Choir is in a New York state of mind
Westminster church’s singers to take stage at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is beckoning for the choir from St. John Roman Catholic Church in Westminster.
The group, made up of singers who range in age from pre-teen to 88, has been preparing for months to perform in the world premiere of composer and conductor Joseph Martin’s “Smoky Mountain Christmas,” which will be held in the nationally recognized concert hall Monday.
Nineteen members of the 30-person choir set out Friday morning following Mass for New York City to begin rehearsals for the performance.
“To be invited to perform at Carnegie Hall is any musician’s dream — you never expect to get there as a little parish choir in Westminster,” said Regina McCurdy, director of liturgical music.
Martin’s composition is something unusual for McCurdy and choral director Matthew Ogden because it is a retelling of the Christmas story done in bluegrass style.
Choir members are used to more standard religious fare.
“It’s been an experience trying to get into this style of music and wrap your head around this specific genre,” Ogden said.
McCurdy said performing under the direction of Martin will be instructive.
“Any kind of composer directing his own work — he or she understands every single nuance. It makes the performance much richer,” she said.
The choir was approached to participate after the organizers, Distinguished Concerts International New York City, saw a YouTube video of the choir performing another of Martin’s works.
“We were just blown away. We were shocked,” McCurdy said of the opportunity.
They will join 10 to 15 other choirs to perform the piece as one festival ensemble.
This presents a challenge because the different groups have only this weekend to rehearse together before Monday evening’s performance.
“Bringing those together into unity is going to be a real challenge,” Ogden said. “I’m going to be excited to see how [Martin] accomplishes that in such a short amount of time.”
Grammy-nominated bluegrass duo Dailey & Vincent will join the choirs for the performance.
In their free time between rehearsals this weekend, choir members planned to take some time to experience the city, attending a Broadway show, visiting Ground Zero and attending Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
In the past months, McCurdy said, St. John’s parish has rallied behind the choir, participating in fundraisers and doing whatever it takes to help with travel and accommodation costs.
She remembers the day the pastor announced the news to the parish during Mass, and said the room broke into applause.
The church’s pastor, the Rev. Mark Bialek, has been a big supporter, she said, and will be traveling to New York on Monday to be in the audience.
Ogden said though the choir members are humbled by the invitation, the recognition is well deserved.
“This is an above-average Catholic church choir, and there’s an extraordinary amount of talent in this group,” he said.
The longest-serving member of the choir has been with it for more than 50 years, and the youngest, a seventhgrader, traveled to New York and will perform with her mother, who is also a member.
They rehearse once a week for two hours for their normal stint at St. John, but they added a three-hour rehearsal on Saturdays and an extra hour on Wednesdays each week to prepare for the Carnegie Hall performance.
McCurdy said the atmosphere in recent weeks during rehearsal has been one of excitement — and some nervousness.
“It’s going to be a shock, I think, when they walk out onto that stage and see that enormous performance venue,” Ogden said.
“There’s definitely going to be butterflies.”
They hope to keep those butterflies at bay by remembering what brings them together in the first place.
“Our choir’s whole approach to everything we do is that we are servants,” McCurdy said. “We recognize that our church isn’t our stage. Every note we sing points only to God.”