Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the Lord, all the whole earth. Sing to the LORD and bless his Name; proclaim the good news of his salvation from day to day. (Psalm 96: 1-2)
Cherry Hill Presbyterian Church has long been a singing congregation. We all sing joyously and boldly on Sunday mornings, we sing before potluck dinners and Advent and Lenten devotions, in choir rehearsal, and even hum hymn tunes while we work in the office. From 1972 through 2009, the sanctuary was filled wall-to-wall for the church’s annual Boar’s Head Festival where Christmas carols were sung with abandon. We know that music lifts, inspires, elevates, and soothes in ways that the spoken word sometimes cannot. The focus of our music program is to enhance the Minister’s sermon and service design, to bring music to worshipers in a variety of ways that elevate their worship of God the Creator, and share the joy of musical expression with those in our immediate community and our greater metropolitan area. While the music program of this church is firmly rooted in traditional, classical sacred music, fine music from contemporary composers is heard and sung regularly.
The CHPC Choir is made up of fourteen volunteer singers of varying ages and musical abilities. We are not an auditioned choir, and we welcome all to join us. The Choir is supplemented with guest professional singers for Christmas, Holy Week/Easter, and other special services and concerts. Leading the congregation in hymns and service music is the primary role of the choir. Choral repertoire is taken from the 16th century to the 21st century, with the works of Bach, Mozart, Handel, and on to John Rutter, John Ness Beck, Allen Pote, Craig Courtney, and arrangers of Spirituals, accompanied by the organ, piano, and instrumentalists. The Choir has a 90-minute rehearsal at 7:30pm on the first Wednesday evening of each month, and then gathers again at 8:30am on Sunday morning to prepare for the 10:15am service.
