Music
Music occupies a significant place in the worship and ministry of St. Andrew’s! For decades, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church has been known for the beauty of its choral singing and the majestic sounds of its organ. Members of the adult choir, under the direction of our organist and choirmaster, David Houston, share their gifts and talents every Sunday through their musical offerings and by leading the congregation in singing. Our children/youth choir routinely joins the adult choir in singing on Sundays as well. In addition to leading worship at St. Andrew’s, the adult choir has sung during services at the Washington National Cathedral, and the choir traveled to Norwich, England, to serve as the choir in residence at the cathedral for a week. St. Andrew’s also hosts a variety of concerts throughout the year, partnering with the University of Maryland School of Music, the National Orchestral Institute, the Rockville Brass Band, and various visiting musicians.
Children / Youth Choir
Our choir for children and youth – Joyful Noise – reveals another facet of our lively commitment to teaching and shaping our children in Jesus’s way and the Church’s faith. Formation, both musical and spiritual, is the primary focus of our time in rehearsals each week. The children learn music-reading skills and the basics of good vocal technique, even from the youngest age, as tools to learn the songs that we sing monthly in worship services. As each year passes, the choristers also learn how to actively participate in our worship services.
Our children and youth choir rehearses on scheduled Sunday afternoons, during the school year, from 12:30 p.m. – 1:20 p.m. On the Sundays they rehearse, lunch is served immediately following the 10:30 a.m. service to allow choristers and their families to eat and relax prior to rehearsal. This lunch is a wonderful time to get to know some of the other parents of our church community.
In September of 2018 we established a class for handbell ringing for our older students. This purpose of this class is to improve music-reading and ensemble skills and enable students to occasionally contribute to our worship services through bell-ringing.
- Kierstie Whitehead is the director of older students (grades 3 and above).
- David Houston is the director of the younger students (age 4 through 2nd grade).
If you would like additional information about our children/youth choir, please contact David Houston, our choir master, at 301-864-8880 or by e-mail at music@saeccp.org.
Adult Choir
The adult Parish Choir strives to enliven our liturgy and worship with beautiful and well-prepared musical offerings. As an all-volunteer ensemble, our members represent a wide range of musical experience and knowledge, from novice to more seasoned singers. We rehearse each Thursday evening, September through May, with time off in the summer months. We provide musical leadership at the Sunday 10:30 service, as well as on feast days, during Holy Week, and the occasional Evensong. Our repertoire includes Renaissance motets, grand English anthems, American spirituals and songs, and selections from the modern sacred literature, including composers from Palestrina to Alice Parker, from C.H.H. Parry to Cecilia McDowall. Most importantly, we desire for our ministry to support parish mission with music that is transformational: to allow the Divine to transform the hearts of those who are the least or the most powerful, those who are poor in spirit, those who are rich in wealth, those who may need to hear the Gospel in an alternative language such as music.
If you are interested in becoming being a member of the Parish Choir, please contact David Houston, Associate for Music & Liturgy, at 301-864-8880 or by e-mail at music@saeccp.org.
Handbell Choir
The handbell choir performs on special services and rehearse on Thursday evenings. If you are interested in becoming being a member of the handbell choir, please contact David Houston, Associate for Music & Liturgy, at 301-864-8880 or by e-mail at music@saeccp.org.
Organ
Music has always held an important place in the services of the Episcopal Church in general and at St. Andrew’s in particular. At St. Andrew’s, our desire is that music be an agent of peace, calm, and transformation. Within such a beautiful space as the church, the sound of the organ resonates with heart and voice to create space for rest and calm, joyful exuberance and celebration, and at times, turbulent and anguished prayers – a full range of emotions and conversations with God.
Since the installation of the original pipe organ in 1930, St. Andrew’s has had a choir led by an organist-choirmaster. Helen Bellman served with distinction for 35 years, from 1931 to 1966. During the three decades of her leadership, the choir typically numbered about 20 singers. When Mrs. Bellman retired in 1966, several musicians, including Margaret Morgan, Debbie Gude, Dan Harmon, and Frederick Brown, held the position over the subsequent fifteen years. In 1981, Mark Conrad assumed the duties of organist and choirmaster. Under his leadership, the choir sang for Evensong at the Washington National Cathedral and served as the choir in residence at Westminster Abbey in London for a week in 1985. In 1987, Fredrick Bahr became the organist and choirmaster. Mr. Bahr, who was also employed by the Lewis & Hitchcock Organ Company, was instrumental in securing and installing the present organ. It was dedicated in September of 1990 as part of the church’s centennial celebration. Jayne Traynor Rose succeeded Mr. Bahr. Following Ms. Rose’s tenure, Dr. Dale Krider arrived at St. Andrew’s to serve as organist and choirmaster. Dr. Dale Krider enjoyed a long and distinguished ministry at St. Andrew’s from 2000 until his retirement in the summer of 2015. During his tenure, in 2005, a major gift was presented to St. Andrew’s by Lawrence C. Miller. Given to the glory of God and in loving memory of Henriette Marie Miller, the gift was designated for new digital voices in the organ and a new console. In the spring of 2016, renovation work was done on the organ that included releathering and refitting the stoppers on the wooden flute pipes, regulating and revoicing some of the metal façade pipes and digital voices, and the addition of a piston sequencer to the combination action. This work was completed using funding from the St. Andrew’s Bellman Fund.
Our current organist and choirmaster, David Houston, assumed the position in 2016, following Dr. Krider’s retirement. Mr. Houston has greatly strengthened the music program at St. Andrew’s. Under his expert leadership, membership in the adult choir continues to grow, and he has been instrumental in nurturing partnerships with such organizations as the University of Maryland School of Music, the National Orchestral Institute, and the Rockville Brass Band.
The organ voluntary ‘Prelude on Malabar’ by Leo Sowerby, based on the hymn tune ‘Malabar’ from The Hymnal 1982, number 312. Recorded at St. Andrew’s in June of 2020, organist David K. Houston.
Sweet Hour of Prayer was arranged by William Bolcom, part of the series of Twelve Gospel Preludes. Recorded at St. Andrews in April of 2020, organist David K. Houston.
St Andrews Parish Choir Pilgrimages
Pilgrimage is not just going on a trip; it is reflecting on those who have come before. We always have a focus for our pilgrimage, to learn about a person of faith whose legacy continues to this day. The pilgrimage deepens our connection to the church universal. Similarly, the learning of works of music from across continents and centuries connects us to the church across time and distance. We make a point of learning music connected to our specific destination. The pilgrimage begins well before the trip. There are months of preparation: learning the music; learning about the people and history of our destination; raising funds to allow broadest participation. The participation of non-choir members of the parish in pilgrimage with us, both in the preparation and the travel, is important. It is both exciting and humbling to take part in the ministry of an institution that has been present for millennia.
