First off, we are SO PROUD of how the children sang at our first mass. They had a gorgeous, full sound that really carried down well to the congregation. Thanks so much for all of you who took time to practice at home--it really made a huge difference!

Meanwhile, we're already hard at work planning music for our next mass for Advent, and also looking ahead to Christmas already!

Just a friendly reminder, we still have rehearsal as usual this coming Wednesday, 10/31, despite the fact that it *is* All Hallows Eve/Halloween. There is a Mass at 5pm, so we will have to be sure to end right on time (always a challenge for us...) and exit the church quietly....

Thanks again, and see you soon!

With our first Mass quickly approaching, we felt it was important to solidify our new ethos and have that reflected in a new name: Chorus Angelorum. This lovely suggestion was provided by a parent who said that our choristers sound like a choir of angels--high praise indeed, and always a good thing to strive for!

To try and make it as easy as possible for you all to prepare/practice at home for the Mass, I created a playlist with everything we are singing (except the Hymns) at our first Mass on October 28th. Hope this helps!

Click the link below to go to the playlist, and hit "Play All"
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ-fJQIyxXdnfsF6tyPmUztZRCRWZ5uHY

Just to cover all my bases, I'm posting here as well as sending out an email to all the parents. Due to the MEA break schedule, it seems that there are choristers unable to attend rehearsal this Wednesday. Since there was a third of the choir able to attend on Tuesday, Nicole will be holding an additional rehearsal on Tuesday the 16th from 3:45-4:45 in the choir loft. This is not a mandatory rehearsal, but it's possible, all are encouraged to come!

We will also have rehearsal as usual on Wednesday the 17th from 3:45-4:45 for everyone else.

(Also, I finally have all the "official" binders compiled with enough for everyone!)

I finally was able to record/make videos of the music for our first Mass that I couldn't find online, so ALL of the music for October 28th is posted in the Practice Resources section. As a disclaimer, the pieces I recorded are for teaching/educational purposes--I certainly am not a perfect singer--but I hope they will be helpful to hear a clearer melody. All of the text is also posted in the videos I created.

The pieces we will be singing for October 28 are as follows:
(Red = Mass Part; Blue = Motet; Green = Proper)

Introit
(Opening Hymn)
Kyrie: Missa de Angelis
Gloria: Missa De Angelis
Responsorial Psalm
Alleluia: Mass of St. Cecilia
(Offertory Hymn)
Sanctus: Missa de Angelis
Mysterium Fidei: Mass of St. Cecilia
Amen: Mass of St. Cecilia
Agnus Dei: Missa de Angelis
Communio
If Ye Love Me: Tallis
(Closing Hymn)

I know it might look like a LOT of music, but as you can tell, most of it is the Ordinary of the Mass, the Mass parts, which will be consistent throughout all of our Masses. However, the Missa de Angelis is new for our choir, and the Mass of St. Cecilia will likely be new to children who just joined choir this year.... Once we get those Mass parts under our belt, it will free up a lot of rehearsal time!

Thanks, and happy practicing!

Mass Propers are posted on the Practice Resource page for our first Mass on October 28th. Happy practicing!

Well, we were really encouraged with how our first rehearsal went today (with 22 choristers!). The amount of beautiful sound we were getting was GREAT. I hope the kids had fun and are enjoying the music as much as we are! Just to remind you again, the more time the kids can spend listening to and singing with the materials on the Practice Resource page, the more quickly we can learn things and then grow in our ability to sing even more amazing music! Ask them to show you the links to hear the wonderful music they are learning :)

Assuming that everyone who came is committed, we can start to really move forward to plan for the year and I just wanted to put some questions out there for parents. I think the easiest way we can all present our ideas to everyone else at once is via an online forum. Please take some time to sign in and let your opinions be heard!

The topics of discussion are: the choir name, uniforms, singing on the altar.

Also, I heard from some of the choristers today that there have been problems accessing the website? While it may be futile to post this information on the website in question, you can always email me at [email protected] or Mary Beth at [email protected]

Tallis motet is now posted under the Practice Resources page.