Music plays a vital part in the worship life of Church of the Covenant. Our congregation is very appreciative of many genres and styles of music and enjoys different experiences presented to them during Sunday Worship. We treasure the time-honored and rock-solid hymns handed down to us from previous centuries that tell us the stories of our faith; at the same time we open our minds and hearts to new sounds with music from the 20th and 21st century, jazz, bluegrass, gospel and even rock- all appropriate for worship. If you happen to visit us one Sunday, you will find a community lifting their voices faithfully to Christ in “wonder, love and praise.”
The Presbyterian Church of the Covenant has numerous musical opportunities to offer the greater community starting from ages 6 up 106! We are always interested in meeting new singers and musicians who would like to share their talents for the Glory of God. If you are interested in one of the below ensembles or want to learn more please contact our director of music at ryanthesinger82@gmail.com
Our Chancel Choir is the main choral ensemble here at Presbyterian Church of the Covenant. The choir, made up of voices from the church and greater community, sing each Sunday at our 10a.m. Worship Service. The choir’s members come from various background and experiences in choral singing and strive to sing the Word of God each week through hymns, psalms, anthems, introits and other choral works. Music is drawn from over 500 years of choral music to enhance each Sunday’s service. The choir also sings on special feast days and other events, such as Christmas Eve Lessons and Carols, Ash Wednesday, and Holy Week and is often enhanced by professional musicians and soloists. In recent years, the choir has sung music by Thomas Tallis, Antonio Lotti, G.F. Handel, J.S. Bach, Felix Mendelssohn, Charles Ives, Stephen Paulus and Will Todd just to name a few. No audition is required. Rehearsals are Wednesday evenings beginning in September from 7:30p.m.-9:00p.m.
From the latin meaning, “a school of singing for church choristers”, Covenant’s newest ensemble offers members of both the congregation and the community at large a chance to sing great works of choral music without an extended time commitment. The Schola Cantorum was formed to bolster voices in the Chancel Choir around special feast days and events when a larger choir is needed as well as offer otherwise committed singers an option to participate in the musical life of the church. Members of the choir need not audition, but should be able to read music and commit to a short term of rehearsals and scheduled performance(s). Annually, the Schola Cantorum puts on the church’s annual Candlelight Advent Vespers with chamber orchestra during the month of December. Future events are being planned and may include an All Saints Day Requiem, Easter Lessons and Carols, or a Bluegrass Mass. Rehearsals are scheduled in advance of planned special events.
Ringing handbells is a musical art that dates back centuries to the English who created the first set of tunes bells for worship and musical performances. Today, many churches and schools across the globe work with handbells to create sonorous works of music in concert and worship settings. Presbyterian Church of the Covenant is fortunate to have 5 octaves of Schulmerich Handbells forged and crafted here in the USA, not far from the church in Hatfield, PA. New Members are warmly welcomed and prior ringing experience is not required. The Bell Choir performs several times a year both by enhancing hymns and choral anthems and by performing their own standalone selections as well. For more information and a rehearsal schedule, please reach out to our Director of Music, Ryan Pryslak at ryanthesinger82@gmail.com