Saint Nicholas Choir

As I think back and try to encapsulate the realities of the last Choral Residency trip, I’m reminded how wonderful our youth choir is. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not praising a choir because I work with them. These young folks really are marvelous!

The groundwork of a successful residency is the week-in-week-out work our Saint Nicholas choristers do. They tumble into the Music Center every week (or now, onto Zoom!) and immediately get busy. They dig through their cubby for music, they find their place in the formation, and they know they must concentrate and contribute their best work. The older youths lead the younger ones, and the younger kids learn by imitation.

Through trial and error, through risk and effort, these youths learn how to use their voices. They also learn how to negotiate the liturgy, how to process properly, how to act appropriately in service. In effect, these youths assume a leadership role while finding their ‘voice’ in the community.

I believe this choral paradigm to be a powerful formation experience for youths. They grow musically, personally, liturgically, theologically through their shared activity, and they gain real skills that stay with them for a lifetime. This makes the youth choir so much more than an extra-circular activity! It’s really a sacred vocation.

Justin Appel, Director of Music

The Saint Nicholas Choir, 2018