Our Lady of Perpetual Help is blessed to have a wide variety of musical ensembles. If you would like to get involved in the Music Ministry at OLPH, please contact Dana La Rosa, Director of Music. Being involved in music is a wonderful way to share your talents with the parish, meet others with the same interests, sharpen your musical skills, contribute to our community's prayer, and have fun!
Music for the Revised Roman Missal:
You have probably heard that changes are coming to the words that we pray at Mass. This new translation of the Roman Missal is designed to be closer to the Latin original and will be used in all of the English-speaking countries of the world. Over the fall months, the OLPH choirs will be gradually introducing a new musical setting, the Storrington Mass. You can get a sneak preview of the Storrington Mass at the publisher's website. Here, you will be able to hear sound samples of all of the pieces we will be learning as a parish this fall:
The cantors and choirs will be teaching the music a few minutes before Mass, starting the weekend of September 10/11 - we hope that you will come early so you can get familiar with the new music!
Musical Ensembles:
Traditional Choir The longest-established musical group at OLPH, the Traditional Choir sings every Sunday at the 11 AM Mass. Our repertoire includes everything from chant to classical to new pieces by contemporary composers. The ability to read music is helpful, but not necessary - music-reading skills are taught at every rehearsal. The choir rehearses from 7:30 to 9 PM on Thursday evenings during the school year. All ages and voice types are welcome! Our next rehearsal is Thursday, September 8, 2011.
Sunday Morning Contemporary Ensemble
The Sunday Morning Contemporary Ensemble offers an opportunity for instruments such as acoustic guitar and keboard to combine with singers in 3- and 4-part harmony. Rehearsals are held in the church every Wednesday from 7:30 to 9:00 during the school year, and the group sings at the 9 AM Mass the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Sunday of the month. Our next rehearsal is Wednesday, September 7, 2011.
Sunday Afternoon Contemporary Ensemble This group, under the direction of Mark Schmidt, sings every Sunday at the 5 PM Mass. Specializing in music in a contemporary/praise and worship style, the ensemble combines instruments such as guitar (both acoustic and electric), keyboard, bass, drums, and other percussion, with voices to enhance the liturgy.
Youth Choir
Our Youth Choir, under the direction of David Punshon-Smith, sings at the Youth Mass, the fourth Sunday of the month at the 9 AM Mass. The Youth Choir is made up of middle and high school students who sing music in a variety of styles. The group also provides an opportunity for young instrumenalists to contribute their talents, and offers youth the chance to minister as cantors. Rehearsals are held in the church each Tuesday from 6:30-8:00.
Children's Choir The Children's Choir sings at the Children's Mass, which takes place the second Sunday of the month at the 9 AM Mass. In addition, the children contribute in a special way to the annual Christmas program, and even take part in community events such as an annual spring musical at St. Martin's Home. The group is open to children in first grade through fifth grade. Rehearsals are held on Thursday evenings during the school year from 6:15 to 7:30. Our next rehearsal will be Thursday, September 8, 2011.
Chant Schola Discover why Gregorian chant is among the most beautiful sacred music in our Catholic tradition. The Chant Schola combines with singers from other local parishes to learn how to read chant notation, sing, and conduct chant. Rehearsals are held every Monday evening at 7:30, and the group sings several times a month at the Saturday 8:15 Mass. For more information, contact Mia Coyne.
Seasonal Choir Members Wish you could be a part of the OLPH music ministry, but don't have time to commit to a choir year-round? Occasionally the choirs are in need of new members for the Christmas and Easter seasons. Rehearsals for Christmas and Holy Week are usually held for 4-6 weeks leading up to the event. See the bulletin for more information.
Handchimes New in 2010, the Handchime ensemble is under the direction of Barbara Mansfield. Handchimes are easy and fun to play. Ensembles for children and adults are now forming. The children's handchime group rehearses on Thursday evenings at 5:45. The adult handchime ensemble rehearses on Thursday evenings from 6:45-7:30. The ability to read music is helpful, but not necessary.
Instrumentalists OLPH is blessed to have several parishioners contribute their instrumental talents to our liturgies. We have talented organists and pianists, wind instruments, strings, guitars, and a volunteer brass ensemble that plays at special Masses such as Christmas and Easter. Maybe you are a child or teenager learning an instrument for your school band or orchestra who would like extra practice, or perhaps you are a seasoned musician who has not had an opportunity to play in several years - whatever your age or ability level, please consider getting involved!
Cantors Being a cantor is a special calling for those with a strong singing voice, who are comfortable being in front of large groups of people, and who are able to make the commitment to learn music on their own in preparation for Mass. Cantors lead the music at 2-3 Masses per month. Cantor training can be provided to those who are interested.
Other Musical Offerings:
This free recital series, held on the last Sunday of each month, combines a short historical lecture with a performance. The 2010-2011 series has highlighted the parish's beautiful Walker digital organ with such topics as:
Organ 101 (September 2010)
Back to Bach (October 2010)
L'orgue classique (November 2010)
Let's be Franck (January 2011)
Renaissance Festival (February 2011)
Journey to Calvary: Lenten Musical Reflections (March 2011)
Chant Encounter (May 2011)
Summer Serenades are taking a Summer Sabbatical.
Please join us in September for: Organ 101 (Reprise) September 25, 2011, 12:15 PM
A lifetime of organ lessons, condensed into 20 minutes! We'll discuss how an organ works (what do all of those buttons do?), see pictures of some amazing instruments, and answer your questions. You won't want to miss the surprise piece at the end!
Voice Lessons
During the summer months when many of the choirs are taking a break, the Music Ministry offers free voice lessons to any parishioner who is interested. All ages and ability levels are welcome, up to 3 lessons per person. Look for the ad in the bulletin at the beginning of the summer for more information.
