An Episcopal Church, where in the name of Christ you are always welcome
NEW YORK GREGORIAN CHANT PROJECT
The Latin chants of the medieval monasteries are a treasure for all humanity. Choir singers, students, and music lovers of all backgrounds are invited to join us to learn and perform a wide selection of beautiful and engaging Gregorian chants. This ancient, contemplative, deeply spiritual music is a perfect complement to our busy lives.
New singers are welcome to check out our Gregorian Chant Project Choir by attending a few of our rehearsals. We'd love you to join us for the long term! Our goal is to develop a world-class ensemble, and we are looking for motivated, responsive, committed singers who are ready to fall in love with bringing this ancient, contemplative, deeply spiritual music to life.
The New York Gregorian Chant Project has its home base here at St. John’s in the Village and sings at a number of our feast-day services throughout the year.
WHAT WE ARE ABOUT
Teaching and singing a wide repertoire of Gregorian chant at a high level of interpretation and insight
Fostering in our singers a deep love of this music and knowledge of its history and the liturgical tradition in which it arose
Creating a vibrant sense of community, and cultivating in all our singers agility, responsiveness, sensitivity, confidence, and passion
Sharing this music with a wide public by singing in recordings, educational resources, and events such as concerts and workshops — and liturgical rites, which are the first home of these sacred chants
Committing to excellence
We are proud of our diverse community of singers of all ages, backgrounds, and walks of life and we are enriched by singers from many liturgical and religious traditions. All this is evidence of how these ancient, spiritual chants touch people deeply, even in our busy modern day.
We have a place for everyone — we invite you to join us!
JOINING the GREGORIAN CHANT PROJECT CHOIR
We are gradually developing a monastic-style choir, growing and aiming for a size that lets the chant “ring” — like the voices of monks or nuns in a monastery. Rehearsals are Sunday afternoons, 2:30-5pm. Please have a look at our official website for details: http://chantproject.org
To join the Gregorian Chant Project Choir, here’s what you need:
A good musical ear and the ability to sing in tune,
Choir-singing experience* (but not necessarily experience with chant)…
…or proficiency in a musical instrument,
The ability to focus deeply and follow instructions.
And, of course, you must participate consistently.
*If you don’t have choir-singing or instrumental experience, please speak with the Director. It may be possible to join the Gregorian Chant Project Choir rehearsals on an ongoing basis as a visitor and participate to the extent to which you are capable (this might involve mainly listening at first). We are very interested in helping people gain the skills needed to sing this special music.
Or, you might like to attend our occasional “Come Sing Chant!” events where members of the public gather to hear the Gregorian Chant Project Choir and learn some chants to join in singing.
OPEN HOUSE REHEARSALS for NEW and PROSPECTIVE SINGERS
Interested in joining? You are welcome to visit a Sunday afternoon rehearsal and check us out! Please send an email beforehand and check over the details on our official website: http://chantproject.org
We hope you will discover a lasting home for your voice in the New York Gregorian Chant Project!
SCHOLA / STUDY GROUP
For those with substantial training in music (such as piano, instrumental, or voice lessons, or college-level music studies) and good sight-singing and vocal skills, we have a Schola/Study Group — a smaller, auditioned ensemble of singers who have the responsibility of performing the most virtuosic chants and studying their musical, liturgical, and historical backgrounds.
If you are interested in joining the Schola, please email us in advance and attend several Sunday rehearsals of our main Gregorian Chant Project Choir to become accustomed to how we approach the chant repertoire and to become familiar with the notation and stylistic elements needed to interpret this repertoire with a high level of skill. Afterwards, chat with the Director about how we bring new singers into the Schola.
TRAINING and PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
We will teach you how to read the 12th-century square-note music notation, and how to pronounce the Latin texts — both are easier than you might expect! We'll also teach you the correct accentuation and rhythm of sung Latin (this is more difficult!), and work with the first-millennium staff-less neumes which are the earliest extensive musical notation of Western civilization.
We will mentor you in the elements of style, and go over exercises to sharpen your choral skills, such as sight-reading, ear training, and voice building. Movement is a vital component of our rehearsals — getting your full body and your whole being to feel the flow of the music and the undulating, irregular rhythm of the chants, in sync with all your fellow singers.
By strengthening the musicianship of all our singers, the choir can operate at a level necessary to do justice to this sublime music. Gregorian chant — sacred text floating on melody — requires a fluidity and lyricism quite unlike other types of choral music. There is more to it than singing smoothly with a nice voice! First and foremost is an intelligible rendering of the Latin text (not just singing a string of beautiful syllables!), then bringing the melodic and textual interplay to life with an informed sense of style and grace.
LED by LAWRENCE HARRIS
Lawrence Harris has been a visiting professor of Gregorian chant at the Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., and Duquesne University, Pittsburgh. He has led chant seminars with many choirs and organizations including the Conference of Roman Catholic Cathedral Musicians. He is currently Director of the New York Gregorian Chant Project in Manhattan and is on the faculty of Les sessions du chant grégorien of the Abbey of St-Pierre de Solesmes, France.
These opportunities to sing Gregorian chant and to receive a high level of instruction are open to students, singers from church and community choirs, and members of the public — all of whom are welcome to join us in studying and singing this ancient, contemplative, and deeply spiritual musical heritage, widely considered to be the foundational music of Western culture and civilization.
PUBLIC EVENTS — Join our audience!
