PSALLAM! RSCM America News & Info
 February 2017     
The RSCM America National Choir is in San Francisco!


 

First, may I wish you a very happy and prosperous 2017! I pray that all of the instruments under your charge and leadership, both animate and inanimate, make music amazingly in tune this year, with great Understanding and full of Spirit!

The third adventure of the RSCM America National Choir is at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco this Presidents' Day weekend. On Sunday, February 19, we will sing the 11 a.m. Eucharist and the 3 p.m. Evensong. (You may recall that our first adventure was singing at Westminster Abbey, London after Christmas in 2014, and that our second was two Evensong services at Washington National Cathedral on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day weekend in 2016.) Of our original 41 singers, 31 will be assembling in San Francisco this week to carry the torch in the United States, representing the best that the RSCM stands for and is known for. Please keep us in your prayers for safe travel, and that the Understanding and Spirit with which we sing may truly bring glimpses of divine beauty and the presence of Christ to those for whom we sing.

The National Choir's fourth adventure will be at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland! Check out Janice Eichner's article below for the details about the trip known to date.

Also, per the practice of changing music directors at our Summer Training Courses every year or two in order to keep things fresh, alive, and truly creative, the National Choir is adopting the same modus operandi. Before the choir's next trip abroad, the directorship will change. Read Doug Worthington's article below that asks for recommendations for a new director. After a new director is appointed, ALL RSCM America members (Affiliated choir members, Individuals, and Friends) will be invited to send in their auditions!

What are we singing in San Francisco? Here's the rep list:

Sunday Morning Eucharist, February 19
  • Mass Setting: A Simple Communion Service in F, William Harris (1883-1973)
  • Introit: Sing my soul, Ned Rorem (b. 1923)
  • Psalm: 119--plainsong setting with refrain as used by Grace Cathedral
  • Offertory: Ubi caritas, Ola Gjeilo (b. 1978)
  • Sanctus: by Ronald Arnatt (b. 1930)
  • Communion: Set me as a seal, Samuel Burke (b. 1954)
Sunday Evensong, February 19 
  • Introit: Phos hilaron (in place of opening hymn), Gerald Near (b. 1942)
  • Preces & Responses: by Kenneth Leighton (1929-1988)
  • Psalm: 145--chant by David Arcus (b. 1959)
  • Magnificat: Magnificat octavi toni "Et exultavit", Cristóbal de Morales (1500-1553)
  • Nunc Dimittis: by Pawel Lukaszewski (b. 1968), with a setting of the Gloria patri by Andrew Walker (b. 1955)
  • Anthem: Evening Hymn, Balfour Gardiner (1877-1950)

Soli Deo Gloria,

 

  Andrew's signature
Andrew Walker
Editor of PSALLAM!
Past-president of RSCM America
andrew@stmichaelschurch.com

In This E-mail
DublinTourRSCM America National Choir Announces 2018 Tour
by Janice Eichner

Building on the excitement of its February appearance at San Francisco's Grace Cathedral, the RSCM America National Choir has confirmed that its international tour in 2018 will take it to St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland.

The auditioned choir of 40 adults from across the country, founded and currently led by RSCM America Past-president Andrew Walker, made its debut appearance at Westminster Abbey, London at the end of 2014 and next sang at the National Cathedral, Washington, D.C. in January 2016. As an official component of RSCM America's training program, the choir comes together once a year with a commitment to the highest possible standard of choral performance.

Every three years a new music director is to be appointed and all choristers will be required to re-audition, at which time new singers are invited and encouraged to apply. This means the choir will have a new director and some new voices for the Dublin visit.

St. Patrick's Cathedral, beautifully situated in the heart of the city, has been the National Cathedral of the Church of Ireland since the 16th century. St. Patrick is known to have baptized early Christian converts on the site more than 1,500 years ago, and a church has existed there for more than a millennium. The Choir School was founded in 1432 and choirs have sung services every day since. When the RSCM America National Choir leads choral worship there in the week after Christmas 2018, it will become a part of the musical history of the city where Handel's Messiah was first performed in 1742.

Dublin itself has a deep tradition of literature, music, theatre, and history that makes it an outstanding tourist destination and one of the most vibrant cities in Europe.

Anyone interested in auditioning for the RSCM America National Choir may contact Steering Committee Chairman Doug Worthington at dougworthap@gmail.com.

NominationsRSCM America National Choir Seeks Nominations for Next Music Director
by Doug Worthington

As the RSCM America National Choir closes the first chapter of its history (which began with a week-long residency at Westminster Abbey, followed by two shorter weekends at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. and Grace Cathedral in San Francisco), we are looking ahead to our next chapter: another week-long residency in a U.K. cathedral, this time at St. Patrick's in Dublin, Ireland in December 2018. More details about that trip appear in Janice Eichner's article above.

This means that it is time for us to seek a new music director, to succeed our founder and shepherd Andrew Walker. We are seeking a director who is steeped in RSCM culture and practices and can help the choir grow and thrive as it comes together for its annual tours. A successful candidate will be an accomplished, internationally-regarded choral conductor who is well versed in the Anglican literature but who also brings a fresh, lively approach to music-making with a group of experienced adult singers. (One of the director's first tasks will be to re-audition existing members and audition prospective members.) Our performance schedule is generally a week-long international residency every three or four years complemented by an annual weekend residency somewhere in the U.S. during non-tour years.

The choir's Steering Committee is actively seeking nominations. If you know someone we should consider, after obtaining their permission, please send their name, contact information, and a brief CV or profile to Doug Worthington at dougworthap@gmail.com. You can also contact Doug if you have any questions or wish to learn more about the choir.

Psallam Spiritu et Mente!
RSCM America promotes excellence in church music practice and choral singing, is part of the worldwide network of The Royal School of Church Music, and works in collaboration with Westminster Choir College of Rider University.
Available Position on the Board of Directors 
We are looking for you!
RSCM America's Board of Directors invites your recommendations to fill one vacant spot on the Board. Click on the following links for a job description and a recommendation form. You may submit your own name for consideration! Please send completed forms to the RSCM America Office by Monday, March 27.
 

2017 Summer
Training Courses
Details for all ten of our 2017 Training Courses are now available on our Training Courses page and in our 2017 brochure! If you or your choristers are interested in our three national scholarships, note that application materials must be submitted by May 1.

Save the Date!
Saturday, October 21


Click here for preliminary details about the RSCM America/Westminster Choir College Youth Choir Festival in Princeton, N.J., to be led by Dr. Anton Armstrong. Repertoire and other specifics will be announced this spring!

New Board Members
The newest members of your Board of Directors are Diana Gibbs, CPA, RSCM America's treasurer, and  Ben Outen, Director of Music and Organist and Artistic Director of The Choir School at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Charlotte, N.C. You'll find Ben's bio and photo on our  Board of Directors page; check back soon for Diana's!

Positions Available at RSCM Affiliates

St. Thomas' Church (Episcopal) Whitemarsh
in suburban Philadelphia
is seeking a full-time Minister of Music. Responsibilities include establishing a graded RSCM choir program with voice training. Click here for details.

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