MUSIC
St. John's has ensembles for bell ringers, singers, instrumentalists, and musicians of all ages, from 5-85+! With five choir and ensemble offerings for members and friends of St. John's Church, there is definitely one that is right for you. Please come and join us! Please contact Alan Reed at 704-366-3034 x109 to learn more about the ensemble in which you would like to serve.
St. Nicholas' Training Choir
For boys and girls age 3 through third grade, the St. Nicholas' Training Choir meets each Wednesday of the school year in the children's chapel from 4:30-5:00 p.m. Introductory musical activities, such as pitch-matching and rhythm games, prepare youngsters for future musical experiences. This choir sings an anthem early in the 10:15 a.m. service about once a month. Mrs. Tracy Reed directs this choir. Please contact her for more information.
St. John's Choir
For adults and older teens, the St. John's Choir includes sopranos, altos, tenors, and basses and is directed by Alan Reed. They rehearse in the parish hall each Thursday from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. The choir typically sings for the 10:15 a.m. service on Sundays. This choir participates in combined Evensongs with other choirs in the area from time to time and plans to offer Mozart's Coronation Mass for All Saints' Sunday, November 3. The choir enjoys an annual retreat to Kanuga to prepare for Christmas. Come join us!
The Treble Youth RSCM Choir
For treble boys and girls, third through twelfth grades, the Treble Youth RSCM Choir meets in the children's chapel each Wednesday of the school year from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. under the direction of Alan Reed. Tracy Reed assists. If you have a Wednesday conflict, alternative rehearsals are available from 3:00-5:30 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. This choir sings an anthem for the 10:15 a.m. service on Sundays. Come join us!
Testimonials
Click to see testimonial videos from young adults who grew up in our choir program and recommend it for your child.
Hand Bell Choirs
The St. John’s Ringers has been the flagship choir of handbell ringers at St. John’s since September of 1999.
This choir of 13 adults/teens rings regularly for worship services at St. John’s on 5 octaves of handbells and 5 octaves of handchimes.
They ring as part of the handbell ministry’s Christmas and year-end concerts. They also ring at local retirement centers and other venues in the area and have gone on the road to Gaffney, South Carolina and Baltimore, Maryland.
For information about this group, please e-mail Greg McAbee, our Master of the Choirs of Bell and Chime. This group rehearses each Wednesday from 6:45 to 8:15 p.m.
The Bells of St. John's
The Bells of St. John's is a choir comprised of youth and adult beginners, and was started in 2002. They also ring 5 octaves of handbells and 5 octaves of handchimes. They ring for worship services and the Christmas and Year-End concerts. For information about this group, please e-mail Greg McAbee, our Master of the Choirs of Bell and Chime. This group rehearses each Wednesday from 6:00 to 6:45 p.m.
Summer Choir
All singers, ages 8-88+, are invited to join the Summer Choir at St. John's, June 15 through September 7. On the Sundays that you are in town, come to the choir room for rehearsal at 9:30 a.m. to prepare an easy anthem and the hymns for the 10:15 a.m. service. No experience is necessary, and there is no weekday rehearsal. Just sing on the Sundays that are convenient for you. This choir offers an opportunity for the whole family to sing together. Please contact Alan Reed for more information.
Our Brunzema Organ
St. John's organ was built in 1988, opus 28, by Gerhard Brunzema Organs, Inc. of Fergus, Ontario. The organ consists of 41 ranks of pipes (about 2,100) distributed over four divisions: three manuals and pedal. Mr. Brunzema was a German organ builder who lived the final years of his life in Canada.
All stop and division names are in German on this instrument. Unlike many modern instruments, strips of wood and metal called "trackers" connect the keys to the pipes. This organ is called a "tracker" or mechanical action instrument, because the connection from the key to the pipe is mechanical, not electrical or pneumatic. Tracker action has been used since the Middle Ages, but was almost forgotten in the early twentieth century. Good tracker organs have become increasingly popular in recent years because of their superior quality and sensitivity to the player's touch.
Royal School of Church Music
Through the Royal School of Church Music training scheme, the choir program offers the opportunity to learn about vocal production, reading music, and understanding hymnody and anthem texts based on the Scripture that is at the heart of all that we do. Singers of all ages are encouraged to learn and progress through the various levels, earning choir medals and international RSCM awards for their efforts. contact Alan Reed in the church office for details.
