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The Choir of St. Paul's
The Choir of St. Paul's includes The Chancel Choir (adults) and The Choir School (grades K - 12).
Youth join equally with adults in offering music to the glory of God in St. Paul’s choir ministry.
WHAT'S NEW WITH THE CHOIR OF ST. PAUL'S?
Music at St. Paul’s 2024-2025 Season
Highlights of the 2024-2025 season include the release of a new vinyl recorded by the Choir of St. Paul’s, Great Host, and a journey in song to a July 2025 residency at Lincoln Cathedral. The monthly Sundays at 4pm Series continues to include services of Evensong, Advent Lessons and Carols and annual concerts: a Christmas Concert with the Choir of St. Paul’s, the Choir School Concert, and the Marcia McCowin Concert, highlighting women composers and poets. The beautiful and uniquely Anglican service of Evensong (sung Evening prayer) draws on the ancient monastic offices of Vespers and Compline, and is centered on sung prayer and psalms.
Click here for the Music at St. Paul's 2024-2025 season poster.
Highlighting Women Composers at St. Paul’s
A great host of women bring the glad tidings. ~ Psalm 68:11b
Expanding the canon of the world’s best sacred music, St. Paul’s continues to offer the song of a great host of women composers in services and concerts. Keep ears, minds and hearts open especially for music of black women composers Florence Price, Undine Smith Moore, Margaret Bonds, Errollyn Wallen; and other great women composers through the ages, from the chant of Kassia and Hildegard to German Romantic Fanny Hensel to contemporaries including Roxanna Panufnik, Melissa Dunphy, Margaret Burk, Katherine Burk Webb, and Shruthi Rajasekar. St. Paul’s Director of Music, Susan Jane Matthews, coordinates www.greathostcomposers.org, a listing of sacred choral music by women for the church year. Read more about women composers you may hear at St. Paul’s in this Great Host survey.
The Chancel Choir
The Chancel Choir, a mixed volunteer choir with section leaders, sings a diverse repertoire ranging from chant, Renaissance and Baroque motets to Anglican anthems and newly commissioned sacred works. The Chancel Choir enriches the liturgy of the 10am Sunday Holy Eucharist, Sundays at 4pm Evensongs and Advent Lessons and Carols, Christmas Eve Choral Eucharist, Ash Wednesday, and the services of Holy Week and Easter Day (mid-September through early June). Individual musicianship training is offered to members through a RSCM for adults program. See Choir of St. Paul’s paragraph (at the bottom of the page) for more information.
Rehearsals on Thursdays, 7-8:30pm
Click here for 2024-2025 calendar.
Interested in joining the choir?
Email St. Paul's Music Director, Dr. Susan Jane Matthews, at smatthews@stpaulsburlingame.org. Membership at St. Paul’s is not required to sing in the St. Paul's Choir.
The St. Paul's Choir School includes:
The St. Cecilia Choir (Grades TK-1)
Weekly half-hour rehearsals help children find their natural singing voice and lay the groundwork for a life-long appreciation of music. The St. Cecilia Choir sings at the 10am Sunday Holy Eucharist several times throughout the choir season, and also at the Christmas Pageant, Choir School Concert, Easter Day, and services of Choral Evensong.
Rehearsals on Tuesdays, 4-4:30pm.
Click here for the 2024 -2025 calendar.
The St. Nicolas Choir (Grades 1-2)
Weekly rehearsals prepare singers for entry into the Choristers including further development of vocal skills, ear training and introduction to reading of musical notation. The St. Nicolas Choir sings at the 10am Sunday Holy Eucharist several times throughout the choir season, and also at the Christmas Pageant, Choir School Concert, Easter Day, and services of Choral Evensong.
Rehearsals on Tuesdays, 4:45-5:30pm.
The Choristers (Grades 2 - 8)
Through the structured program of the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) Voice for Life training program, Choristers develop advanced vocal skills, musical understanding (theory and sight-singing), and knowledge of repertoire. The Choristers regularly join in singing soprano with the Chancel Choir at the Sunday 10am Holy Eucharist and at Choral Evensong, in addition to singing at the Christmas Eve Choral Eucharist, Annual Christmas Concert, and Choir School Concert. Choristers have the opportunity to attend RSCM summer courses and travel to the annual Youth Choir Festival West, first hosted by St. Paul's in 2024. Choristers participate in English cathedral residencies with the Choir of St. Paul's.
Rehearsals on Wednesdays, 4pm-4:45pm and Thursdays, 6:30pm-7:30pm
RSCM time: Wednesdays, 4:45pm-5:15pm
Click here for the 2024-2025 calendar.
The Teens (Grades 9 -12 and younger boys whose voices have changed)
Teen singers have the opportunity to further mature in their musicianship beyond the scope of the four RSCM ribbons, and to serve as mentors and leaders within the choir, while receiving small-group instruction focused on adapting to the vocal transitions during the teenage years for both boys and girls. Coaching is provided for special projects according to the singer’s interests including RSCM award exams, summer courses, solo work, conducting, and composition. During the choir season, the Teens sing weekly at the 10am Sunday Holy Eucharist with the adults of the choir. Teens have the opportunity to attend RSCM summer courses and travel to the annual Youth Choir Festival West, first hosted by St. Paul’s in 2024. Teens participate in English cathedral residencies with the Choir of St. Paul's.
RSCM time: Wednesdays, 4:45pm-5:15pm
Rehearsals on Wednesdays, 5:15pm-6pm
Rehearsals on Thursdays, 7pm-8:30pm
Click here for the 2024-2025 calendar.
Choir School alumni return to sing with the choir at Christmas
The Choir of St. Paul's
The Choir of St. Paul's draws together adult singers with the youth of the Choir School. This intergenerational choir sings at the weekly 10am Sunday Eucharist, 4pm Sunday Evensong, Advent Lessons and Carols, the annual Christmas concert, Christmas Eve, and the services of Holy Week and Easter Day.
In the Bay Area, the Choir of St. Paul’s has performed at Grace Cathedral, the Candy Store, the Carolands, on Burlingame Avenue, and in the summer concert series at Stanford University Memorial Church. In October 2017, young women of the Choir of St. Paul’s joined with the Men of the Grace Cathedral Choir, San Francisco to sing a Diocesan Eucharist. In May 2019, the Choir of St. Paul's hosted a Three Choirs Festival West with the Choir of Trinity Cathedral, Portland, Oregon and the Choir of Men and Boys of Grace Cathedral, San Francisco.
In England, the Choir of St. Paul's represented St. Paul's in a week-long residency at Gloucester Cathedral in July 2017, also singing concerts at Oxford University Church and Blenheim Palace. In July 2022, they were in residence at Wells Cathedral, singing seven choral services, also concerts at Berkeley Castle and Wells Bishop’s Palace. In July 2025, they will be in residence at Lincoln Cathedral, and sing at Ely Cathedral and in Cambridge. Click here for an overview.
