Bethell Ensembles
The Bethell Hall Ensembles joyfully lead the music in the Sunday services at 9:10 a.m., 11:15 a.m., and 5 p.m. Singers and instrumentalists of all ages and experience are welcome to join one of the groups. The instruments that are variously represented in the ensembles include voices, guitar, piano, drums, violin, flute, and more.
The Family Communion Ensemble leads the congregation in music at the 9:10 a.m. Family Communion service. The music, and the service as a whole, is particularly geared towards families with children. For more information, please contact leader .
The Contemporary Ensembles lead in music at The Gathering at 11:15 and at the 5 p.m. Contemplative service. For more information, please contact leader .
Concerts and Evensongs
REJOICE IN THE LAMB
Saturday, June 23 at 7:30 p.m.
St. David’s Historic Church
We invite you to join us for this special concert offered by St. David’s Parish Choirs, with conductor David Stevens and organist Austin Haller. The program will include many great choral works by British composers, including the Benjamin Britten Rejoice in the Lamb, Gerald Finzi Welcome, Sweet and Sacred Feast, works by Herbert Howells, and more. A free will offering will be accepted to benefit St. David’s Music Endowment.
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For more information on any concerts or special services listed here, please contact Associate Director of Music .
All Concerts and Evensongs are free (unless otherwise noted) and open to the public. Parking is available in the St. David’s garage at 8th and Trinity Streets.
To learn more, and for updates on upcoming concerts and other musical events at St. David’s, please visit us on Facebook.
St. David’s Singers
The St. David’s Singers is an intergenerational, non-auditioned chorus, open to those with all levels of musical experience. This friendly choir is led by Associate Director of Music Austin Haller.
The St. David’s Singers is open to singers with all sorts of musical backgrounds. The members enjoy a relaxed rehearsal atmosphere that is focused on learning to read and interpret music, developing healthy choral and vocal practices, and fellowship with our fellow singers.
The choir rehearses on Tuesday evenings. Rehearsal is from 7-8:30 p.m. in the choir room, and many of us gather beforehand for dinner together around 6:15 p.m. at Café Divine in Sumners Hall ($7). (Please note that dinner is served at Café Divine from September through May.)
The choir will sing at these upcoming services:
Sunday, July 1: 9 and 11:15 a.m. Eucharist
Sunday, July 22: 9 and 11:15 a.m. Eucharist
Sunday, August 5: 3 p.m. service at Trinity Center
For more information, please contact , Associate Director of Music.
Compline
Compline is the last of the daily offices chanted by monks before retiring for the evening. This venerable service is offered every Sunday evening at 9 p.m. by the Compline Choir under the direction of Music Director David Stevens.
Initiated in 1986 by former music director Les Martin, Compline is a short, meditative service chanted by a choir of anywhere between eight to eighteen experienced singers. Several of these singers have been with the choir since its inception. The music consists of Gregorian and Sarum chant melodies, Elizabethan and Tudor motets, and a variety of contemporary hymns. The congregation sits quietly in the candlelit and incensed Historic Church, participating through silent prayer and meditation.
The service lasts approximately a half-hour. All are welcome to attend regardless of your religious affiliation. Dress is “come-as-you-are” casual.
Beginning on Sunday, June 3, the service of Compline will begin at 8 p.m. to allow more people to attend and to embrace better ways for living our faith by living green. By starting one hour earlier, we hope that even more people will be able to worship with us (and to potentially utilize public transportation to get to St. David’s). It will also reduce the amount of energy used to keep the church open on Sunday evenings.
To schedule an audition for the Compline Choir, please contact Director of Music or Associate Director of Music .
Learn more about Compline on the St. David’s Compline Facebook page.
Parish Choirs
The Parish Choirs are comprised of experienced singers who serve approximately three Sundays per month at the 9:00 and 11:15 a.m. Eucharists. The chorus sings a wide range of choral literature, from Renaissance motets to classical and romantic anthems, from works by 20th century British composers to spiritual arrangements by Alice Parker and Robert Shaw. Learn more about the Parish Choir’s practices in St. David’s Eucharists (PDF).
The Parish Choirs also sing major choral works at special evensongs and concerts.
Upcoming works include:
Saturday, June 23 at 7:30 p.m. in St. David’s Historic Church: Rejoice in the Lamb, a concert of works by Britten, Finzi, Howells, and more. Visit the Concerts page to learn more.
Rehearsal
The Parish Choirs rehearse on Wednesday evenings from 6:45 to 8:45 p.m. in the Historic Church, and many singers gather beforehand for dinner together around 6 p.m. at Café Divine in Sumners Hall ($7).
For more information or to schedule an audition, please contact Director of Music David Stevens at (512) 610-3537 or Associate Director of Music .
Listen to Christmas anthems sung by St. David’s Parish Choirs:
“Praises to the Lord” Michael Praetorius
“Shepherds Came to Bethlehem” (Robert Cannon, trumpet) Polish carol; arr. Paul Nicholson
“When Christ Was Born of Mary Free” Harold Friedell
Children’s and Youth Choirs
Thinking about singing in St. David’s Children’s and Youth Choirs this year? Come out to the PIRATES’ COVE sign-up event on Wednesday, August 24, 2011 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in Eden’s Gym. Cook-out dinner included. All St. David’s children and youth (entering kindergarten through 12th grade) “ARRR” invited to attend to sign up and meet your directors!
For more information on the Children’s and Youth Choirs, please contact coordinator
The Children’s and Youth Choirs rehearse from 6 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday evenings during the school year. This year’s events begin with the Pirates’ Cove sign-up event on Wednesday, August 24, 2011, with rehearsals beginning on Wednesday, August 31. Cafe Divine serves dinner on Wednesdays in Sumners Hall, beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Cherub Choir
Children in kindergarten through 2nd grade meet in Crail A (on the 2nd floor) with Claire Trowbridge for music education through fun and games, in preparation for singing with the Middler and Treble Choirs at various Sunday services.
Middler Choir
3rd through 5th graders meet in the Choir Room (on the 3rd floor) with Suzette Puckett to learn songs for worship, beginning music literacy and solfege, and introduction to Orff instruments. Middlers sing for Sunday services in various combinations with Cherub and Treble Choirs.
Youth Choir
Youth in 6th through 12th grades rehearse in Bethell Hall (on the 3rd floor) with Mary Ashton. The Youth Choir serves St. David’s in a variety of worship services, leading the congregation in hymns and service music, and singing their prepared anthems. Youth also have the opportunity to lead and mentor younger singers. In addition, they have the opportunity to sing with (and learn from) the adult choirs in more challenging choral works.
Rejoice and Sing!
Music is a manifestation of the human spirit… It’s greatest practitioners have conveyed to mankind things not possible to say in any other language.
Zoltan Kodaly
Children and Youth Choirs at St. David’s offer our young singers a quality musical education by incorporating the best elements of Kodaly pedagogy and Orff Schulwerk. Younger children learn to sing in true intervals and match pitch while they experience rhythm, tempo and dynamics in song and play. Experience with beat and rhythm prepares singers for playing accompaniments on unpitched instruments (like drum and claves) and tuned instruments (like xylophone and glockenspiel). Older children and youth develop their singing voices, and translate songs to solfege (do-re-mi) and learn to sing from musical notation. Repetoire includes folk songs, classical anthems, traditional hymns, spirituals and contemporary worship music.
What the Choir Experience Offers
Music makes you smarter
There is overwhelming evidence that music does more than teach children to sing. Research has consistently shown that regular exposure to music results in higher standardized test scores. Music education leads to a better understanding of math and a larger vocabulary. Making music together helps a young child with social, motor and memory development. Music is history, geography, foreign languages, literature and math all rolled into one.
Music Sings Our Faith
Children often find a profound and meaningful religious education in church choir. Scripture in song may be kept in music memory for life. In our musicals we learn stories and artistic interpretations of verses from the Bible. Choice of music follows the church calendar, enhancing our experience of liturgical seasons. The songs we learn for Christmas, Easter, Advent and Lent are music and lessons for the journey.
Music Builds Community
Children receive this life-long enrichment in an enjoyable, social and lively setting. We seek to provide our children the opportunity for a positive group experience. We want each child to know that their voice benefits the whole sound, and the sound of the whole group is a gift and a genuine contribution to our worshipping community.
Handbell Choir
The handbell choirs play at special services at St. David’s and at other events. We invite you to join us, whatever your age or musical experience. The Coventry Bell Choir is an entry-level choir focusing on basic handbell techniques and offering music at occasional morning worship services. The Canterbury Bell Choir is a choir of experienced ringers who enjoy learning music of all levels; they bring their music to worship services and other events about six or seven times a year. We have six octaves of handbells and five octaves of choir chimes and our handbell practice room is on the third floor behind the kitchen.To learn more about St. David’s handbell program, please contact Handbell Director, , at 512-327-4916 or by email.
Canterbury Bell Choir ‘change ringing’ at celebration service
Compline Choir
Sundays: The Compline Choir welcomes all to come experience a beautiful half-hour of prayer, candlelight, and worship. The group, which consists of the finest singers in Austin, prepares and shares an ancient liturgy meant to end the day, honoring God and praying for His protection through the night. The group prays and sings the ancient prayers and responsories using Gregorian chant and Tudor motets. Please, join the choir at 9 p.m., Sundays. For more information, call David Stevens at 472 1196.
The Compline Guild invites those interested in preparing the historical church for the Compline service to call Joan Yamini (459 4737) to find out more about serving in this quiet and transcendent service. We are in need of at least three more people to serve.
