Parish Profile - Calvary Episcopal Church

Our WorshipMusicSing, ye faithful, sing with gladness, wake your noblest, sweetest strain,with praises of your Savior, let his house resound again;him let all your music honor, and your songs exalt his reign.–Charles Wesley, from The Hymnal, 1982The quality of our music is part of the identity of Calvary, and music is a well-known aspect of the worshipexperience. For generations, through congregational, choral, and instrumental music, Calvary has offered praise,prayer and thanksgiving to God. This tradition flourishes at Calvary today.Upon entering the church for a service, you are most likely greeted by music. It may beDietrich Buxtehude’s Praeludium in D performed on Calvary’s renovated 1963 Casavant-Frères organ, one of the finest such instruments in the region; or it may be the introitwith the choir singing Jubilate Deo by Orlando Lassus, echoing from the All Saints’Chapel. You may join with the congregation as we heartily sing from The Hymnal, 1982or Lift Every Voice and Sing II. You may be inspired by the appointed Psalm chanted toan original setting by Calvary’s music director or by the anthems of Byrd, Tallis, Haydn,Stanford, or Hancock.Whether it is after a fanfare of professional brass and tympani or as you linger in thestalls to hear an organ postlude of a work by Franck or Bach, you will know thatwhatever the liturgical season or time of the year, music at Calvary plays a central roleto our worship, and Calvary’s choirs are an essential part of that role.The Adult Choir sings each Sunday morning and currently numbers about sixty singersfrom the parish anchored by a quartet of professional section-leaders. During much ofthe 20th century through today, they have been under the direction of some of theChurch’s great choral musicians.The Calvary Choristers are a group of about two dozen young singers, spanning grades 3 through 12 who sing weeklyin Sunday services. Choristers participate annually in summer workshops offered by the Royal School of ChurchMusic in America, as well as in a choir camp based at the church.The Troubadours are a training group for children inkindergarten through second grade, offering a musicalfoundation for choir membership and for lifelong enjoyment.They sing occasionally at Sunday services.A choir of talented musicians, along with a congregation thatrecognizes the role music plays in our worship tradition,enables us through the liturgy to glimpse the presence of Godas we lift our voices in praise and thanksgiving.For more information about Calvary’s distinguished organor the music program, please visit the Calvary website atwww.calvarypgh.org.-10-