A Beginning Blog

What an incredible weekend! It seems only fitting to begin a blog about Music Ministry at St. Louis at a time so filled with music.

At the 4pm Mass, the Children’s Choir sang at the monthly Children’s Mass. This group – newly formed this fall for children in grades 2-5 – is under the direction of Mary Theresa Suhar.

The 5:30pm Mass was the annual Bereavement Mass. Erin Hedden played violin including a violin/organ transcription of Pie Jesu from Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem.

Larissa Sanders, the new Associate Organist at St. Louis, played at the 8am Mass. She arrives at St. Louis with a great deal of experience as a pianist and organist in addition to her experience as a choral conductor for both adult and children’s groups.

At the 11:15am Mass, the St. Louis Choir sang Jerusalem, My Happy Home by James Hopkins, Maurice Duruflé’s setting of Ubi Caritas and Sheep May Safely Graze by J.S.Bach. The Bach included two flutes – choir members Susan Carron and Erin Pickett – and piano.

On Sunday afternoon, the Youth Band sang for Confirmation at 3pm and 5:30pm. The music included a great variety of musical styles and texts over a vast time period – specifically John Rutter’s I Will Sing with the Spirit, Tom Booth’s I Will Choose Christ, Jim Cowan’s The Cup of Life Outpoured, and O God Beyond All Praising to the tune THAXTED by Gustav Holst.

In the weeks ahead, I would like to use this space as a means of answering the who, what, and why of Music Ministry at St. Louis. What piece of music was that this morning? What was the thinking behind it? Who wrote it? Who played it? Why is it important at this point in the Church year? What is the meaning behind singing it at today's celebration?