The Choirs of St. Paul’s
The St. Paul’s Choir is the 60-voice church choir who sings for worship and concert events at St. Paul’s, as well as venues across the Diocese of Atlanta & across the United States. This choir is comprised of the combination of choristers from the next four choirs listed below.
The St. Paul’s Choir sings an unusually wide diversity of choral music including standard choral classics, English anthems, new & old “concert” arrangements of spirituals, arrangements of hymn tunes, and gospel selections. Choral experience is recommended, but not required. This choir only sings for Festival Choral Eucharist Services, special worship services, and seasonal concerts. The rehearsal schedule varies according to each event.
The St. Paul’s Choir maintains an active performance schedule. In 2006, they will be singing for events such as Evensong at the Cathedral of St. Philip in Atlanta, Choral Eucharist at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, A Choral Concert at St. Paul’s, and a concert trip in the works to the Bahamas.
The Senior Choir
The Senior Choir is the traditional parish choir comprised of choristers who wish to sing literature from the Anglican tradition, as well as traditional spirituals. Choral experience from high school, college, or a semi-professional group is highly recommended before singing in this choir. In this case, the term “senior” only refers to the longest –running choir in the parish (not referring to the age of the choristers themselves)!
This choir sings on the first Sunday of each month, and rehearses on every Wednesday evening at 7:00. A consultation with the Organist/Choirmaster is required before joining this choir.
The Voices of Praise
The Voices of Praise is the newest choir at St. Paul’s. This choir is comprised of adult men & women who wish to sing gospel music. The styles of gospel music that this choir sings include songs by gospel artists such as Kirk Franklin, Donnie McClurkin, Yolanda Adams, Hezekiah Walker, and Richard Smallwood. They also sing songs in the tradition of the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir.
If anyone has never sung in a choir before, this group would be a good place to begin. There is no choral experience is required to join.
This choir sings on the second Sunday of each month, and rehearses on every Thursday evening at 7:00.
The Men’s Chorus
The Mens Chorus
 The Men’s Chorus is comprised of adult men who wish to sing literature in the men’s glee club tradition. This chorus sings literature specifically composed for men’s voices (Tenor 1, Tenor 2, Baritone, and Bass) from genres such as the traditional spiritual, arrangements of hymn tunes, and standard classical literature from America, Europe, and Africa. No choral experience is necessary to join this choir, but high school chorus or college glee club experience is always helpful.
This chorus sings on the third Sunday of each month, and rehearses on every Tuesday evening at 6:30. A consultation with the Organist/Choirmaster is suggested before joining this choir.
The Women’s Chorus
The Women’s Chorus is comprised of adult women who wish to sing literature in the women’s glee club tradition. This chorus sings literature specifically composed for women’s voices (Soprano 1, Soprano 2, Alto 1, and Alto 2) from genres such as the traditional spiritual, arrangements of hymn tunes, and standard classical literature from America, Europe, and Africa. No choral experience is necessary to join this choir, but high school chorus or college glee club experience is always helpful.
This chorus sings on the fourth Sunday of each month, and rehearses on every Tuesday evening at 6:00. A consultation with the Organist/Choirmaster is suggested before joining this choir.
The EYC Choir
The EYC Choir
The EYC Choir is comprised of teens in grades 7-12 who wish to sing traditional spirituals, gospel music, and occasional classical anthems. Most recently, this choir has sung excerpts from the filmscore of “Sister Act II,” the praise & worship song “Alleluia, Salvation and Glory,” as well as an arrangement of the famous song popularized by Bette Midler, “From a Distance.”
Teens who sing at school in their middle school or high school choruses are strongly encouraged to join, but all teens are welcome to sing. Choral experience is not required.
This choir sings on the fifth Sunday of each month (which occurs 4 times per year), as well as on special worship services and seasonal concerts. They rehearse on Wednesday evenings at 6:00.
The Children’s Choir
The Children’s Choir is comprised of children in grades 3-6 who wish to sing songs in a variety of styles ranging from anthems specifically written for children’s voices, traditional spirituals, and gospel music.
Children who sing at school in their elementary choruses are strongly encouraged to join, but all children are welcome to sing. Choral experience is not required.
This group is directed by Mrs. Bernice Hogan-Hall, music assistant at St. Paul’s. They sing for special worship services and seasonal concerts. They rehearse on Sunday afternoons at 12:30.
The Cherub Choir
The Cherub Choir is comprised of children in PreK through grade 2 (ages 4-8) who wish to learn Sunday School songs and activity songs that teach them the basic concepts of music as well as bible stories through song.
All young children in the St. Paul’s Sunday School are encouraged to sing in this choir.
This group is directed by Mrs. Bernice Hogan-Hall, music assistant at St. Paul’s. They sing for special worship services on occasion. They rehearse on Sunday mornings at 11:30.
The
Beginning Handbell Ringers
The newest ensemble at St. Paul’s is The Beginning Handbell Ringers. This group is comprised of adults who wish to learn how to read music and how to ring handbells. A Handbell Choir is a special instrumental ringing group that plays literature such as familiar hymn tunes and art music.
Anyone in the St. Paul’s community who wishes to play bells and to read music is encouraged to join. There is no musical experience of any kind that is required to join.
This group is directed by Mrs. Bernice Hogan-Hall, music assistant at St. Paul’s. They play for special worship services and seasonal concerts. They rehearse on Wednesday evenings at 7:00.
The St. Paul’s Ringers
Another newly formed ensemble is the St. Paul’s Ringers. This is a new handbell choir that is comprised of adults who already know how to read music. Consequently, they play very challenging literature, ranging from arrangements of hymn tunes and spirituals to classical arrangements.
The ability to read music is required to ring in this handbell group. They play on the fourth Sunday of each month, as well as for special services and seasonal concerts. They rehearse on Tuesday evenings at 8:00. An audition with the Organist/Choirmaster is required to join this group.
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