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Community

Presbyterian

Church Choir

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Why sing in choir?

 1. Musicality  Singing in a choir improves the way you hear music; it draws out your innate musical ability and intensifies your appreciation of harmony. There is a natural learning curve that occurs quite organically as a consequence of singing regularly in a group that strengthens your ear. Where choral singing is concerned, the whole really is the sum of its parts, and choir members soon become aware of how harmonies combine and complement each other.

 

 2. It's an excellent stress reliever  You rush to meet deadlines, deal with unhappy clients, cope with a rage-aholic boss and — if you're lucky — eat lunch in front of your computer. By the time you get to your choir rehearsal, you're a nervous wreck. But sitting up straight, relaxing your shoulders and breathing from your diaphragm is a great way to return to your center and leave the day's stress behind you.

 

3. You meet new people  Nowadays people make "friends" without ever meeting in person. Joining a choir is an old-school way to meet nice, like-minded people interested in having a good time together. What a concept! The modern world is one where people are increasingly isolated. Social media networks offer a semblance of community but the lack of contact with people in real time and space can intensify feelings of alienation. Singing has been central to religion and ritual as a way of connecting communities since ancient times. Being part of a group working towards a shared endeavor, can fulfil this human need for belonging and union. Recent research reveals that group singing helps forge social bonds, and it does so particularly quickly, acting as a powerful icebreaker. People feel valued and inevitably make friends with individuals from a diversity of backgrounds, so horizons are broadened, and social cohesion is improved.

 

4. You learn to listen While it's fun to belt it out like Björling, a key to good choral singing is paying attention to what's going on around you — listening. (It's a good thing to do outside choir, too.) A rule of thumb is, if you can't hear the person next to you, you're singing too loudly.   You learn to listen to the sound of your voice, the sounds of the voices of the other choir members, to the voice and direction of the director, and to the promptings of the Spirit.   Singing elevates the soul, making it more sensitive to the voice of the Spirit.

 

5. It's a workout for your brain  Choir members will learn basic music-reading skills, which are known to increase the capacity of your memory, sharpen your concentration and improve your spatial organization. You hit the gym three times a week to keep your body in shape (right?). Think of choir as boot camp for your brain.

 

6. It's an exercise in teamwork A choir is the perfect manifestation of the adage "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts." You don't need to have a particularly beautiful voice to contribute to a beautiful, collective sound. Being part of something bigger than yourself is both humbling and motivating.

 

 

7. You don't need to buy any equipment All you need to sing in a choir is your voice, a bottle of water and a pencil for marking your music. Simple and cheap!    A proper singing session is a wonderful workout for the lungs. The actions of warming up, breathing deeply, and opening the diaphragm all oxygenate the blood, creating more white blood cells, which strengthens the whole body. The breathing rate slows and deepens, releasing endorphins and increasing a profound sense of well-being.  All this lung action reduces the chance of illness and is excellent for people who suffer asthma, and emphysema. Singing also improves your posture and tones your stomach muscles – a strong core supports the spine so your body will be less prone to injury as you age.

 

8. You'll learn a lot of choir jokes  For example: Q: How many altos does it take to screw in a light bulb? A: None. They can't get that high.  Q: How does the director change a light bulb.  A: No one knows; they’re never watching!

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9. It's uplifting Every day, we're bombarded with bad news: tragedy, terrorism, scandal, etc. While singing in a choir doesn't make those things go away, it's the perfect way to bring something positive and uplifting into your life and into the lives of others.

 

Give it a try!

 

Looking forward to a wonderful year of music.

 

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The Organ

Organ Specifications

Joseph Cortese, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, ca. 1970,

Guzowski & Steppe Organbuilders, Inc., Fort Lauderdale 2002

                                             

GREAT   -  Unenclosed

 1.            16             Quintadena                           61 pipes

 2.            8              Principal                                61 pipes  

 3.            8              Bourdon                                  73 pipes  

 4.            4              Octave                                     61 pipes  

 5.            4              Flute       (From #3)             61 notes

 6.            2              Principal                                61 pipes  

 7.            IV            Mixture                                  244 pipes

 8.            8              Trompette en Chamade    61 pipes  (does not couple)

                Chimes

                Blank

                MIDI ON GREAT

                GREAT                    16                                                                                       

                GREAT UNISON OFF

                GREAT                    4

 

SWELL   -   Expressive

 9.           8             Salicional                                   61 pipes

10.           8             Voix Celeste           (TC)         49 pipes

11.            8              Rohrflöte                                   61 pipes

12.           4              Principal                                    61 pipes

13.           4              Spitzflöte                                   61 pipes  

14.           2              Blockflöte                                  61 notes

15.           III             Mixture                                     183 pipes

16.           16             Basson     (TC)(From #18)  49 notes 

17.           8              Trompette                                 73 pipes

18.           8              Oboe                                           61 pipes

19.           4              Clarion    (From #17)             61 notes

                Tremolo  

                Blank

                Blank

                MIDI ON SWELL

                SWELL    16

                SWELL UNISON OFF

                SWELL    4

           

CHOIR   -   Expressive

19.           8               Gamba                                     61 pipes

20.          8               Holzgedeckt                           61 pipes

21.           8               Erzähler                                   61 pipes

22.          8               Erzähler Celeste (TC)         49 pipes

23.          4               Koppelflöte                              61 pipes

24.          2 2/3         Nazard                                       61 pipes

25.          2               Principal                                   61 pipes

26           1 3/5          Tierce                                       61 pipes

27.           1 1/3          Larigot    (From #24)           61 notes

28.           8              Krummhorn                             61 pipes

29.           8              Trompette en Chamade       61 notes  (from #8, does not couple)

                Tremolo

                Blank

                Blank

                Blank

                MIDI ON CHOIR

                CHOIR                    16

                CHOIR UNISON OFF                                          

                CHOIR                    4

 

 ANTIPHONAL  -  Preparation

30. – 36.                  Blank

 

PEDAL

37.           32            Resultant  (From #41)              32 notes

38.           16            Principal                                      44 pipes

39.           16            Subbass                                        32 pipes

40.           16            Quintadena (From #1)            32 notes

41.           16             Gedeckt                                       44 pipes

42.           8              Principal  (From #38)              32 notes

43.           8              Gedeckt     (From #41)             32 notes

44.           8              Rohrflöte  (From #11)               32 notes

45.           4              Choral Bass                                  32 pipes

46.           2              Octave(1-20 from #38)            32 notes

47.           32            Cornet       (Composed)            32 notes

48.           16             Fagotto                                        56 pipes

49.           8              Fagotto      (From #48)            32 notes

50.           4              Fagotto      (From #48)            32 notes

51.           4               Schalmei   (From #18)             32 notes

                Blank

                Blank

                Blank

                MIDI ON PEDAL

COUPLERS

                GREAT TO PEDAL  8

                GREAT TO PEDAL 4

                SWELL TO PEDAL  8

                SWELL TO PEDAL 4

                CHOIR TO PEDAL  8

                CHOIR TO PEDAL 4             

                ANTIPHONAL TO PEDAL                  

                ANTIPHONAL TO SWELL

                 SWELL TO GREAT 16                                                                                       

                SWELL TO GREAT 8

                SWELL TO GREAT 4

                CHOIR TO GREAT 16                                                                                       

                CHOIR TO GREAT  8

                CHOIR TO GREAT 4

                ANTIPHONAL TO GREAT

                SWELL TO CHOIR 16                                                                                       

                SWELL TO CHOIR 8

                SWELL TO CHOIR 4

                ANTIPHONAL TO CHOIR

                GREAT - CHOIR TRANSFER

 

COMBINATIONS  -   Multilevel,  50 levels,  locking

GENERALS            1 - 10                       Thumb and toe

GREAT                  1 - 6, 0                       Thumb only

SWELL                  1 - 6, 0                      Thumb only

CHOIR                   1 - 6, 0                      Thumb only

PEDAL                   1 - 5, 0                      Thumb and toe (Divisional Cancel: Thumb only)

GENERAL CANCEL                             Thumb only

SET                                                             Thumb only

 

PEDAL MOVEMENTS AND REVERSIBLES

GREAT TO PEDAL                                       Thumb and toe               (Cancels 4' also)

SWELL TO PEDAL                                       Thumb and toe               (Cancels 4' also)

CHOIR TO PEDAL                                        Thumb and toe               (Cancels 4' also)

 

32' Contra Principal                              Toe Only                (Preparation)

32' Contra Bourdon                               Toe Only                (Preparation)

32' Contra Posaune                               Toe Only                (Preparation)

Zimbelstern                                            Toe Only

SFZ                                                            Thumb and toe      

 

ACCESSORIES

MIDI Connection Panel                         (IN, OUT, THRU)

Chime Volume Control                         0, 1 - 5

Transposer, LCD Display

Yamaha MDF3

Indicator Lamps and Bar Graphs:

Crescendo                                                              (LED Bar graph)

Swell                                                                        (LED Bar graph)

Choir                                                                        (LED Bar graph)

32' Contra Principal                                                (Preparation)

32' Contra Bourdon                                                 (Preparation)

32' Contra Posaune                                                 (Preparation)         

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