School Choirs

In the Grace Church School Choir Program, children learn musical skills, have fun with friends, and contribute their talents and leadership to our worship services. They grow tremendously through this program and form strong attachments to the church. Our choir program is known for its fun and excellence. The kids develop significantly as singers and as members of a choral group. They learn to sight-read through appropriately challenging rehearsals; they sing on every Sunday morning; and they meet one-on-one with Dr. Anne to progress through different musical skill levels certified by The Royal School of Choral Music.

The members of the Grace School Choirs are treble singers in grades 3 through 12. (Some Second Graders join this choir with special permission.) They sing every week at the 9 am Sunday service and have performed at the Washington National Cathedral and for the National Choral Council in NYC. : They have released four CDs: Younger Generations, Gloria!, Halloween Concert, and Angel. Contact the parish office if you wish to purchase any of these.

School Choir I: Children in grades 3 through 5 (and Second Graders who have received special permission) rehearse with Dr. Anne. Rehearsals start with a snack in the kitchen and end with a half hour of combined rehearsal with the older singers in School Choir II. In addition to learning service music, anthems, and musical skills, School Choir I plays musical games and ring handbells.

School Choir II: Youth in grades 6 through 12 rehearse with Dr. Anne. School Choir II members learn more advanced music, sing in two and three part harmony, and learn descants, solos, and more complicated bell parts.

High School Choir continues until 5:45 pm on Fridays to learn more advanced small ensemble music.

Older Youth are welcome at Adult Choir rehearsal on Thursdays when their voices change or if they have a Friday scheduling conflict.

The Gargoyles are a young men's a cappella ensemble based at Grace Church, under the artistic direction of Dr. Anne Matlack and conducted by PJ Livesey, baritone, a 2005 graduate of The College of New Jersey and long-time member of the choir program at Grace. The other seven boys range in age from 8th to 12th grade, and include two American Boychoir School graduates, and represent several schools including Madison High School, Madison Junior School, Newark Academy and Frelingheysen. Their repertoire ranges from spirituals to sacred music, barbershop and popular. In the three years since their founding, they have given acclaimed performances at community and diocesan events, and collaborated with the Duke’s Men of Yale, Drew University's 36 Madison Ave., and The Hermitage Ensemble of St. Petersburg, Russia.

Daughters of Zion is our high school girls group that prepare more challenging SSA repertoire both for services and community events.