Growing up as a chorister near Boston, I was fortunate to experience so many exciting opportunities outside the walls of the church. Our choir sang for so many prominent weddings and funerals, tours, choir festivals, and televised worship services. We even appeared at Fenway Park and Nationals Park! These special events were so essential to my experience as a young musician. I can’t imagine my time as a chorister without them. I’ll never forget meeting other children my age from choirs in other states, traveling across the country and abroad, and performing the National Anthem at baseball games!
In my role as Director of St. Bartholomew’s Choristers, it is important to me to present as many exciting opportunities to our young voices as possible. While the weekly work of rehearsing for and singing at services is central to our mission, there is much to be gained from traveling outside our block. Over the past few months, St. Bartholomew’s Choristers has had a share of exciting events beyond the scope of our regular schedule.
At the beginning of January, St. Bartholomew’s Choristers performed at the Lotos Club on the Upper East Side. The choristers led a group of merry, dapper partygoers in Christmas caroling. What fun they had being in the spotlight! It was a real treat to invite back a number of recent choristers alumnae as well. Due to the pandemic, a number of recent alumnae missed out on what would have been their final outings as a chorister. Not only did their presence make for an extra rousing sound, but it also allowed our newest members to befriend and sing alongside our most seasoned voices. Our time at the Lotos Club was as much a significant, exciting performance as it was a special reunion!
More recently, some of our choristers participated in the annual Diocesan Chorister Festival, held at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. The festival, organized by the Cathedral’s Associate Director of Music and Choirmaster, Bryan Zaros, and guest-conducted by Mary Huff, involved a day of rehearsal, Cathedral tours, and workshops, culminating in a service of Choral Evensong. Chorister programs from across the Diocese participated, and the combined choirs sang with an edgy, focused tone. It was a great opportunity for our choristers to sing alongside over one hundred other young voices in such a magnificent space. Their angelic voices echoed down the great stone vaults for nearly 10 seconds after they stopped singing!
It is so essential to the chorister experience to share one’s voice throughout the city, country, and world. In our travels, we fulfill the commandment: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15) To that end, it is extremely fulfilling to be able to bring St. Bartholomew’s Choristers to sing around the city, and I look forward to our next opportunity to bring our joyful noise to new ears.
Alex
