St. Paul's Choir School facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St. Paul's Choir School |
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| Address | |
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29 Mount Auburn Street
, United States
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| Coordinates | 42°22′15″N 71°06′55″W / 42.3708°N 71.1154°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Private, Day, Choir school |
| Motto | Repleatur os meum laude tua ("Let my mouth be filled with Your praise") |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1963 |
| Headmaster | Dr. Thomas Eric Haferd |
| Pastor | Rev. William T. Kelly |
| Interim Director of Music | Richard Webster |
| Faculty | 15 |
| Grades | 3-8 |
| Gender | Boys |
| Enrollment | up to 65 |
| Campus | Urban |
| Color(s) | Maroon |
 The Church of St. Paul (Harvard Square), where St. Paul's Choir School is located |
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St. Paul's Choir School is a special school for boys who love to sing. It's a Catholic choir school in Cambridge, Massachusetts, right by Harvard Square. The school is part of St. Paul’s Church.
It was started in 1963 by Theodore Marier. This school is for boys in third through eighth grades. It's the only boys' choir school in the United States linked to the Roman Catholic Church. The school teaches and trains the boys who sing in the St. Paul's choir. These boys sing the high parts, called soprano. The choir sings for church services and performs in the Boston area.
Contents
The Choir
The St. Paul's Choir is a traditional church choir with boys and men. The boys in the choir are in grades 5-8 and go to St. Paul's Choir School. The men are professional singers from local music schools.
Boys have been singing at St. Paul's Church since it was built in 1923. The choir is known for singing many kinds of church music. This includes old Gregorian chant and newer songs. The choir mostly sings for church services. They also perform with orchestras in Boston. The full choir is often asked to sing at concerts, weddings, and funerals.
School History
St. Paul's Choir School began in 1963. It was founded by Theodore Marier and Monsignor Augustine F. Hickey. They started the school because the Vatican wanted city churches to have their own boys' choir schools.
The school opened in September with 25 students. These boys were in fifth through eighth grades and came from all over the Boston area. The school was planned as a four-year program. It was for students who were good at school and had musical talent.
Students spent two periods each day on music. They also had extra practice with the men in the choir. The music program taught them how to read music, understand music, and play instruments. Under Mr. Marier's lead, the boys sang with other groups.
In the early years, the choir performed with famous groups. They sang with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at places like Symphony Hall and Tanglewood. They also performed with the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra. The choir even performed the Nutcracker Suite every year with the Boston Ballet.
For a while, the school was called the Boston Archdiocesan Choir School. After its 50th birthday, it went back to its original name.
After Mr. Marier retired in 1986, John Dunn took over as music director. He had been involved with the church's music since 1960. Mr. Dunn led the choir in recordings, concerts, and tours. He also made sure more students joined the school. In 1991, a new building was built for the school. By 2007, the school was fully approved by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.
In 2008, John Dunn retired. Jennifer Lester, who had been his assistant, became the new Director of Music. She had studied music in Vienna and at Yale University.
In 2010, John Robinson (Church Musician) became the Director of Music. He had worked at Canterbury Cathedral in England. Mr. Robinson helped the choir sing more often for church services. He also added more songs for the boys' voices. He brought in professional male singers to the choir. The school also started using a new music theory program. In 2012, the school added a fourth-grade level.
In 2015, the choir became well-known after releasing their album Christmas in Harvard Square. This recording was very popular. In 2017, they released their second album, Ave Maria.
John Robinson left the school in 2019. James Kennerley then directed the choir until 2023. Owen Reid was the Interim Director for a short time. Now, Richard Webster is the Interim Director of Music. Brandon Straub is the Associate Director and will become the Director of Music after the 2023-2024 school year.
Student Life
Students at the choir school attend full-time. They have a challenging school program. They also practice singing every day and sing for church services several times a week.
The students are divided into three groups:
- Pre-choristers: Boys who are learning to sing in a choir.
- Choristers: Boys in fifth to eighth grades who sing with the professional men. They are The Choir of St. Paul's.
- Chorus: Boys whose voices are changing, or who join as Chorus members.
The Choristers sing for four weekday Masses (Tuesday to Friday). They also sing for Thursday evening prayers and the Sunday 11:00 High Mass. The Chorus sings once a month and at other special events. Each student gets a "working scholarship." This means they are expected to sing at weddings, funerals, and concerts.
All students study many subjects. These include math, science, reading, writing, social studies, geography, religion, and music theory. They also learn French. Latin was added back to the lessons in 2018-2019. All students learn to play the piano. Some also learn the organ. Students have chances to perform in concerts.
The school does not have sports teams that play in leagues. But there is a school basketball team. They play friendly games against other Catholic schools. Many students also play sports outside of school.
Around 40 students are enrolled at the school. New students join in the third grade. They are chosen after a singing tryout, an application, and an interview. Students travel from many towns around Boston to get to school. Most students are Catholic. Many have gone to Catholic elementary schools before.
The choir has traveled to many places to sing. They have visited Chicago, Montreal, Washington, DC, and Rome. They also went to Mexico City and toured Germany and Austria in 2020. In 2005, the choir sang in Rome at St. Peter's Basilica. In 2013, they sang for Pope Francis. They have also sung at the Basilica of the National Shrine in Washington, DC. In 2012, the choir performed at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City.
Tuition
For the 2024-25 school year, the tuition is $21,500.
Performances and Recordings
Major Performances
The choir has performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra many times.
- They sang in The Damnation of Faust by Hector Berlioz.
- They performed St. Matthew Passion by Johann Sebastian Bach.
- They sang in Symphony No. 3 and Symphony No. 8 by Gustav Mahler.
- They performed Joan of Arc at the Stake by Arthur Honegger.
- They sang in Tosca by Giacomo Puccini and Carmina Burana by Carl Orff.
They have also performed with the Opera Company of Boston and the Boston Lyric Opera.
- They sang in The Magic Flute by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
In 2017, they performed The Snowman by Howard Blake with the Boston POPS Orchestra. In 2018, they sang in The Kaddish Symphony by Leonard Bernstein.
Recordings
The St. Paul's Choir School has released several recordings over the years:
- Saint Paul Choir School Sings Advent-Christmas Choral Music (1963)
- A Joyous Christmas Offering (1966)
- Music for the Sung Liturgy in English (1966)
- When in Rome (1967)
- Tidings of Great Joy (1970)
- Lutheran Organ Mass - Anthony Newman (1973)
- Pentecost Mass - Charles Tournemire (1976)
- O Holy Night (1992)
- Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee (1993)
- Sing Noel (1994)
- Wondrous Love - Celebrating Music of the Liturgical Year (1996)
- On Christmas Night (2000)
- The Holly and the Ivy (45th Anniversary Recording)
- Christmas in Harvard Square (2014) by The Boys of St. Paul's Choir School
- Ave Maria (2017) by The Boys of St. Paul's Choir School
