MUSIC

Royal School of Church Music America (RSCM) 2012 RSCMA Gulf Coast Course for Girls and Adults presents Evensong, at 6:30pm Wednesday, June 27 at Christ Church Cathedral.

Young female choristers from throughout the country will be in Houston this summer to gain experience learning and presenting difficult “cathedral-style” repertoire through the Royal School of Church Music America (RSCMA) Gulf Coast Training Course for Girls and Adults.

“RSCMA summer training courses are like the sacred choral music equivalent of Duke University’s Talent Identification Program (TIP), which brings gifted and talented students with initiative and enthusiasm for learning to university experts who are eager to ignite young minds,” explained Courtney Daniell-Knapp, Director of Music at Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church and Co-Manager of this summer’s Gulf Coast Course.

“Our talented choristers dedicate a week of their summer,” she continued, “to prepare and present sophisticated ‘adult’ repertoire at a level of excellence that is remarkable for girls as young as ten.”

During this course, which resides at the University of St. Thomas, they will sing

• Wednesday, June 27, at 6:30 p.m. Evensong at Christ Church Cathedral, 1117 Texas Avenue
• Friday, June 29, at 7 p.m. Messiah concert with orchestra at Episcopal Church of the Epiphany, 9600 South Gessner
• Sunday, July 1, at 11 a.m. Eucharist at Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church, 6221 Main

Each day begins with Morning Prayer and is filled with exhaustive rehearsals interspersed with fun and enlightening activities, closing with Compline. They also conduct a service project during the week, and evenings include a “spa night” and a talent show.

“In today’s world, it is rare to find a place where young ladies can come together and just be girls,” said Anna Teagarden, Co-Manager of the course and Director of Children’s Music at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church. “To add the privilege of creating excellence to the glory of God adds another level of magnificence.”

“The sacred music experience provided by the RSCMA summer courses has been irreplaceable for our daughters,” said Dan Miller, whose oldest daughter Meghan was among those from St. Paul’s at the first RSCMA Gulf Coast Course in 2006. Now St. Paul’s Children’s Music Head Chorister, she was joined by her sister Mallory in 2008, and this year their sister McKenna will attend with them for the first time.

Their mother, Cassie Brown, adds, “Our daughters are intimately involved in the worship experience at St. Paul’s, through the music and liturgy that we are fortunate to celebrate. The RSCMA Gulf Coast Course is a place where girls like ours can come together for an intensive week of worship, liturgy, musical instruction, and fellowship with other girls from around the country.

“They have learned that in working together with others in community, they have been a part of a greater and larger worship experience, bringing meaning and joy through music.

“What could be sweeter,” Brown concluded, “than young voices lifted up to God?”

This summer’s clinicians are Joseph Causby, choirmaster of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in San Antonio, and Robert Brewer, organist of St. David’s Episcopal Church in San Antonio.

If interested in learning more about RSCMA opportunities in Houston throughout the year, please contact St. Paul’s’ Teagarden at annateagarden@msn.com  or 713-446-2428 or Palmer’s Daniell-Knapp at cdknapp@palmerchurch.org  or 713-529-6196 x114.

RSCM America (RSCMA) is the branch of the Royal School of Church Music in the United States. Their website states: “Our goal is to uplift the spiritual life of our communities through high quality choral music. We provide musical education to singers through a structured choral music program and summer music courses. We provide support to music directors through an organizational forum which facilitates the exchange of knowledge and ideas. Through our efforts to raise the quality of choral music performance, we have touched the lives of multitudes of singers and listeners.

“RSCM was founded in England in 1927 by Sir Sydney Nicholson, organist of Westminster Abbey. Originally called the School of English Church Music (SECM), the organization consisted of a training college for church musicians (called the College of St. Nicolas) and an association of affiliated churches committed to attaining high standards of musical performance.

“The RSCM has grown to become an international and ecumenical organization, with more than 11,000 affiliates in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Nigeria, and throughout Europe.

“RSCMA has more than 400 affiliates crossing denominational lines and the boundaries of nearly every state. RSCMA has its own board of directors supervising RSCM programs in the United States.”

Most photos by Cassie Brown.