Shaughnessy Heights United Church Sanctuary Choir
Music is integral to the life of the congregation at Shaughnessy Heights United Church, a means of both expressing the faith and experiencing the gift of the Spirit. The Sanctuary Choir provides music for regular Sunday worship (September through June), as well as for special services such as Remembrance Day, Tenebrae, and Lessons and Carols. Over the years, the group has presented its own concerts and has also collaborated in performances of larger works, including the Requiems of Mozart, Fauré and Brahms.
The Shaughnessy Heights Sanctuary Choir is committed to the best of sacred music, presenting works by composers such as Arnesen, Britten, Bruckner, Dove, Duruflé, Esenvalds, Gjeilo, Handel, Haydn, Honegger, Lauridsen, McDowall, Mealor, Messaien, Mozart, Pamintuan, Praulins, Rachmaninoff, Raminsh, Sisask, Stopford, Todd, Whitacre and Willan.
At present the choir consists of 35 singers, 5 of which are paid leads. The defining, galvanizing trait of this group is its deep desire to sing challenging, rewarding sacred music, knowing that all things are possible when we are of one heart, one mind… and a common work ethic.
Our rewards as members of a church choir consist of those exceptional moments of music-making that grace our worship and deepen our spirituality. The sublime beauty and expressiveness of extraordinary sacred music, we believe, can both strengthen our United Church community as well as transcend the boundaries of denomination, drawing us all together in God’s love.
Regular rehearsals take place Thursdays from 7:30-9:30pm. The choir generally gathers on Sundays at 9:00am to warm-up for our 10:00am service.
Past Highlights
December 2019
Lessons and Carols Service – Shaughnessy Heights United Church Music by: Warland, Honegger, Klimek, Lauridsen, Memley, Forrest
November 2019
Remembrance Sunday – Shaughnessy Heights United Church Music by: Arnesen, Guest, Jacobson/Emerson, Daley, and Lewis
Audio Sample: Partial recording of Sanctus (from Missa Brevis) by Jonathan Dove. Used with the kind permission of the composer and Edition Peters.
A musical summary of September 2018 – June 2019
The Sanctuary Choir sang a total of 104 anthems of which 28 were new to the group, including 2 world premieres: Blest Are They by Sam Dabrusin and Sowiet die Wolken wehen by Richard Froese.
Repertoire included music by composers such as Antognini, Arnesen, Biebl, Briggs, Bruckner, Bullard, Burchard, Dove, Esenvalds, Fauré, Forrest, Gabrielli, Handel, Haydn, Hayes, Hogan, Lauridsen, Martin, Pamintuan, Pousseur, Praulins, Rizza, Rutter, Stopford, Todd and Whitbourn.
January 2019
Ecumenical Week of Prayer – Shaughnessy Heights United Church Music by: Arnesen, Dove, Hagenberg and Pamintuan
December 2018
Lessons & Carols Service – Shaughnessy Heights United Church Music by: Biebl, Forrest, Honegger, King, Lauridsen, Warland and Woo
November 2018
Guest Choir: Fall Festival Concert – Cariboo Hill Salvation Army Temple, Burnaby Music by: Arnesen, Forrest, Hagenberg, Hayes, Parker, Stopford and Todd
July 2016
One of our most memorable highlights, undoubtedly, was our 2016 European tour which saw us singing in both Protestant and Catholic churches, cathedrals and monasteries in Austria, Germany and France. Anyone who has toured with a choir knows that it is an incomparable experience on a personal, social, musical, cultural and spiritual level. We sang in venues whose long history and beauty left us speechless; we learned what it means to know repertoire deeply for having sung it night after night; we made new friends and closer friends, and were recipients of unexpected generous hospitality; we came to realize that sacred music does indeed transcend nationality and denomination, and that our musical offerings were not only appreciated but deeply felt; and, finally, we realized how every moment of a tour abroad was a true gift for a Canadian church choir like ours.
Please click on the photos below to see their captions.
March 2016
Tenebrae Service – Holy Rosary Catholic Cathedral, Vancouver
December 2015
Lessons & Carols Concert – Shaughnessy Heights United Church
March 2015
Tenebrae Service – Holy Rosary Catholic Cathedral, Vancouver
October, 2014
Thanksgiving Service with Amabilis Singers – Shaughnessy Heights United Church
May 2014
Concert – Holy Rosary Catholic Cathedral, Vancouver (Recorded live for Gloria CD) Music by: Briggs, Dove, Forrest, Gjeilo, L’Estrange, Luengen, Mulet, Praulins, Stopford and Widor
June 2013
Tour to Seattle – St. James Catholic Cathedral and St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral
January 2013
Mass – Westminster Abbey, Mission (Ecumenical and musical outreach)
May 2011
Mass – Holy Rosary Cathedral, Vancouver
May 2011
Tour to Seattle – St. James Catholic Cathedral and Plymouth United Church of Christ
October 2010
Fauré Requiem with Phoenix Chamber Choir – Holy Rosary Catholic Cathedral, Vancouver
April 2009
Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem with Amabilis Singers – Shaughnessy Heights United Church
April 2007
Fauré Requiem with Amabilis Singers – Shaughnessy Heights United Church
April 2007
CD: Music for Holy Week Music by: Bach, Fauré, Handel, Hawley, Lotti, Mozart and Müller
