Page 20 - Presbyterian Connection

20
PRESBYTERIAN
SUMMER 2021
presbyterian.ca
Connection
MUSIC MINISTRY
A Sweet-Sounding Journey in Stouffville
Submitted by St. James Presbyterian Church in Stouffville, Ont.
The year 2019 saw an exciting mu- sical remodelling at St. James Pres- byterian Church in Stouffville, Ont., upon the arrival of its new Director of Music, Craig Garnham.
Having obtained his undergraduate and graduate degrees in Music and Choral Conducting at York University, Craig’s extensive choral background has allowed him to perform not only province-wide but south of the bor- der, too, including New York City’s Carnegie Hall.
His appointment as Director of Mu- sic has brought with it many changes to the church in downtown Stouffville, a commuter town 45-minutes north- east of Toronto. Included among the changes were the introduction of contemporary anthems for the sen- ior choir (now referred to as the “St. James Choir”), more evenly distrib- uted music throughout the service and the addition of chanting psalms from the Presbyterian Psalter, which has given the choir an opportunity to lead the congregation in responsive
psalms.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic
and subsequent lockdown might have set back some of Craig’s ef- forts, it did not lessen his ambition in the slightest. With his encourage- ment, St. James moved all operations online and began recording services and broadcasting them via YouTube. Craig is responsible for editing and mixing all parts of the service, before uploading the finished video.
“This modern method of worship has become the new normal—but also a surprising foundation upon which choral music can evolve and thrive,” he said. “The commence- ment of remote Sunday services has offered up an opportunity to experi- ment with pre-recorded service mu- sic.”
After the summer of 2020, the church began recording services from St. James’ Main Street sanctu- ary, while at the same time welcom- ing its first ever cantor, Keli Jay. As cantor, Keli’s crucial role is to lead the congregation in the singing of prayer, hymns, anthems and responses. The addition of a classically trained sing-
er to the choir has opened doors to a host of new choral material.
Despite these dark times there is still hope, a chance to adapt and evolve. Craig has done just that, do- ing his best to make the most out of an ever-changing situation. The culmination of his efforts resulted in two anthems each week in Advent, a Christmas Eve candlelight service and the Christmas Day service. The December 24 service featured choral recordings of two special anthems, which included additional singers who recorded and participated vir- tually. Craig also recorded and self- produced his own Christmas concert to accompany it.
Recording music isn’t easy, he explained. Each piece comes with its own unique challenges and requires many hours of careful and intricate mixing and editing before it can be uploaded. Oftentimes, the work begins before recording has even started—each project needing to be thoroughly analyzed and planned out.
“It is crucial to understand the extensive work involved in creating any performance whether live or pre-
sented virtually,” he said. “The final 45-minute outcome that the congre- gation sees requires weeks of work and months of planning and prepara- tion.”
Overall, Craig inspires with his unwavering optimism and persever- ance. He will continue in his endeav- our to produce quality choral music at St. James and to redefine liturgical music in this new age of remote wor- ship, for the foreseeable future.
He is already planning several spe- cial projects for the remainder of this year—one will involve the St. James Choir singing a handful of virtual hymns for the end of June, and the other will be a recording of Fauré’s Requiem for All Souls Day.
Staying Connected at St. Andrew’s Guelph
By Anne Holman, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Guelph, Ont.
For St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Guelph, Ont., the year 2021 con- tinues to present challenges, like it does for all churches, to worship in a very different manner than prior to March 15, 2020—the last in-person service in our sanctuary.
In that service, the Rev. John Borthwick’s announcements men- tioned that there may not be service
in the sanctuary going forward be- cause of the possibility of provincial shutdowns. Little did we know what would lie ahead! Without missing a beat, our talented Tech Team, headed by Peter Devries, immediately ac- cepted the challenge to “keep us connected” using Zoom and You- Tube. On March 22, 2020, we had our first Zoom service. Since that time, we have augmented our equip- ment with better Internet service, cameras and an entire recording area in the balcony. Peter has recorded a choir of eight (all masked), keeping within the 10-person limit allowed.
When the limit was five people, Peter and his son, William, would re- cord the service from the sanctuary on Sunday mornings. The services are available through Zoom, where we can visit with members before and after the service, or on YouTube on Sunday mornings. Since Decem- ber, arrangements were made with the local Rogers Cable TV channel to re-broadcast our service at five different times the following week. The Rev. John Borthwick opens each
broadcast with an introduction to one aspect of “church life” and a perti- nent explanation about Christmas, Easter, communion, etc.
Just as before COVID-19, there are weekly Bible studies (with many more attendees) and monthly Ses- sion and Board meetings. The at- tendance has been rewarding, with
present and former members and ad- herents, as well as many community folk “Zooming in” for services.
We, at St. Andrew’s, Guelph, re- main connected as COVID-19 keeps people apart. During the shutdown, the Property Committee has taken advantage of the empty building to complete many projects to beau-
tify and update the church, includ- ing fresh paint, new floors and new lighting, as well as the installation of sanitizing equipment, which will be required once we are back to in- person services. Donations to the church have continued with the as- sistance of CanadaHelps.