Our Recruiting Message: We need musicians! We ALWAYS need musicians!
If you have a desire to sing or play at even just ONE Mass, email Ren at ren@stmaustin.org. We can work with you to get you involved! Please be aware that there are two ensembles that require an audition: the A Cappella Choir and the Life Teen Band.
If you just want to see what the music ministry is doing, you can join our email list to get a weekly update on upcoming rehearsals and events. We consider you a part of our ministry if you just READ our emails!!! It's a good way to keep connected with a fun community and perhaps help you find a way of sharing your gifts with the parish community of St. Thomas More.
We are currently in our Summer schedule. This means that the Traditional and A Cappella Choir are NOT rehearsing on Tuesday nights. Our Summer Choir sings at the 9:00 a.m. or 10:45 a.m. Masses. Rehearsal for the 9:00 a.m. Mass is in the Music Room (in the same building as RE and the Family Center by the main RE office) at 8:15 a.m. Rehearsal for the 10:45 a.m. Mass is in the Music Room at 10:15 a.m. If you show up at rehearsal, you're singing at that Mass! It's a great way to try us out!
The Sunday Morning Summer choir is comprised of a great variety of singers. We have people with extensive training, and we have novices that haven't read a single note of music. We have families of parents and children singing together at the Mass.
The Saturday 5 p.m. Cantor Group continues to rehearse on Saturday afternoons. Our 12:30 p.m. Contemporary Group continues to rehearse on Tuesday evenings as do our Life Teen vocalists. The Life Teen Band continues to rehearse on Sunday afternoons.
The Music Ministry enhances and supports the Liturgy of the St. Thomas More community. We are composed of many musicians of different backgrounds. Some of us have studied music, some of us are just starting, but we all come together to sing, play, and praise God through music. We try to sing with joy!
There are three main parts of the Music Ministry:
The Saturday 5 p.m. Cantors sing for the 5:00 p.m. Saturday Mass, and rehearses on Saturday afternoons.
The Traditional Choir sings at either the 9:00 a.m. or 10:45 a.m. Mass on the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th Sundays of the month and rehearses weekly on Tuesday Evenings from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. in the Music Room.
The Contemporary Group sings at the 12:30 p.m. Mass and rehearses weekly on Tuesday Evenings in the Church.
The LIFE Teen Band plays at the 5:00 p.m. Sunday Mass. Vocalists rehearse weekly on Tuesday evenings, and the band as a whole rehearses weekly on Sunday afternoons in the Church.
The A Cappella Choir sings on the Third Sunday of each month at both the 9:00 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. Masses. Due to the difficult nature of the music that this group sings, members are selected through auditions. The repertoire ranges from Latin motets by Byrd, Arcadelt and Victoria through more modern choral composers such as Rachmaninov, Bruckner, Vaughn Williams, Stanford, Lauridsen and others. This group rehearses from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the Music Room on Tuesday evenings.
The Youth Choir, 8 to 12 years old, sings about once a month at either the 9:00 a.m. or 10:45 a.m. Mass. This group rehearses on Tuesday afternoons at 5:30 p.m.
The Christmas Choir prepares for the Christmas Eve concert and Midnight Mass. Rehearsals begin just before Advent. Along with many Christmas favorites, we try to do a master work such as the Christmas Gospel portion of the Messiah or a portion of a Bach Cantata.
The Triduum Choir prepares for Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Vigil. Rehearsals begin as Lent begins. Again, we attempt some challenging music. In the past we've done a portion of Vivaldi's Gloria with this choir as well as Worthy Is the Lamb and the Great Amen from the conclusion of Handel's Messiah.
The Pentecost Choir prepares for Pentecost, and rehearses during the latter half of the Easter Season.
The St. Cecilia Choir, for those from 6 to 7 years old, is a seasonal choir that prepares for Christmas and Easter. Rehearsals (4-5 of them for each season) start in Advent and in Lent on Tuesday afternoons at 5:30 p.m.
The Teen Choir is a seasonal choir that prepares for Christmas and Easter. Rehearsals (4-5 of them for each season) start in Advent and Lent, usually at 6:15 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday nights.
String, Woodwind, and Brass ensembles usually play for Advent, Easter Season, and major feast days.
The Funeral Choir sings for funerals as they occur. Rehearsals are on Friday Mornings from 9:30 to 10:20 a.m.
The First Friday Singers support the Vespers and Adoration/Benediction on the first Friday of each month. This group chants Psalms and traditional adoration music such as Salutaris and Tantum Ergo.
I invite any to come and join us. We have fun, we make music, and we praise God. It's a good combination!
| Contact: | Ren MacNary
ren@stmaustin.org 258-1161 x219 |