Music At United Parish

The Carol Choir

Who We Are

The Carol Choir includes children in first and second grades, ages 3-7. The choir rehearses on Sunday mornings from 9 to 9:45 a.m. The children sing in worship about every 6 weeks. To go to the Carol Choir website go to the following link carol choir page

Carol Choir is Recording a CD!!

We are recording a CD this spring of the songs we sang at the Goddard House in February.
TWO KEY DATES:

The Choristers

A choir group for children in grades 2-6, the Choristers rehearse on Sunday mornings from 9 to 9:45 a.m. in the Choir Room. They sing in our Sunday liturgy about every 6 weeks. The group also goes on a winter skiing and singing retreat one weekend in January.

Youth Treble Chorus

The Youth Treble Chorus is open to all singers in grades 7-12. Rehearsals are held on Sunday mornings from 9 to 9:45 a.m. in the Parlor. The group sings in worship about every five weeks. For more information, contact Susan DeSelms.

Overview

Under the directorship of Susan Rogers DeSelms, our music ministry features 4 choral groups, a handbell choir, and a tower bell lay ministry group. Over thirty percent of the congregation participates in one or more of the musical groups of the United Parish. Each of our denominations brings its own musical heritage, while the building itself, with its 1930's era E.M. Skinner Organ, provides the added allure of having been the parish home of celebrated organist E.

A Brief History

Built in the wake of a devastating church fire, United Parish's E.M. Skinner organ would turn out to be the last large instrument personally designed, voiced, built, and installed under Skinner's sole supervision. At the time, Mr. Skinner was already famous for his skill in building symphonic organs with beautiful tonality and sound. Mr.

Our Performances Page

The United Parish of Brookline is pleased to offer samples of our musical performances. The compact disc recordings, when available have excellent quality and may be obtained at the United Parish through our music director, Susan DeSelms. Please contact her at sdeselms@verizon.net.

Chancel Choir

The Chancel Choir is a non-audition choir directed by Susan DeSelms. There is one professional singer in each section who is there to offer leadership and vocal instruction when needed. Our Tenor Section Leader is James Barbato. Our Bass Section Leader is Adam Cannedy. Our Soprano Section Leader is Elissa Alverez. Our Alto Section Leader is Amy Oraftik. Any teen or adult who wants to sing praise to God is welcome! Their repertoire includes selections from many eras and traditions of church music and worship. Please go to our performance page for a few examples of the Chancel Choir's past performances. The choir season begins on September 3, 2009 with the Sunday service returning to 11:00 AM the following Sunday. The 30+ member choir rehearses weekly on Thursday evenings from 7:00-8:45 p.m. in the Choir Room, and warms up at 10 a.m. Sunday mornings. They traditionally sing two anthems as well as other service music during worship, and give special performances two to three times a year. Their year begins the week after Labor Day and ends in mid-June. The chancel choir is currently seeking tenors, but welcomes singers of all voice types.

Youth & Adults Bell Choir

The Youth and Adults Bell Choir is open to youths in grades 7-12 and adults of all ages. The group rehearses on Sunday morning from 9 to 9:45 a.m. on the Willett Hall stage and plays in the Sunday worship service once every six weeks. For more information, contact Bob Phenix.

Tower Bell Ringers

The United Parish is blessed with a functioning bell tower. Each week, our volunteer Tower Bell Ringers play hymns on these bells before and after our Sunday worship service. Volunteers are always welcome and no prior experience is necessary.