From the Organ Bench - September 2009

Greetings Friends! Well, another summer has come and gone. Maybe it’s not done yet; but it’s almost there. I write this in the midst of a heat wave in August that makes me yearn for autumn and those cool nights and crisp mornings. There is just something about getting back into the fall schedule that feels right to me. Since I have mentioned the fall schedule here it is!

The Sanctuary Choir will begin rehearsals on Thursday, September 9, 2009 (9/9/09 wow!) at 7:00 PM . Please note that the time is earlier than normal. This is so that we can get a jump on our fall music while not staying out too late at that first rehearsal. The Bell Choir will begin rehearsals the next week on Thursday, September 16, 2009 at 7:00 PM and the Sanctuary Choir rehearsal will move to their normal time of 8:00 PM. The Bell Choir will NOT be rehearsing in the Sanctuary. We should have our new Bell Tables completed by then and we will become “mobile”. We are currently looking for a location that we can use for rehearsal where we can leave the tables up from week to week. Before I forget this; my thanks to Charlie Sasso for making our new Bell Tables. I was able to borrow a Bell Table from Watchung Presbyterian and Charlie was able to not only replicate it but improve upon the design.

Since I seem to be in a non sequitur mode I would like to explain one other thing. Several of you have noticed that we changed the name of the adult vocal choir. We used to call them the Chancel Choir, but since they spend most of their time in the Choir Loft in the Balcony, and not in the Chancel, that name didn’t seem right. During the spring when our Worship Service location became variable, I toyed with different names just for fun and sometimes out of frustration. In the long run, we have settled on the “Sanctuary Choir”. It just seems to fit.

Much has transpired over the summer months, even though at times it felt like a snail's pace. The Hand Bells were sent out for reconditioning. The piano in the Choir Room received a new set of keys. Major progress was made on the computer catalog of the music library. On the down side, our new Pipe Organ was put into “moth balls” so to speak in June and has not been playable since that time. This was done to protect the instrument from the work that took place in the Sanctuary during the summer months. We will not be in a position to put it back to rights until Session receives the final report on the state of the ceiling/roof/wall sometime in September. It makes sense to keep it protected until all of the work in the area is completed. We are planning something special the day we unwrap the organ. I try to think of it as getting the opportunity to open a present twice.

I would like to close this first letter of the new “Church Year” with an invitation. I invite you to get involved in your Church music program. I thank those Choir members who will be returning. We will miss those that have moved away. And we welcome those new members that we have not yet met. I look forward to working with all of you as our journey together continues.

Peace,
Tim Tarantino

Past messages from the Director of Music:
July 2009: From the Organ Bench - July 2009
April 2009: From the Organ Bench - April 2009
November 2008: From the Organ Bench - November 2008