Music at St. Mary's

The 9:00 O'clock Choir

"One of three musical groups at St. Mary's, the 9:00 Choir continues to resist well-intentioned efforts to rename it something that sounds more, well, like a name. But whether the group sings at 9 a.m. on Sunday morning during nine months of the year, or at 10 a.m. every third week during the summer, at 7 a.m. on Easter Sunday, at 6 p.m. for Evensong or at 11 p.m. on Christmas Eve, the group that gathers is still "The 9:00 Choir." Our goals are to support liturgical worship services at St. Mary's in ways that enhance the experience of worship for the congregation as well as for members of the choir. We offer our efforts to this end through careful selection and preparation of liturgically and congregationally appropriate music. We do not consider our participation in the worship service a performance for the congregation but, with the congregation, offer our music as gestures of praise and thanksgiving. "

   Marilyn Berry
   Organist and Choir Director

The St. Mary's Praise Singers

The Praise Singers bring forth joy and praise through their renditions of old-time Brush Arbor music as well as well-known hymns and original compositions. Brush Arbor music, a call and response type music, comes from the southern hill country of the United States and can get the whole congregation into a joyful and energetic spirit.

"The St. Mary's Praise Singers are now in their 18th year of providing worship music at this parish, which is an unusually long life span for a collaborative, guitar-based music group of this type. But we've been blessed with some committed souls and superb talents, and continue to grow year after year.

Our goal remains the same as it has always been: to bring music to the parish that is worshipful but not dolorous; vibrant but not superficial; stirring but not "happy-clappy."

We believe that we can be devout Christians without having to put our brains in park. Intellectual and spiritual depth can coexist in the same piece of music as joy and uplift. Our job is to bring out all those elements, and keep them in balance as best we can."

   Wade Hampton Miller
   Praise Singers Leader