Silent Night

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Christmas Eve II

Christmas Party

Learning New Music

Welcome!

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Visit the Choristers Fun page to view some photos of the singers hard at work preparing for Christmas!

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Signing "Silent Night"

Mary Chamiec-Case teaches the St. John's Parish Choristers how to sign "Silent Night." This clip shows two runs through this carol. Mary's beautiful signing opens new levels of meaning in this familiar carol. Enjoy!

Rehearsing for Christmas Eve Worship

Holiday Fair Concert, 2006, at St. John's

Choristers, Russians Wow Crowd

The St. John's Choristers and the Russian a cappella group LYRA played to a very appreciative audience during their Sept. 10 fundraiser.

A Letter from Grace Church

Chorister Academy Director Maria Coffin recently received the following letter regarding the Choristers's performance at Grace Church:

Dear Ms. Coffin and the Choristers of the Academy,

Thank you so much for your beautiful offerings at Grace Church on June 25. All the way in Oberlin, Ohio, your beautiful music effects reached my ears. I've had many lovely comments grateful for your music and presence.

Please come sing again at Grace, the door is always open. Have a beautiful and safe remainder of the summer.

With warmest regards,
Patrick Allen, organist (pictured)
Grace Church

More movies from Grace Church

Take a look at us singing at Grace Church..."Little Lamb" is the top video and "Cry Out with Joy to the Lord" is the second. Enjoy...

Up and at 'em

We were all up very early the day of our big trip to New York City. Some of us snoozed on the bus, others just relaxed and rested. Some of us told jokes, watched Sister Act, or gabbed away.

We'd like to share our experience with you through these movies. We sounded great and we had a blast.

These files are wmv movie files and should play through your windows media player. Depending on your Internet connection, you may need to wait a little bit before they begin to play.

Take a look...

We're Headed to New York City to Sing

The Chorister Academy will travel to New York City on Sunday, June 25, to sing at the beautiful and historic Grace Church in Greenwich Village.

Following the service, the Choristers will visit the American Museum of Natural History.

There are still seats remaining on the bus. Anyone from the Parish wishing to tagalong may do so for only $10. See Maria Coffin for more information.

Choir Awards to be Presented June 4 During Worship

The Chorister Academy will present choir awards and promotions at the 10:15 a.m. worship service on Pentecost Sunday, June 4th.

Probationers will be come junior choristers, and all singers who have passed their first or second level test of musical knowledge will be presented with their badges.

Thank You for your Generosity

The St. John's Choristers would like to thank the Westover School for appearing with us during our fundraiser in April.

We'd also like to thank the more than 60 people who attended. We raised $700, which we'll use toward the purchase of polo shirts that we will wear when we are heading to appearances in other churches.

We truly appreciate the support of everyone who contributed to the concert's free will offering. You are all a blessing.

Matthew Brown's Biography

Matthew M. Brown, a native of North Carolina, will be guest organist at the Festival of Choirs at St. John's Church in October. Matthew most recently served the parish of Grace Church in New York as Intern in Church Music for the 2006-2007 year. In addition to his duties at Grace Church, he maintained an active career as a collaborative artist within New York City, accompanying instrumentalists, choral ensembles, and the voice studio of former Metropolitan Opera soprano, Ms. Rita Shane.

Matthew holds baccalaureate and graduate degrees in organ from the North Carolina School of the Arts and the Eastman School of Music, respectively. He also holds the diploma in sacred music from the Institute of Musical Leadership at the Eastman School of Music. While at Eastman, Matthew held graduate awards in organ and accompanying and served as accompanist for the Eastman-Rochester Chorus and the Eastman Chorale, both under the direction of William Weinert. During this time, he also served Third Presbyterian Church in Rochester, New York as Assistant Organist to Peter DuBois, where his primary responsibilities included service playing and accompanying the 65-voice semi-professional choir. In 2005, Matthew had the honor of accompanying this choir on their second tour to the United Kingdom, which consisted of concerts in Ely, Edinburgh, and a residency at Saint Paul’s Cathedral, London.

In competition, he has won top-prizes in competitions sponsored by the Music Teachers National Association and the Atlanta Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.

He is professionally affiliated with the American Guild of Organists, the Royal School of Church Music, the National Association of Pastoral Musicians, the Presbyterian Association of Musicians, and the Association Maurice et Marie-Madeleine Duruflé in Paris.

Matthew currently studies with renowned concert organist, Dame Gillian Weir.

Maria Coffin, Director

Director Maria Coffin has worked with choruses of children in Greater Waterbury for many years. A graduate of Calvin College, she has done graduate work in the organ and choir leadership in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, the School of the Chorus of Westminster; and the University of Connecticut. Ms. Coffin is in her third year as director of the Chorister Academy, which formed in 2004.

Ms. Coffin is the Region One (New England) director of the Association of Anglican Musicians. The Association of Anglican Musicians is an organization for professional musicians and clergy who are members of the Anglican Communion or who work in a cathedral or parish within the Communion.