Music
St. Bartholomew’s has a comprehensive music program, and offers fulfillment to members at all levels of experience.
Our music department involves more than 70 members, distributed among three choirs. We support three Choral Scholars in the Canterbury Choir and also have an opening for an Organ Scholar. The choir season aligns with the academic calendar year, with rehearsals beginning in late August and ending in late May.
In addition to liturgy, the music department sponsors many concerts throughout the year. Many of these concerts are free, and a few ask for donations to support the musicians.
Organ
The Rosales organ at St. Bartholomew’s is recognized as one of the finest in the area.
Both the superb voicing and generous acoustic of the nave have secured the success of the instrument as it continues to attract many renowned artists and visitors. The organ is Manuel Rosales’s Opus 29, and stands among an impressive roster of revolutionary instruments, including: Trinity Cathedral in Portland, OR; Rice University, Houston, TX (in collaboration with C.B. Fisk); Clairmont UCC Church, in Clairmont, CA; St. James Cathedral in Seattle, WA; and most famously, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles (in collaboration with Glatter-Goetz). The specifications of the organ may be found HERE.
Through the Friends of the Organ, patrons from inside and outside the parish commit their support to the health and longevity of this instrument. Patrons contribute to an endowment for major repairs which are inevitable with all great organs. This fund covers costs beyond budgeted maintenance and repairs. To learn more about our organ and the Friends of the Organ please view the Friends of the Organ brochure. If you are interested in becoming a member of the Friends of the Organ or contributing to the fund you may do so HERE.
Choirs
‘Those who sing, pray twice.’ – St. Augustine
The Choirs of St. Bartholomew’s involve the time and talent of more than 70 individuals from different backgrounds, age groups, and experience.
The Canterbury Choir is a dedicated group of 30 singers. They sing challenging repertoire from a wide spectrum based in the English cathedral tradition as well as music from other cultures and traditions. The choir maintains a high standard of excellence and is often invited to sing for Diocesan functions. The Canterbury Choir rehearses on Wednesdays from 7:30pm to 9:30pm. This group sings the 11:00am service of Holy Eucharist three Sundays a month, as well as regular Evensongs, and most major Feast Days. Membership is by audition to anyone who can read music and commit to the schedule.
The Treble Choir is made up of 18 Choristers ages 8-18. This group, which follows the curriculum of the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM), sings twice monthly. Choristers receive one-on-one training with private Mentors, and rehearse together on Wednesdays from 6:00pm to 7:15pm.
Members of this choir also enjoy choir tours every other year. Most recently they travelled to Orlando, Florida, where they sang Sunday morning services and evensong at All Saints’, Winter Park, and made a pilgrimage to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Membership is open by a simple vocal interview. Any chorister who can match pitch and who, along with their parents can commit to the rehearsal and service schedule can join this choir.
Schola Cantorum
of St. Bartholomew’s
Founded in 1994, the 15 member Schola Cantorum of St. Bartholomew’s is made up of select members of the Canterbury Choir, as well as auditioned members from outside the Parish. This group sings completely acapella repertoire in the context of twice-monthly Compline.
St. Bartholomew’s is a community who prays. We pray together. We pray alone. We pray for one another through the ministry of the Prayer Chain, and through our parish prayer list which can be found on the weekly announcement sheet. Submit your prayer requests by calling the clergy or the church office, or by emailing your name and details to admin@stbartsatlanta.org. If you have a pastoral emergency, please call the church office at 404-634-3336 and press 5 to be connected to the clergy on call number.
Tower Bells
Their voice has gone unto all the earth indicates the missionary purpose of our bells. They sound out in our community the joy and solemnity of the Christian faith. It is fitting that Their Voice Is Gone Out Into all the Earth, the gift of the entire parish, was made as a Christmas offering in thanksgiving for God’s incarnation. It is also fitting that the bell given by the Churchmen was named St. Bede, for St. Bede’s Church in Tucker was the first mission church organized by St. Bartholomew’s and gives concrete expression to our missionary purpose.
The eight tower bells, which were dedicated in May 1964, were made by the Taylor Bell Foundry of London. Each bell, in keeping with the ancient tradition that thinks of bells as having some traits of human personality, has its own name.
The Smallest Bell, the gift of Mr. & Mrs. John F. Templeton, in memory of their daughter,
is named Miriam.
The Seconds Bell, given anonymously, is named Magnificat, in honor of the Virgin Mary.
The Third Bell, the gift of Mr. & Mrs. William Bement, is named Peace.
The Fourth Bell, in part the gift of Mr. & Mrs. Donald Shimp, is named Benedicte.
The Fifth Bell, the gift of the Churchmen of the parish, is named St. Bede.
The Sixth Bell, the gift of Dr. & Mrs. A. J. Walker, in memory of Edith & William Walker, is named Jubilate Deo.
The Seventh Bell, the gift in part of Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth G. Taylor and in part the gift of the Siefferman family in memory of Emily Cogger Cram, is named Gloria in Excelsis.
The Largest Bell, the gift of the Parish through the 1963 Christmas offering, is named
Their Voice Is Gone Out Into All the Earth.
Prayerfully consider what is meaningful for you to give for the 2024 church year. For many, that means giving 10 percent (the biblical tithe) of your income to God’s work. For others, tithing is a goal reached by increasing giving by two or three percent each year. We invite you to make a pledge that reflects God’s generosity in your life, and if possible increase your previous level of giving. Your pledge helps the Vestry establish the Annual Budget and is very much appreciated.
Concerts
Our Director of Music and Organist
Stephen Frketic
We invite you to learn more about our music program. For additional information, please contact our Choirmaster, Stephen Frketic.
Lauda Musicam
Lauda Musicam of Atlanta meets at St. Bartholomew’s weekly to rehearse historical music on instruments appropriate for the time period in which the music was written. Members are those who share a common joy in the study and performance of medieval, renaissance, and baroque music. Concertgoers will hear Lauda Musicam perform on viols, recorders, harp, sackbuts, harpsichord, cornettos, crumhorns, cornamuses, voice, and other historically appropriate instruments. Please contact Jody Miller for information about joining or visit the ensemble’s website at www.laudamusicam.org
New Trinity Baroque
New Trinity Baroque (NTB) is St. Bartholomew’s official ensemble-in-residence, featuring world-class, professional musicians performing masterworks of the 17th and 18th centuries on period instruments. NTB has called St. Bartholomew’s home for six years and presents six concerts annually in the nave. NTB consistently receives critical acclaim and is in demand at international music festivals in the U.S. and in Europe. All concerts are preceded by free pre-concert talks featuring notable musicologists, as well as NTB musicians and audience members who share interesting stories about composers and their music. Tickets may be purchased at the door the evening of the performance. To view the entire season calendar and to purchase tickets, visit www.newtrinitybaroque.org. Discounted tickets for St. Bartholomew’s parishioners are $15 for adults, $5 for students, a significant discount off of general admission prices.
Friends of the Organ Concert Series
Friends of the Organ present 3 organ concerts throughout the year. These concerts reflect not only the organ’s natural inclination toward the music in the style of J.S. Bach, but the organ’s great flexibility in playing many styles and periods of music. The Concert Series raises money for the Friends of the Organ fund. Members of Friends of the Organ get in free.
Tickets:
Members of Friends of the Organ – free entry
General admission – $20
Students & Music Educators – $10