Choirs at Church of the Nativity

Nativity has many talented voices and instrumentalists and has numerous choirs to lead the congregation in its musical expression of prayer. In addition to Sunday Masses, the choirs sing for Christmas, Holy Week, prayer services, Confirmations, Thanksgiving, and other feasts and special events.  Members of all choirs should be able to make a commitment to attending most of the rehearsals and to singing at Mass most Saturdays or Sundays. 

Traditional Choir

The Traditional Choir sings for the 9:00 a.m. Sunday Mass throughout the year, Midnight Mass on Christmas, the Easter Vigil, and for certain other feast days and special occasions. Its repertoire consists primarily of traditional, four-part choral arrangements of hymns, service music, and other music appropriate for use within the liturgy and for special occasions. The Traditional Ensemble currently consists of violins, woodwinds, Auxiliary Keyboards, organ and piano; additional instrumentalists would be welcome, as appropriate.  Choir members also serve as cantors and soloists on a rotating basis. Auditions are not required to sing in the choir. Soloists and cantors are accepted by audition, as are members of the Ensemble. Rehearsals are held on Wednesday nights in the Church from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.  The choir is open to anyone over the age of 18.  Contact:  Kevin McCarthy (KJMcCarthy@cox.net).

 

Folk Choir

The Folk Choir sings at the 12:45 p.m. Sunday Mass, the 6:00 p.m. Christmas vigil, and other celebrations throughout the year. Membership in this small ensemble is open to singers and instrumentalists high school age and up with a heart for ministry.  No auditions are necessary, but a “good ear” for music and a sensitivity for blending with the other voices and instruments are important.  Rehearsals are at 11:30 a.m. Sundays in the school chapel.  Additional rehearsals are scheduled for special events as the need arises.  Our primary mission is to encourage congregational participation in the singing at mass.  We love to enhance the hymns and songs by adding SATB harmonies, as well as our own improvised parts. The Folk Choir enjoys performing Christian music of various styles and times—from ancient to modern!  To join, please come and meet us after mass any Sunday.  Contact:  Debbie Doyle (Opus5300@aol.com).

Family Choir

The Family Choir sings each week at the 5:00 p.m. Saturday Vigil Mass, the 4:00 p.m. Christmas vigil Mass, and other celebrations throughout the year.  Rehearsals are at 7:15 p.m. Thursdays in the school chapel and at 4:00 p.m. Saturdays in the church.  The Family Choir is symbolic of the diversity of the “family of Christ” here at Nativity.  Membership is open to anyone who wants to join others in singing the Lord’s praises!  No auditions are necessary.  Families with children ages 5-18 are encouraged to join the choir as a family.  Please note that children must be accompanied by an adult family member in order to participate!  We enjoy leading songs at mass that people love to sing, and we have a large repertoire of well-loved Christian music—contemporary, folk and traditional favorites.  A variety of instrumentalists accompany the choir.  New members and instrumentalists may join at any rehearsal throughout the year, or after the 5:00 Mass any Saturday.  Contact:  Debbie Doyle (Opus5300@aol.com).

Youth Choir & Orchestra

The Youth Choir sings at the Sunday 11:00 a.m. Mass and is open to junior high and high school students (grades 7-12). The repertoire is principally contemporary Christian music and appropriate contemporary hymns sung within the liturgy. Singers of all vocal ranges are welcome in the Chorus without audition. Vocal soloists are drawn from the Chorus by audition. Instrumentalists in the Orchestra are accepted by audition within space limitations; currently the Orchestra seats about 32 players each Sunday. To join, sign up after any 11:00 a.m. Sunday Mass or at any rehearsal, normally held on Thursdays from 7:30-9:00 p.m. during the school year.  Contact:  Kevin McCarthy (KJMcCarthy@cox.net).

Hispanic Choir

The Spanish-language choir sings at the 7:00 p.m. Saturday Spanish Mass. Rehearsals are held Saturdays at 6:15 p.m. in the church. Contact Clemente Santiago at 703-491-0031.  For additional information call the Parish Office (703) 455-2400.

Hispanic Youth Ensemble

The parish is reassembling an Hispanic youth ensemble to sing at the 7:00 p.m. Spanish Mass on the third Saturday of every month. While we expect the core of the ensemble will come from the post-communion and post-confirmation Hispanic religious education groups, the ensemble is open to Hispanic and non-Hispanic singers and instrumentalists which are young at heart and have a keen willingness to sing to the Lord in Spanish. The repertoire will be mainly bilingual and Spanish-language contemporary Christian music and appropriate contemporary hymns sung within the liturgy. No auditions for singers of instrumentalist are necessary, but a “good ear” is important as well as a minimum level of proficiency with the instrument. Rehearsals will start in December 2007 on the first and third Fridays of every month in the church and on the third Saturday of every month in Room #4. To join, please contact Fernando L. Delgado at fernandoL2@yahoo.com. Starting Saturday December 15, you may also sign up after any third Saturday 7:00 p.m. Mass or at any rehearsal.  Contact:  Fernando L. Delgado (fernandoL2@yahoo.com).

Coro de Jóvenes Hispanos

La parroquia está reorganizando un coro de jóvenes hispanos para cantar en la misa en español a las 7:00 p.m. el tercer sábado de cada mes. Si bien el núcleo principal del coro esperamos que provenga de los grupos de educación religiosa en español de post-comunión y post-confirmación, el coro está abierto a cantantes e instrumentistas hispanos y no hispanos que sean jóvenes de corazón y deseen ardientemente cantarle al Señor en español.  El repertorio estará compuesto principalmente por música cristiana contemporánea e himnos litúrgicos bilingües y en español. No se necesitan audiciones, pero es importante tener “buen oído” musical, así como un mínimo nivel para los instrumentistas. Los ensayos empezarán el día 7 de diciembre de 2007 y tendrán lugar el primer y tercer viernes de cada mes en la iglesia, y el tercer sábado de cada mes en en cuarto #4 . Para apuntarse, por favor contactar con Fernando L. Delgado en fernandoL2@yahoo.com. A partir del sábado 15 de diciembre también será posible apuntarse tras la misa de 7:00 p.m. cualquier tercer sábado de mes o durante cualquier ensayo. Contacto: Fernando L. Delgado (fernandoL2@yahoo.com).

“Always In Christ”

“Always In Christ” (“AIC”) is a Contemporary Christian inspirational choir for adults at Nativity parish.  Many of the principal members of AIC are “Alumni” of the Nativity Youth Choir, however, AIC is also open to anyone over the age of 18 seeking a contemporary music experience to utilize their musical talents and contribute toward music and liturgy.  AIC provides music from time to time at 11.00 Mass, for example during the summer months when the Youth Choir is off, as well as for other special events throughout the year.  The AIC Band provides the group’s instrumental support, relying principally on drums, bass, guitars, and an array of principal and auxiliary keyboards, augmented by Ensemble players (violins, cello, brass, woodwinds, etc.) as appropriate and when available.  Contact:  Kevin McCarthy (KJMcCarthy@cox.net).

The Nativity Wedding Ensemble

The Nativity Wedding Ensemble features some of the finest musicians in our parish; its members are drawn principally from the group “Always In Christ”.  The Ensemble provides both traditional music (such as processional and recessional music, and standard Catholic hymns), as well as selected contemporary songs that carry beautiful and powerful messages appropriate for a wedding service.  Contact:  Kevin McCarthy (KJMcCarthy@cox.net).