This past weekend, February 11-12, eleven choristers from St. John Vianney’s children’s choir program participated in the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) Gulf Coast Winter Festival at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Houston. Over eighty children were registered in the weekend event, which included intensive rehearsals with leading children’s choir directors from Houston and beyond.
Their hard work culminated in two choral services on Saturday and one Sunday morning, in which the children led the entire worship services through song. The RSCM was founded in England in the early twentieth century and provides musical education to singers through a structured choral music program and festivals throughout the year. It is a particularly useful program for training children to sing sacred music at a high level.
St. John Vianney became an affiliate of the RSCM last fall, and we are one of only two Catholic churches in Houston active in the organization. Our participating children were hand-picked by their director, Kirk Rich, and committed to many extra rehearsals in order to prepare for the event. Michael Madrid and Clayton Roberts also graciously assisted in these preparations. Many thanks to our participating choristers: Maddy Coronado, Sarahi and Yaretzi Perez, Emma and Kylie Clark, Jennifer Carlisle, Cecilia Jeffers, Sophie Spano, Vinda Toxqui, Kenneth Lee, and Ashley Deadessis. And many thanks to their wonderful, supportive parents!
Visit our Children’s Choir page for more information!