Calvary Chorister Program
About the Choir Rehearsal Schedule
Calvary Church is very pleased to offer a choral program which embraces the tradition of children’s voices. For nearly one thousand years, children (primarily boys until the last fifty years!) have sung daily services in the great cathedrals and collegiate chapels of England. The boy sopranos, or trebles, provided the “top line” of the choir while the lower parts (alto, tenor, and bass) were sung by lay clerks, or grown men from the college or community. While these choral programs are taken somewhat for granted in England, similar choirs for children and youth are few and far-between in our own country. The choral program at Calvary is based on the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) curriculum entitled “Voice for Life.” Calvary has a history of affiliation with the RSCM dating back to 1987 and earlier. Within the guidelines of the RSCM (www.rscm.com), children form the soprano section of an inter-generational choir, while the alto, tenor, and bass parts are sung by adults. Some adult women sing soprano with the children as well. The choristers will sing music of the greatest composers of sacred music, such as Palestrina, Bach, Handel, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Bruckner, and Howells. The chorister program offers a musical education which includes music theory, music history, and vocal training. In addition, choristers learn about the liturgy and history of the church. While all choristers and their families are welcomed and encouraged to participate fully in the life of Calvary Church, church membership is not required, nor do you have to be Episcopalian.
Choristers
(probationers pictured below)
The Calvary Choir is open to boys and girls in grades 2 through 12 as well as teen boys and adults. Choristers are divided into four skill levels: Probationer (beginner – 2nd and 3rd Grade), Novice, Junior Chorister, and Senior Chorister. To progress, appropriate skill levels must be achieved. Earned ribbons and medals are awarded to and worn by the chorister over his or her vestment (choir robe) to show current standing. Standings include: Probationer, cassock only; Novice, cassock, surplice, and light blue ribbon with medal; Junior Chorister, cassock, surplice, and dark blue ribbon with medal; Senior Chorister, cassock, surplice, and red ribbon with medal. In addition, a Head Chorister and Deputy Head Chorister are chosen each year to assist the Director with choir leadership. Calvary choir rehearsals will occur every Thursday evening and on Sunday mornings when the choir is leading worship. (The choristers sings twice monthly with the adults and once a month alone, at the front of the church.)
Check out these samples from other choirs!
(Choirs of St Paul's Fairfield CT, St Paul's Norwalk CT, and St John the Divine NYC.)
(Anglican choir school at Salisbury Cathedral in England) This is where our inter-generational choir tradition comes from. While Calvary does not have a residential boarding school based on music, our chorister program functions in a similar manner. (below)
