Service and Concert Calendar
with Choral and Organ Music
2007-2008
Dear friends,
Behind a familiar Gothic facade and lofty spire at Pleasant and Irving, we invite you to discover heavenly delights here on earth. All Saints Church is an inspiring building, designed by the architects of Washington National Cathedral. It is home to a well-known choir program, part of an international network which trains and treats children on a par with professional adults. It is also home to one of the most thrilling and accessible pipe organs in the world, used in educational outreach programs as well as recitals, services and recordings. All Saints is sought as a concert venue by outside groups, and is home to The Nativity School of Worcester, recognized for a thriving arts curriculum. But it is the combination of these resources within a caring, diverse and welcoming community that makes music at All Saints worth celebrating, among many other offerings of this unique place.
It is said that one who sings prays twice, and in the spiritual community of All Saints Church, music plays an important role for longtime members and newcomers alike. Here music is made for worship, enjoyment and enrichment, to lead us forward in spiritual journeys where words alone cannot go, and to celebrate a long heritage of service to children of the central Massachusetts region. On behalf of this community I am excited to welcome you to the offerings contained in these pages.
Now in its fourth season, Music & the Arts at All Saints, a support organization for diverse offerings, is sponsoring several programs with distinguished artists. A new chamber music series of Lunchtime Concerts on Wednesdays begins this fall, designed for school groups, retirees and downtown workers seeking refreshment. Also hosted this season are The Worcester Chorus and The Worcester Chamber Music Society (each sponsoring a major event), an expanded schedule of afternoon choral services, and a Pipe Organ Encounter for young organists. Community events in which our choirs are participating off-site are included here for convenience. The All Saints Choirs are touring England in August 2008, and this season will be an especially joyous one as music is prepared for their two-week singing marathon as American ambassadors.
In the words of hymn writer Fred Pratt Green, "When in our music God is glorified...it is as if the whole creation cried Alleluia!" Thus do we find purpose and meaning in the stewardship of one of Worcester's cultural treasures, and find happiness in introducing it to new generations of singers, church members, and concert and service attenders. We look forward to seeing you at All Saints often!
The Reverend Ervin A. Brown, Interim Rector
The combined choirs (Boys, Girls, and Adults), Easter Day 2007
A note about this calendar
The principal sung liturgy is the Choral Eucharist (Rite Two) on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. The Boy or Girl choirs also sing in rotation at the 9:00 a.m. Family Eucharist on two Sundays per month. Psalms and hymns are chosen as the year progresses. Settings of the Mass Ordinary, unless specifically indicated by composer, are sung by the choir and congregation. Service Music may be subject to change, and may be confirmed on this site on the page listing complete weekly music (including hymns): Click here.
The Hymnathon 1982
Saturday, November 10, 2007 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
This fundraiser for the Parish and for the 2008 Choir Tour to England will celebrate The Hymnal 1982 - all of it - when choir members, in exchange for pledges, when sponsored choir members lead one stanza of each hymn in the book. Sponsor a choir member or the whole choir, and join us at any point in the marathon for an entertaining and enlightening experience. Learn why some hymns are rarely if ever sung, and hear some new ones deserving more regular use. Fun "perks" for the sing-along spectators include the option (for a price) to buy an extra stanza, to ring a gong to cancel the singing, or to alter the tempo! Lunch available. For more information, click here.
Choral Evensong
Sung Evening Prayer will be offered ten times this season, by a variety of choir configurations and guests, along with three special services of Lessons and Carols. Watch for announcements of fundraising teas—some simple, some elaborate—prior to many of these meditative, atmospheric afternoons.
Season Highlights
Wednesday Lunchtime Concert Series
Beginning on October 3, a new outreach series offers a free concert each Wednesday from 12:10 to 12:50 p.m., featuring small chamber ensembles or solo artists. Created for school-age groups and retired populations alike, as well as downtown workers on lunch break, this series promotes the serenity of beautiful music in an ideal daytime setting for contemplation and refreshment. Watch for posters announcing artists throughout the season, and consider making a habit of attending!
Irma Servati, Artistic Director Peter Sulski, Artistic Advisor
John Schnelle, Performance Coordinator
Frederick Swann in Recital
Friday, October 26, 2007 at 7:30 p.m.
National President of the American Guild of Organists, and former organist of The Riverside Church in New York City and of The Crystal Cathedral in Los Angeles, Frederick Swann is one of the most esteemed of American concert artists. His recital will be the first of many enhanced by new video technology installed thanks to a generous grant from the George F. and Sybil H. Fuller Foundation. The concert is free, and is followed by pipe chamber tours and a reception hosted by the Worcester AGO Chapter. Supported in part by Music & the Arts at All Saints
Advent Procession of Lessons and Carols
Sunday, December 2, 2007 at 5:00 p.m.
A dramatic sequence of readings, hymns and carols for the season, during which the All Saints Choirs make a literal journey from darkness to light. A DVD recording of last year's Procession is available...please inquire.
Lenten Music Series - Five Sundays in Lent at 5:00 p.m.
Three guest organists, including Adrian Lucas from Worcester Cathedral in England, and two Evensongs create this year's cycle of memorable Sunday afternoons at All Saints. This free Series has been offered since the 1940s.
Sponsored by Music and the Arts at All Saints
Rejoice in the Lamb
Friday, May 9, 2008 at 7:30 p.m.
The All Saints Choirs' Spring Concert featuring Mozart's exuberant Coronation Mass, Benjamin Britten's unusual and brilliant cantata Rejoice in the Lamb, music of Whitacre, Vierne and Tavener, and lighter music celebrating Springtime.
Proceeds benefit the 2008 Choir Tour of England.
Tickets $20 / $12
The All Saints Choirs for Boys and Girls are thought to be the oldest professional choirs of their type in continuous existence in America, founded in 1868 (boys) and 1878 (girls). They are well-known in the greater Worcester community and beyond as a regional center of excellence in vocal training and repertoire for children ages 7 1/2 and up. The boy or girl choir is paid to sing the soprano (treble) line approximately every other Sunday, alongside teen and adult volunteers and professionals on the other parts, for a flexible performing schedule aiming at the highest standards of musical expression within a safe, supportive, inspiring environment. Affiliated with the Royal School of Church Music in America. Choir Scholarship affiliation with Pakachoag Community Music School, Auburn. Inquiries from prospective singers are welcome at any time; no religious affiliation necessary. Please visit this webpage for extensive additional information. To arrange an audition, please email peter@allsaintsw.org or call 508.752.3766 extension 17.
All Saints Church
10 Irving Street, Worcester MA 01609
508.752.3766
www.allsaintsw.org
The Reverend Kevin D. Bean Rector
The Reverend Alden Flanders, Clergy Associate
The Reverend Nancy Elder-Wilfrid, Clergy Associate
Peter Stoltzfus Berton, Organist and Choir Director
Music event recorded information: 508.752.3766 extension 16
To be added to our regular music event email reminder list, please email us.
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