Singing in church stems from our Hebrew tradition, which says a prayer isn’t a prayer unless it’s intoned. This tradition was adopted into the early church and thus continues in our present liturgy. There are over 200 scriptural references to music, such as
Addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart(Ephesians 5:19)
Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!”(Psalm 150:1-6)
Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name(Hebrews 13:15)
Choral Eucharist
The SJS Choir comprises sixteen experienced and dedicated singers, including volunteers and four paid section leaders. The choir offers worship leadership through singing anthems, psalms, hymns and liturgical service music.
Anthems and psalms follow the Anglican tradition of highlighting Renaissance polyphony, English Romantic, and contemporary choral music, and chanted choral or plainsong psalmody.
The Choir plays a vital role in the church’s worship life and is particularly active during the festival seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Holy Week.
Evensong
The SJS Choir leads our Evensong worship at 4:00pm on the third Sunday of the month (October-June). Evensong is a music-centred service comprised of sung choral canticles, responses, psalms, and anthems. There is no Eucharist or homily/sermon at this service. *Note: Incense will be used for these services.
Join our Choir
The SJS Choir welcomes new singers who wish to join. Choristers with experience and desire to perform excellent music in a worship environment are invited to contact choir director Graeme Langager. A simple audition will be arranged.
Rehearsals take place on Thursday evenings (7:00-8:30 p.m.), and the sung Choral Eucharist service takes place at 10:00 a.m. on Sundays.
Our SJS Choir is led by conductor Dr. Graeme Langager (who also serves as Director of Choral Activities at the UBC School of Music) and organist Michael Dirk.