By Anne W. Semmes
At Christ Church Greenwich, there is a thriving chorister world for young people beginning at kindergarten through second grade (St. Nicholas Choir), continuing through high school (Men & Boys Choir and St. Cecilia Choir for girls), with that growing love of music sometimes following into college singing, and into a career!
“Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day” is that traditional English carol and a favorite of 13-year-old chorister Gianna Schwimmer to sing. She’s an eighth grader, singing in the St. Cecilia choir, now into her seventh chorister year. George Belshaw III, also an eighth grader, who sings in the Men & Boys Choir, and into his seventh year, has a favorite: “George Dyson’s Magnificat mass in F major is a really nice thing I like to sing,” he tells.
Gianna is a soprano “one.” Having played the piano from the age of four, she’s “always been pretty connected to music,” and now she’s learning to play the organ. Being in the choir has helped her “connect to God, and I’ve also made a lot of friends that are now really close to me.”
George is a tenor and speaks to his singing experience. “You learn music theory and you learn about God. You’re kind of singing to Him as well…You get to speak the words that He has said once in a way that brings people in and makes people interested and fills people with emotion…You can just express His words in a whole new way.”
“You don’t have to have any religious affiliation to be a member of the choir,” states Jamie Hitel, Director of Music at Christ Church. “We accept everyone from all different backgrounds. And I think, the more diversity we can have in our choirs, the better.” He adds, “We do talk about faith, and we are not apologetic about that because where else do kids get to debate and think about the big questions? They can’t do it necessarily in school and we don’t tell them what to think, but we give them the linguistic tools with which to explore the bigger questions.”
Hitel is British-American and brings his organ playing and love of sacred music across the pond – his first eight years as music director at St. Paul’s Church in Akron, Ohio, and his last 14 years as Christ Church Director of Music. In his office he points to a row of different color ribbons with medallions that his choristers earn over the years. Both the Men & Boys Choir and the St. Cecilia Choir are accredited members of the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM), a Christian music education program. Choristers work their way from the light blue, to dark blue, red, silver, and gold ribbon. “It’s a high level of attainment in music theory, vocal technique, and theological understanding,” says Hitel. “The main difference with Silver and Gold,” he notes, “is that these levels are assessed externally by an independent examiner.”
Gianna addresses those ribbons: “With each level you get far more advanced stuff, and then when you get higher in the levels, you get more opportunities for things like solos and duets. I think that’s cool.”
“You learn a lot about notes,” Gianna adds, “and how to study music, such as sight reading. You definitely get better at reading music…and it does help you become a better singer.” For her red ribbon she had to write an essay on either a composer or a piece of music. “I did ‘Ceremony of Carols,’ which is a Christmas set of pieces by Benjamin Britten, so I included a lot of information about him as well.”
Surprising it was to learn these young choristers are paid a stipend for their singing service. “We hold students to the same standards as the church,” says Hitel. Their stipends run from $3 per church service, up to $10 for each of the two head choristers. The top earners are said to make “about $100 each choir semester.”
But Gianna shares she earned a hundred plus for her last semester last year. “It depends on your attendance,” she says, “how much you show up.” She’s not challenged with showing up. “It’s like two hours [practice] a week,” and “There’s no homework…All you have to do is just focus on that one hour and do your best, and you get to sing on Sundays about twice a month.”
For George it’s not “about the money,” he says. “It’s more of a volunteer thing. It’s just a little extra push to keep doing it. I don’t think people really go to choir to get the money, but I think it’s a great outcome to get a little something back.”
What’s really beautiful for George is going on those summer choir trips to the UK. And this past summer it was to Canterbury Cathedral. “You get to sing in some of the most beautiful cathedrals in the world, especially Canterbury. Being able to sing for the Archbishop of Canterbury was something really amazing. Just being able to go to a different country to share the music that we get to share with everyone in Greenwich – it’s just something that’s really wonderful.”
It was the size of that Canterbury Cathedral that struck Gianna. “It was like grand to sing in because we don’t have that many opportunities to sing in a church like that. There were definitely a lot of people there that I hope enjoyed our music.” With her next UK trip in 2024 to be Westminster Abbey, “I’m very excited,” she says.
George has a big sister, Alice Belshaw who is a Christ Church chorister graduate. She is now a graduate of the University of the South at Sewanee, TN, where she studied music. She’s applying for a graduate degree in music, hoping for a career in choir singing. In her choir singing years from 2nd to 12th grades, she can count singing in seven cathedrals in England including Westminster Abbey and Windsor Castle.
She attributes her “real passion for choral singing absolutely” from her singing years at Christ Church. “And the great thing about [teacher] Jamie is that in classical music, with conductors and musicians, people can get sort of pretentious. But he isn’t that at all. He’s got this great sense of humor and he makes it fun for everyone. But at the same time, he means business and he’s on top of it. And he’s a great, great teacher. And he’s really good at keeping order, too. He keeps everyone on task. The kids are always paying attention, and he’s just really good at what he does. And I owe him a lot for that.”
Newly assisting Hitel is Holly Scovell, the new Liturgy and Music Administrator. She is also from Akron, Ohio, and was a long serving chorister as was her father in St. Paul’s Church where Hitel served as music director. She is seeing at Christ Church that same generational serving choristers. “As people grow up, they want their children to have the same experience that they had, even if they don’t sing now. I think that’s a big recruiting tool at this point.”
Surely that new organ is playing its part in the choristers experience.
“It’s been amazing,” says George. “It’s smaller, it’s more grand and it supports the choir so much better. I think it just makes me want to sing more than the other one did. Just helps bring out everybody’s emotion when they’re singing and their urge to sing and their excitement about being able to go to church every Sunday, being able to sing with such a wonderful instrument.”
“The new organ has been a revelation,” says Hitel. “We always said that it would assist the choirs and the congregations in their singing. We thought it would happen over a period of months or maybe years – it’s happened instantaneously. Immediately the choirs are singing with more confidence, they feel supported by the sound, and I have never heard the congregation sing so wholeheartedly at Christ Church and it’s all down to the new organ.”
“So, now with this new organ in place,” Hitel continues, “It causes us to think – hopefully the pandemic is behind us, that this is a great time to reboot our chorister program, to make sure that everyone in the community knows that it’s here, that it’s open to everyone and that we’ve got exciting plans in the future.” And then there’s those three choristers now taking organ lessons with Hitel’s associate Jonathan Vaughn, “who weren’t before so it’s obviously getting into their system.”
For information on how your child can join a choir at Christ Church visit music@christchurchgreenwich.org or call 203-869-6600 ext. 23.
