38 singers has the most demanding rehearsal and performance schedule of all our choirs. The Senior Choir sings at all 11:15 a.m. services (10 a.m. during the summer), and frequently on holy days or at special musical services throughout the year.

The repertory consists of the finest choral music from every period from the medieval period to the present, including composers such as Josquin DesPrez, Lassus, Byrd, Tallis, Gibbons, Tomkins, Weelkes, Palestrina, Purcell, Jacob Handl, Victoria, Schütz, G.F. Handel, motets and cantatas by J.S. Bach, Mozart, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Faurè, S.S. Wesley, Elgar, Stainer, Stanford, Parry, Bairstow, Vaughan Williams, Britten, Howells, Duruflè, Poulenc, and more recent composers such as Lee Hoiby, Morton Lauridsen, Paul Drayton, John Rutter, Robert Chilcott, Richard Shepherd, John Tavener and James MacMillan.

Rehearsals are held on Wednesday evenings from 7:30 to 9:30 and one hour before services. Occasional longer or additional rehearsals will be held as necessary. A sign-out-in-advance system is in place and choristers are expected to be scrupulous about their absences both from rehearsals and services, and are requested to be present on major holy days and throughout Holy Week. Vacancies in the various sections of the choir occur from time to time, although it is hoped that the membership of the Senior Choir will be constant throughout the year. If you are interested in singing in the choir please call Dr. Quinn to inquire about openings and to arrange an audition. This can be done at any time during the year.

Cantus Choir

The Cantus Choir for first and second graders rehearses on Wednesdays from 4:15-5:30 p.m. in Rooms 4 and 5 in the Parish House. We are very pleased to have as our director Elizabeth Terry, a doctoral student in the music department at Duke. There are many components and objectives for this program. In the course of learning music to sing in church, choristers will learn the principles of singing and other elements of music-making such as rhythm, dynamics, and diction. The choir will learn the shape and some of the components of the Church's liturgy, some Biblical stories and principles, and some hymns and anthems appropriate for primary grade children.

An overarching goal is to help each chorister "find" his or her own voice, to foster a life-long love of singing, and to deepen understanding of the voice as a gift of God to be shared with others. The help of parents (PODs or "Parents on Duty") is crucial to the functioning of the choir and everybody is expected to help in the work of the choir.

Information has been sent out by email to the parents of all first and second graders. If you did not receive this information please contact us at once. If you have questions, please contact Dr. Quinn or contact Elizabeth Terry.

Compline Choir

“Ye that by night stand in the house of the Lord, lift up your hands in the  Holy place.” (Psalm 134)

On Sunday evenings at 9:30 p.m. (when the university is in session) the ancient rite of Compline is sung in our church. The Office of Compline originated and developed in Southern Europe and the Middle East during the first six centuries of the Christian era. It was the last of the monastic “offices” of the day, “completing” the work of the day that had already gathered the community for worship at six specific times over its course. The service is sung in its entirety by a special choir (called a schola cantorum) that has been gathered solely for this purpose.

The service consists as it always has in the singing of psalms, short passages of scripture called “chapters,” an “office” hymn, the Song of Simeon (Nunc dimittis), collects, and a hymn extolling the virtues of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The music consists for the most part of “Gregorian” chant, ranging from simple psalm tones and strophic hymns to the complex unfolding of an entire musical universe in something like the Ave Regina Coelorum or Salve Regina. From time to time a magnificent flowering of polyphony interrupts the monophonic flow: one voice becomes many and then one again.

While sight reading skills do not have to be highly developed, it is necessary to be able to sing easily on pitch and to sing complex musical lines in unison with other singers and without instrumental accompaniment. The ability to match vowels and to place consonants precisely as requested by the conductor is important.

If you are interested in singing in the choir or assisting with the service in some other way, please contact the choirmaster, Dr. Quinn.

Parish Choir

This choir of enthusiastic parishioners sings twice a month at the 5:15 Eucharist, Christmas Eve, Epiphany Evensong, and other services as announced. The varied repertory includes works composers such as J.S. Bach, G.F. Handel, Felix Mendelssohn, Tallis, Pitoni, Tye, Mozart, Howells, and Bortniansky.

The more relaxed performance schedule and repertory is ideal for those who wish to sing without the pressure of weekly service and extended rehearsal obligations. This is also a very socially engaging group who care for one another and enjoy the time the group spends together in rehearsals, services, and social events.

The Parish Choir is open to everyone, including young people and students. All voice parts are needed. No audition is required. Rehearsals are held on Monday nights at 7:00 p.m. A sign-out-in-advance system is in place. Singers are expected to be scrupulous about registering their absences both from rehearsals and services in advance. If you are interested in singing in the choir or assisting with the service in some other way, please contact the choirmaster, Dr. Quinn.