A View From the Top (Choir Loft)

 
     Let me “sing” the praises to our Adult Choir. These dedicated people are   parishioners (mostly) and give their time to celebrate and enhance the principal liturgies here at SMV. Raquel Solis is the only paid pro who started as our scholarship soprano and, upon graduation, stayed on with our gratitude. Our other soprano, Joyce Asber, is a lawyer and recent Master of Music as well. She also acts as our much needed librarian. And the third soprano  is Laurie Payne who is actually a light alto filling the role as a soprano until we have a real soprano join us. (You see our need!) In the alto section are Elizabeth (Biza) Morris, Laura Walker, Leigh McCay (also our chime ringer and long-standing member) and Jean Medley. Oh, I almost forgot that our organist, Mary Nesvadba, also sings alto as needed. The tenor section is a hybrid section because we do not have enough male tenors. Stan Smith (a male tenor, BTW) has been with the choir even before this was a Catholic Church. Jacqui Payne is a female tenor who has been in the choir just about as long as Stan. And the third tenor and engraver of the pew sheets is Charlotte Shelor. The Bass section is made of men (although Jacqui is a bass in her female barber shop quartet): Charles Shelor, Kevin Walker and Ludwig (Luu) Huang. Joe Morris is also a bass but most of the time he is playing timpani.
   A parish our size should have at least 24 singers. You can count how many we have and it is not 24. Our Youth Choir has 19 singers of various ages. It should be at least 30 strong. Nevertheless, it is probably the best sounding Youth Choir SMV has ever had. Okay, I am about to lay some good old fashioned Catholic guilt on you. Remember the scriptures about hiding your light (talent) under a basket or if more is given to you, more is expected or Psalm 98:4 “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!” I noticed that at Christmas, Holy Week and Easter, there is a lot of “joyful noise…” so why does it have to be relegated to these feast days? Every Sunday is a reenactment of Easter. We need more frequent “Joyful noises.”
   This parish is blessed with a plethora of young families with young growing children. Yes, they need parents with them during Mass—but do they need both parents all the time? Maybe not all the time. Let me tickle your conscience a bit more. Who else, other then you, is there in this parish. You are it, your parish, your choirs, your feast days and your Sundays needing the choirs.
   When I hear our congregation sing, I hear a lot of more than average voices singing. Come sing with us. Look, I get this– the excuses”: I don’t know how (we teach you); I don’t have time (do you watch TV during the week?); even, I don’t like the choir director (I get this a lot, but the singers we have now are not here because of me); I don’t like “so and so” who sings in the choir (same answer ); there is a big commitment (you got me there—it is a big commitment with weekly rehearsals and sometimes more, but ask the current choir members about the time they spend rehearsing and they will say that it is worth it when you sing the sacred music of Mozart, Bach, Bruckner, Schubert, Randall Thompson, and all the famous composers.)
   The Adult Choir meets on Thursday evenings at 7:00 pm; The Youth Choir meets on Sundays immediately after the 10:30 Mass. There is a voluntary voice class for them on Wednesday, late afternoons, 5-5:45 pm. We do a little music reading at that time also. BTW, the parents have their own get together while I have the kids. Sometimes I am lucky enough to get the left over refreshments from that. Come and enjoy the fellowship found in our wonderful choir.

Your Faithful Choir Director,
Marion Nesvadba