Life in the Chancel Choir
Every Thursday evening starting at 7:30 pm, one can hear the beautiful sound of of the Chancel Choir as the members gather and begin rehearsals for the upcoming worship services on Sunday morning. What might strike the listener the most is how much fun this group of dedicated singers has. This is certainly difficult music but these folks enjoy each other, the music they perform, and the Director of Fine Arts of MPC, Marilyn Shenenberger.
We have here at MPC the blessing of folks with varying ranges of musical knowledge. But
what seems to be the most striking
aspect of the Chancel Choir is how those with a lot of musical training
share their knowledge with others in a true spirit of musical friendship.
And it is the fellowship of the singers combined with their love for the music they perform each and every week for the glory of God that helps to bring all of these voices together into one joyful song of praise.
The Chancel Choir tackles standards from Bach, Handel, Hayden, Mozart,
Beethoven, and Brahms. However, they also take on the interesting works of Schubert,
Faure, and Schuetz. The
Chancel Choir has sung late 20th century music by Gardner, Bell, Whitbourn,
Hughes, Thomas, and Walker. This is an exceptionally talented choir we are blessed to have
here at MPC!
While the emphasis is placed firmly on music rooted in the classical musical tradition,
the Chancel Choir repertoire covers a broad range of musical influences
and styles. In keeping with the strongly held belief that music serves as an aid to
worship, the MPC Music Ministry invites anyone who feels called to sing as part of their
personal worship to become a part of the
Chancel Choir. The members of the Choir are a widely divergent group with a
variety of musical skill levels - while we have different amounts of musical training
(ranging from none to a significant amount) and while we come from different backgrounds,
we are united as a choir in the sense that we are here to make our very best contribution
to the overall worship experience. All are welcome in the Chancel Choir
– our doors are always open to new members!
If you have always wanted to join a church choir but have held back, now is the time! We invite you to become a member of our family. Please call the MPC office at 1–(215)–295–4191.