St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church, Atlanta, Georgia

 a quiet time, a beautiful setting, and music that lifts the soul

PLEASE JOIN THE CHOIR AND CONGREGATION OF ST. DUNSTAN’S
for EVENSONG on OCTOBER 3 at 4:00pm.

Welcome to this information page about music at St. Dunstan's. The site was last updated on 29 August 2010.

Fall 2010 Schedule for Choirs

Wednesdays
Junior Choristers – regular rehearsals begin September 8, 4:00-4:30pm
Senior Choristers - regular rehearsals begin September 8, 5:00-6:00pm
Adult Choir - Wednesday rehearsals begin August 25, 7:00-9:00pm

Sundays beginning September 12
8:45-9:30  Choir warm-up
10:45  Holy Eucharist with Choir
12:00-12:30 Senior Choristers rehearsal

 St. Dunstan's Senior Choristers are in second grade or higher. Senior Choristers vest and sing in church about one Sunday morning a month. In rehearsals, we learn some of the language and grammar of music; we gain familiarity with the Hymnal 1982; we learn other music as well, pieces chosen for their musical interest and the quality of their words; we add to our knowledge of the worship traditions and practices of Episcopalians; and we adapt some of the best features of the Royal School of Church Music curriculum to our needs.

St. Dunstan's Junior Choristers begin at age four. Junior Choristers sing in church on occasion, and in rehearsals we enjoy musical games, movement, and rhythm instruments to begin our exploration of music fundamentals. And, of course, we will begin to learn about using the voice for singing. Our songs are chosen with particular attention to the Christian education curriculum, and we sing these songs during Sunday School as well.   

St. Dunstan's has several members who are talented instrumentalists, and when they are called upon to play, these musicians offer both talent and enthusiasm in making our worship particularly special. The St. Dunstan's Flute Ensemble made its debut on Easter Sunday morning.

The principal focus for the St. Dunstan's Adult Choir is to provide musical and liturgical leadership for Sunday morning worship. In addition, however, this Choir from time to time will prepare music for an Evensong, or for Lessons and Carols, or for other special services. Our first special event of the program year, 2009-2010, occurred on Sunday afternoon, October 18, when we sang Evensong and a new anthem by New York composer Thomas Addison, especially commissioned for the church by The Charles and Dorothy Yates Family Fund. The new work, offered in memory of Charles Yates, offers a rich setting of the words of Psalm 24. Dorothy Yates has commissioned other works for the St. Dunstan's Choir and plans to continue this important tradition. St. Dunstan's Adult Choir was joined by the Senior Choristers for our annual Lessons and Carols for Advent. All of our choirs and instrumentalists took part in services on Christmas Eve. The Choir offered Choral Evensong for Lent on Sunday, March 14, at joined the Choirs of St. James', Marietta, for Choral Evensong at St. James' on May 9.

On February 14, St. Dunstan's presented PIPES AND PIPES, a special concert of music for bagpipes and pipe organ. Pipers from the Atlanta area, led by Winter Taylor, and organist Steven Schneider, performed a number of traditional Scottish favorites such as "Scotland the Brave" and "Highland Cathedral." Mr. Schneider also played Dudley Buck's "Variations on a 'Scotch' Air" (Annie Laurie). It was also a special privilege to host a concert by HARMONY: Atlanta's International Youth Chorus on April 25. Under the musical leadership of Joyce Ketchie Carr, these talented young people make music that helps make the world a more peaceful, harmonious place for us all.

Music and Worship at St. Dunstan’s

Every Sunday morning at 10:45 (10:00 summer schedule), music is an integral and important part of worship at St. Dunstan's. Music supports every aspect of the liturgy; music can expand, emphasize, and illuminate the various liturgical themes and actions. For example, the first hymn that we sing at Holy Eucharist is almost always a hymn that praises God and establishes God as the ONE whom we worship and on whom we depend. Other hymns and anthems provide opportunities for other kinds of prayer: with the aid of hymn and anthem texts, music helps us pray for others and for ourselves. Hymns and anthems also help to tell the Gospel story; our hymnal is arranged to make it clear how that story unfolds--Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, etc. Sometimes it is important to think of music in worship as a useful evangelistic tool. St. Ambrose was an early church father who popularized hymn singing. He wrote, “Some claim that I have ensnared the people by the melodies of my hymns. I do not deny it.” And then there is purely instrumental music--organ, piano, flutes, and other instruments--music that has no words. We typically begin and end each service with organ music: it helps to set apart--to frame--the time designated for worship. Instrumental music also helps to focus our attention and to assist us in finding that mental, physical, and spiritual place where we can be still and allow the presence of God to become a reality for us. (There is plenty of evidence from psychological research to support this idea.) Please come and see--and hear--for yourself. And better yet, consider joining the wonderful individuals who give their time and talents to make music at St. Dunstan's a reality.     

St. Dunstan’s Organ

The organ at St. Dunstan’s was originally created by the Delaware Organ Company of Tonawonga, New York, in 1964. It was rebuilt and relocated to St. Dunstan’s in 1997, with tonal revisions, new case, and new console, by Phil Parkey and Associates of Atlanta, Georgia. The present instrument consists of two manual divisions and pedal, controlling 19 stops, 6 ranks, and a Zymbelstern of 8 bells. Complete specifications are found at
http://www.parkeyorgans.com/instruments_stdunstan.html.

Please feel free to contact us at any time!
Thomas Gibbs, Parish Musician
office: 404-266-1018  cell: 205-305-8208
email: tom@stdunstan.net

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