St. Andrew’s seeks choral scholars for upcoming season

Are you a high school student who loves to sing and wants to earn a few dollars for your education?

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St. Andrew’s United Church is looking for you.

With the choral scholar program in its ninth year, Devon Hansen, music director for the Chatham church, is seeking a few more participants for the upcoming season.

“Up until COVID, (participation) was really solid. We typically have four to six choral scholars per year. But the number varies,” he said. “Some went on to music schools afterwards. But some just enjoyed doing it and went on to do other things.”

In return for their service, participants receive a $1,000 scholarship.

Hansen said such programs are generally more common in larger cities with cathedral churches, noting he’s pleased to offer it locally.

“We’re kind of taking the cathedral model. “We are an education hub for music,” he said. “They get to do all the big shows, the ones at the Capitol, the Christmas concerts … and random concerts throughout the year.”

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Another benefit is the camaraderie and mentorship available to young vocalists.

“A lot of music is experience-based. Giving them this opportunity to sing with 40 people, sing with an orchestra, sing with a band, sing with an organ,” Hansen said. “And on such a consistent level, you don’t get that anymore.

“We always say music is lonely, because if you think of private lessons, you go and sit with your teacher in a one-on-one room once a week, then you go practice by yourself. Ensembles are so important, because you get that group environment.”

Having the intergenerational interaction is “really big” for a student’s development, Hansen added.

“A nice thing is a lot of them have come back afterwards,” he said. “They’re reaching out and they’re continually still staying involved.”

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Although it’s been more than four years since the COVID-19 pandemic, Hansen said many music programs are still recovering and trying to get the word out.

He hopes to regain some of the lost momentum.

“I think it’s just awareness (being) the big one,” he said. “The program was really growing pre-COVID. You have students in it every year and those students start to tell their friends.

“With COVID, all the music programs in the city kind of died for a little while … The schools don’t have the ensembles that they used to.”

Despite having a church as a venue, Hansen stressed it’s about breaking barriers.

“We’re not trying to evangelize you. We’re here because we all like to sing and we’re doing music together,” he said.

For more information on the choral scholar program, or to inquire about auditioning, contact Hansen at [email protected]or visit https://www.standrewschatham.org/choralscholars

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