Music at St. John’s

Choirs · Special Musical Services & Concerts

Choir

The choir of St. John’s sings an extensive and wide repertoire from medieval plainsong to newly composed music of the 21st century. The choral repertoire list provides a complete listing of the anthems and service music sung during the past several years.  In addition to this music, the choir sings the Sunday Eucharist and Choral Evensong psalms to Anglican chant, plainsong, or simplified Anglican chant.

The choir rehearses September through June on Thursdays from 5:30-7:30 pm and sings for the 10:00 am Sunday Eucharist. The choir also sings for a special musical services, often Choral Evensong, on a Sunday afternoon. Services on the major Holy Days of the church, such as Christmas Eve, Holy Week, and Easter Day also involve the musical leadership of the choir. Chorister training is arranged through the Music Director on an individual basis at convenient times. The Choir of Saint John’s Episcopal Church  is always looking for additional singers to augment the excellent existing choir.

  • The choir sings approximately 150 different anthems and canticles each year in one of the finest acoustic settings in Bangor.
  • Music by Lassus, Palestrina, Tallis, Victoria, Byrd, Gibbons, Bach, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Bruckner, Fauré, Elgar, Stanford, Parry, Vaughan Williams, Britten, Howells, Rorem, Rutter, Chilcott, Tavener and many others.
  • Singers are welcome in all parts. We are a team of skilled volunteers and membership is with a one-on-one meeting with the Choir Director.
  • The most essential skills are a good ear to match pitch, a commitment to blended choral singing, and an understanding of teamwork. Members should have basic music reading skills and an enthusiasm for choral singing. They need to have voices that can blend with others and stay in tune.
  • Singers do not need to be a member of the parish or the Episcopal Church. They do need to have an awareness and desire to be a part of our rich religious tradition that involves music (often sung in foreign languages), liturgy, and scripture. Singers need to be comfortable in the choir’s role of helping lead worship.
  • Members need to be willing to make a commitment to weekly attendance at rehearsals and services. The choir’s schedule roughly follows the academic year, with some volunteers continuing to sing during the summer.
  • For more information or to join, email Colin Graebert

Special Musical Services and Concerts

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Our choir offers Evensong and other seasonally appropriate services and concerts throughout the academic year.

December 14, 2025 at 4:00pm – Advent Lessons and Carols