ARTIST PROFILE
St. Luke's Cathedral Choir
The Choir of St. Luke's Cathedral consists of 16 Treble Choristers, boys and girls alike, aged 7 to 17, and adult sections of Altos, Tenors, and Basses. The repertoire ranges from polyphonic music of the 16th century (Tudor and Italian music, in English and Latin) to recent compositions. Their distinctive sound is achieved through the utilization of children with trained, unmatured voices singing with a clear head tone.
The Choir sings every Sunday morning at the 11:00 am Service of Choral Eucharist. Other services include Advent and Christmas Carol Services, an annual Requiem (most recently by Gabriel Faure and Mozart), Holy Week Services (including Maundy Thursday and Good Friday), and some concerts.
St. Luke's Cathedral is a wonderful church for singing, with its high vault, long nave, and hard, tonally-reflective surfaces. The stained glass windows are unique and extremely beautiful as well.
In the summer of 1999, the Choir traveled to England for two and a half weeks. Acting as Visiting Choir-in-Residence, they sang a week each at Exeter and Rochester Cathedrals. They performed a recital of a cappella choral music at Canterbury Cathedral on the High Altar directly in front of St. Thomas Beckett's shrine. Beckett was Archbishop of Canterbury and was murdered in the Cathedral in 1170 at King Henry II's urging. The Choir sang Evensong at St. Paul's Cathedral (for over 700 people!) and at Worcester Cathedral twice. Incidentally, the reverberation in St. Paul's lasts eleven seconds. They are planning another tour for the summer of 2003 and will be singing at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, which is one of four official residences of Queen Elizabeth II. They will sing eight Services at Salisbury Cathedral over a week, and another eight at Winchester Cathedral for another week.
Two events of note are the Advent and Christmas Carol Services. Advent marks the four weeks preceding Christmas and the Advent Carol Service is surely one of the most moving services the Choir sings. Seven biblical passages outlining the days leading up to the birth of Jesus Christ alternate with seven Carols that mirror these scriptural accounts. The Christmas Carol Service is similar, centred around the actual birth of Christ. Imagine singing "Silent Night" by candlelight in an otherwise darkened Cathedral on a snowy evening in December after hearing the Choir sing familiar Carols!
Stephen Mallinger is Organist and Choirmaster of St. Luke's Cathedral, Music Director of the Algoma Festival Choir, and Instructor of piano and organ at Algoma Conservatory of Music. Prior to moving to Sault Ste. Marie in 1991, he was a Tenor Lay Vicar at Lincoln Cathedral in England.
If you are interested in joining the Choir, please feel free to telephone Stephen at 705-946-5633.
Back
to Profile Archive page