In July 2023, Fr. Nathan Humphrey, rector of St. Thomas’s in Toronto, announced the appointment of Manuel (Manny) Giovanni Piazza as assistant organist and choirmaster. He had studied under John Tuttle, the parish’s organist emeritus.
The St. Thomas’s Choristers program was the single largest initiative launched in the parish in 2023. Children ages 7 to 17 (from second grade to 12th) rehearse every Thursday and sing at the 9:30 a.m. Sunday Sung Mass. The young choristers bring in family members, which swells the congregation somewhat. Currently about 60 people attend this service.
Sue Careless spoke with Manuel Piazza about the St. Thomas’s Choristers.
What is exciting about leading children in a choir?
It’s incredibly rewarding to share the gift of choral music with kids and witness them discovering the joy of singing together. In less than a year, the choristers have shown remarkable growth and progress. We started in September [2023] with simple solfège exercises and some easy hymns from other traditions programmed as our “anthems.”
Since then, our choristers have sung repertoire such as the first movement of Pergolesi’s Stabat mater, the soprano/alto duet from BWV 15, Simon Lole’s The Father’s Love, and Charles Villiers Stanford’s A Song of Wisdom. Kids who had hardly done any singing prior to the fall are now requesting to rehearse their favorite pieces, singing high notes effortlessly, and answering complex music theory questions, all while forming new friendships.
What is particularly challenging about leading a children’s choir?
I’d say the biggest challenges so far have been recruitment (despite the program being free!) and maintaining consistent attendance. Every choir struggles with attendance, but it’s especially crucial with smaller groups. We currently have eight children who sing with one parent, who provides some extra support and leadership, usually soprano MerryAnne Stuart and occasionally Suzanne Coultes. Sometimes, due to illness or other extracurricular conflicts, we’ve only had five choristers, but these days are also an opportunity for those present to practice leadership. The kids step up to the plate and that’s when the most growth happens.
Were you a child chorister yourself?
Yes, I was a chorister at St. Michael’s Choir School [in Toronto] from grades three to 12. It’s where I discovered a love for sacred choral music, especially Renaissance polyphony and plainsong, which attracted me to St. Thomas’s later in life. It’s very exciting to be passing this tradition on to the next generation. Our vision for the St. Thomas’s Choristers is equally inspired by the chorister programs at Truro Cathedral (Cornwall, England), Trinity Church on the Green (New Haven, Conn.), and Trinity Church (Boston).
Do the older choristers help the younger ones?
Absolutely! Given our wide age range, we aim to foster a culture of mentorship. We are very lucky to have a head chorister who is already quite experienced and can help the younger ones find a piece, page, or bar number; demonstrate how to mark their scores; and remind them about posture, etc. As the junior choristers gained experience in the fall, they were also given mentorship opportunities when even younger children joined the choir. Kids love to help teach and lead. Not only does it encourage good behavior and engaged participation; it’s a really wonderful way to help a child develop confidence and leadership (and that’s what choir is all about).
Are other adults helping you with the children’s choir?
Yes. There is also mentorship from the other adults involved in the program. We would not have been able to do this without Ms. Stuart, who has been a spectacular co-teacher all year round. Crystal Sayler, another soprano who sings with the High Mass choir, has led one-on-one and small-group vocal coaching sessions with some of the kids while others do music theory. This kind of individualized instruction on vocal technique from such a qualified and competent singer is one of the reasons the choir has shown so much musical growth in a relatively short period of time.
The choristers also occasionally get to sing with other adults, sometimes even in four-part harmony. Last year on Christmas Eve, they sang with the ATBs [Altos, Tenors, and Basses], with repertoire including Darke’s In the Bleak Midwinter, an Anglican chant, and some of the well-loved Christmas descants by David Willcocks. It was a wonderful opportunity for them to witness professional choral singers in action.
Our director of music, Elizabeth Anderson, also directs and sings with the choristers from time to time, and it’s always a really formative experience for them. I think the best part of our new Chorister program at St. T’s is that it’s being nourished, supported, and encouraged by all of these folks, and the kids see that they’re making music in the context of a larger musical community.
What will the young people be singing this Christmas?
This Advent and Christmas season has been a busy one for the St. Thomas’s Choristers. In addition to dusting off their favorite Christmas Eve music from last year, they joined members of our adult choirs in singing backup for Canadian jazz legend Molly Johnson in a sold-out benefit concert. This was a fun and enriching experience for them, as they don’t usually get to sing jazz in church, and Molly embodies such a strong love for music.
We have also been working on the top line of Benjamin Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols, starting with Balulalow and This Little Babe, which we began practicing in our August choir day camp. The choristers will perform it with some Soprano 2s and Altos from the adult choirs on January 12 as a prelude to our Epiphany Carol service. It’s a quintessential Christmastide piece and some of the best music composed for upper-voice choir, so we are very excited to present it.
A version of this story was first published in The Anglican Planet.
Sue Careless is senior editor of The Anglican Planet and author of the series Discovering the Book of Common Prayer: A Hands-On Approach. She is based in Toronto.