A New Song
A message from Andrew Leslie Cooper, St. Matthew’s new Director of Music Ministries and Organist.
“Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the whole earth” (Psalm 96:1)
I am delighted to announce my plan for the resumption of choral singing at St. Matthew’s. This September, choirs of children and adults may at long last fill the choir stalls again. I cannot pretend that the long months of uncertainty we have faced are over. On the contrary, we will remain cautious and vigilant, and if singing together becomes dangerous, we will take measures to eliminate that danger and keep our community safe. Please continue to pray for the successful distribution of vaccines and for all healthcare workers, scientists, and political leaders.
Many wonderful blessings and opportunities lie ahead of us. The music ministry is in a time of rebuilding, but I am confident that as it crystallizes, its newness will cause it to thrive. I have worked my hardest to ensure that the new patterns and structures we adopt are the most logical and practical. My two central goals in mapping out this new music ministry are, firstly, to involve as high a volume of singers as possible and, secondly, to reach out to children and adults from beyond our immediate community and to welcome them here.
Children and youth will be able to join three choirs: St. Matthew’s Cherubs (grades 1–2), St. Matthew’s Choristers (grades 3–8) and St. Matthew’s Youth Choir (grades 9–12). You can visit the Children’s and Youth Choirs page for information about rehearsal times and calendars. Adults are always welcome to join St. Matthew’s Church Choir, who will remain the backbone of our choral music ministry.
We will have two information sessions: one after church on Sunday September 5th, and one on Tuesday September 7th at 7:00pm on Zoom. If you can't attend either, please feel absolutely free to write to me with any questions you might have. Click the links below to add the events to your calendar or get the Zoom link. Please forward these to anyone you know who might be interested in our choirs!
Sunday 9/5, after church
Tuesday 9/7, 7:00pm on Zoom
Sunday, September 19th will kick off the new choir year with the Church Choir at 10:00am Eucharist, and each of the other choirs will make its first appearance in worship the following weeks.
In time, The Arts at St. Matthew’s will return as well. These concerts, as well as other special occasions such as social events, outreach, community service, fundraising, and so on, are key to vibrant and productive ministry. I look forward to making these plans with you over the coming months.
I have loved every minute of my time at St. Matthew’s so far. Having moved to Norwalk in June and commenced my work in early July, I was warmly welcomed by the community and have thoroughly enjoyed meeting new people each Sunday morning. While I was preparing for my transatlantic move, I knew I was making the right decision. Starting at St. Matt’s vindicated this gut feeling to the utmost: I am in exactly the right place.
Tags: Music / St. Matthew's Church Choir / Choir Calendar