Music Program Notes

Music adds tremendously to worship in the Episcopal tradition. From hymns to anthems to service music, selections for both the choir and the congregation are chosen and prepared with great care and love. The music program at All Saints is vital to the life of the church and diverse in its roots.

Congregational singing at All Saints draws from the full range of traditions found in the Episcopal Hymnal. The congregation enjoys traditional favorites, but also has embraced many modern pieces as well. A typical service at All Saints will draw from several sources including Anglican and American Protestant hymns and also from more modern songs included in the Hymnal.  In addition, we have provided an opportunity in the recent past for those who enjoy more contemporary songs of worship to experience a more relaxed worship experience in a separate earlier service.

The choral tradition at All Saints is very strong. The role of the choir is to lead the congregation in hymns and service music and to provide special music, especially at the Offertory and Communion that reflects the theme of the readings for the day’s worship. Our choir formally meets from September through May to prepare anthems. In addition, we draw on the individual talents of our members to provide special music for holidays and through the summer months. Anthems prepared by the choir can be ancient or modern and from a broad range musical traditions including American, European, and from other cultures.

The organ at All Saints provides both service music and support for choral and congregational singing. Our organ was one of three originally installed in the three mainline Protestant churches in Roanoke Rapids in the early 1900’s by Sam Patterson, founder of Patterson Cotton Mills, and was the only surviving original instrument of the three. It was completely restored by The Austin Organ Company of Winston Salem, NC in 1966, insuring that it would remain a strong element of worship for years to come. Our organist, Judith Harris, is an institution at All Saints, and she provides a beautiful variety of service music and creatively supports the choir and congregation with her playing.

In the year 2000, the next rebuilding of the organ necessitated an up-grade and expansion of the original organ. W. Zimmer and Sons, Inc. of Charlotte, N.C. was commissioned to build the new instrument. Twenty per cent of the original pipes were incorporated in the new organ; and, together with the new pipes and components, the new instrument produces beautiful, expressive sounds that have never been heard before in All Saints’ Church.

Our Music Director Jim Lee, is a professionally-trained tenor who has sung with many choirs and small ensembles in addition to his solo repertoire. He has performed with choral groups in Carnegie Hall and in the great cathedrals of Europe. Jim has also sung minor roles and with the choruses of Opera Carolina in Charlotte and the Opera Company of North Carolina in Raleigh.

The goal of the music program at All Saints is to provide music on as professional a level as possible and on as diverse a basis as possible to support worship. To that end, we hope to provide opportunities, as we have done in the recent past, for additional music to be performed by our children and by ringers utilizing our two octaves of hand bells. Please join us as we continue a second hundred years of providing music for worship at All Saints.