How to Sign-up for Choir…
Please sign-up your children by sending an email to choir directors Annie & Jim at SHSSmusic@gmail.com – be sure to tell us:
- your child’s name & age
- your name and your contact info
- any necessary allergy/medical info we might need to know
- whether you’d like to volunteer to help with choir events
Schedule:
Click here to view the Children’s Choir schedule.
About the Children’s Choirs…
There is ONE Choral Ensemble for Children at Sacred Hearts, combining all ages 7 & up. We meet in the church on Wednesdays 5:45pm-6:45. Sometimes, when we have MANY participants, we split into two choirs as follows:
- Youth Choir: For ages 10-18, this selective group of engaged and interested young singers focuses on advanced music-making, singing in harmony, singing solos in performances, learning vocal technique & musical expression, and taking on leadership roles for their younger colleagues in the children’s choir. Audition required.
- Children’s Choir: For the youngest voices in our parish and beyond, there is the beloved SHSS Children’s Choir. Girls and boys, age 7-12, learn the joy of singing in a group and making great music together through both playful and performance-based experiences.
The Choirs are open to all children aged 7-18, regardless of religious affiliation. The repertoire includes a mix of secular and sacred repertoire. The primary aim is to foster a love for singing and a positive experience of making music; many genres are included.
Why Join the Children’s Choirs?
Please share this with others in the neighborhood!
Sacred Hearts Children’s Choir promises to be a wonderful experience for all!
(Located in Carroll Gardens, near Cobble Hill, Gowanus & Red Hook, BROOKLYN)
Choir Policies
Attendance:
- We totally understand that sometimes things come up!
- We actively encourage each child to take responsibility for his or her role in the choir, but there’s also a sense of flexibility, especially for family plans around the holidays.
- We ask that you keep us informed in advance whenever there is a scheduling conflict, so that we may plan for it.
- As much as possible, encourage your young choristers to take their attendance seriously. Each choir is a team: its members need each other’s support and presence as regularly as possible.
A Few Necessary Items:
- the parish provides binders for choristers
- performance dress is usually a white top and black bottom (pants or skirt).
Parental Involvement
The parents can do much to help strengthen the choir program:
- Encourage your child AND the other children too – let them all know that it’s a joy to hear them singing! Parental encouragement provides the confidence and enthusiasm that kids need in order to do well.
- Spread the word! Encourage your child to bring friends to join the choir. Choir is always more fun when there are lots of kids singing together. Talk to other parents, too… this is a good-quality, free program their kids will enjoy.
- Be present (when possible). Certainly try to attend your child’s performances. Your presence at rehearsals is also greatly appreciated!
- Set a great example. Kids can see whether you are sincerely interested in their performance, or whether you’re distracted by technology. Your presence and respectful attentiveness are SO much more important than photos, videos or recordings. Video should never be used during church services, and even photos should be kept to a minimum. At other performances, be respectful of the people around you, and remember that cameras (and smartphones & tablets) can be a significant distraction. At rehearsals, ALL guests – young and old – should keep silent, so the choristers can hear every detail of their music-making and the director’s instruction.
- Parents are needed to help coordinate food, drinks & decor at the end-of-year party.
- Would YOU like to sing, too? Parents are invited to make music by joining the parish’s Adult Choir. Talk with Jim about this; your kids will be very impressed!
About the Directors:
The Choirs at Sacred Hearts are blessed to have TWO wonderful directors:
– Annie is the interim Director of Children’s Music at Sacred Hearts & St Stephen for the 2024-25 year. Annie is a collaborative pianist and vocal coach who loves the challenge that vocal music presents of combining poetic and musical ideas in performance. Originally from Maryland, she worked extensively with musical organizations in the Baltimore and Annapolis areas before moving West to serve as staff accompanist for the Music Department at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. There, she rehearsed and performed with their choirs and vocal music students and was a sought after musical theatre music director and keyboardist in the Pacific Northwest. Annie was honored to be interim Choir Director at the University of the Ozarks in Clarksville, Arkansas last year before relocating to Brooklyn, where she now works as an Executive Assistant with Justworks, accompanies the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, and is a member of the BK Treble Choir.
– Jim has been the organist and music director at Sacred Hearts & St Stephen since 2003. He earned his Master of Music degree as a scholarship student at Manhattan School of Music, and a Bachelor of Music at Rice University’s prestigious Shepherd School of Music. Jim’s continuing organ studies were at the Cathedral-Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, NJ, and at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan. A frequent performer with symphony orchestras, Jim has performed at all of New York City’s major concert venues, including Carnegie & Avery Fisher Halls, the Metropolitan Opera, and Madison Square Garden. As a recording artist, Jim has performed for television and radio, and was heard on Broadway in the soundtrack to Lincoln Center’s Tony-Award-winning production of War Horse. As a music teacher, Jim is known for his ability to recognize the unique perspective of each student’s own understanding, and his use of that perspective as an avenue to developing each individual’s sense of music.
– Jen Wu is an accomplished singer in multiple genres, as well as a multi-instrumentalist and educator. Jen has taught singing and led young peoples’ choirs for many years in both New York City and California. She has toured the world as lead soprano in numerous opera productions, and is a member of the internationally acclaimed award-winning a capella choir Ghostlight Chorus. Jen has sung with symphonic choirs in concert with the New York Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony, and the San Diego Opera. Jen is fluent in six languages, and is a graduate (Magna cum laude) of Columbia University.
Dr. Evelyn Troester DeGraf, Choir Director Emerita
– Evelyn Troester DeGraf is an internationally accomplished musical director, choral conductor, and music educator. Originally from Germany, Evelyn received her Masters degree with a dual concentration in performance and music education at the renowned University of Music and Performing Arts in Munich in 2005. She earned her Doctoral degree at Columbia University’s prestigious Teachers College. Mrs. DeGraf’s focus on pedagogy and psychology has led her to develop teacher training workshops on creativity development and leadership, the subject of which she was invited to lecture at The ECONOMIST Human Potential Conference in New York. An enthusiastic teacher, Evelyn has taught piano and voice for over a decade to all ages, and especially enjoys offering choral and jazz improvisation classes.As a well-travelled, versatile musician, Evelyn finds herself equally at ease singing Strauss, Kurtág, de Falla, or Thelonious Monk. She recently conducted choirs for several US performances with rock legends The Rolling Stones. Throughout her singing career, Mrs. DeGraf has had the opportunity to work with master artists such as James Levine, Guiseppe Sinopoli, Candace Goetz, and Rhiannon. Evelyn is the founder and music director of the acclaimed professional a-capella choral group, Ghostlight Chorus. She is also an accomplished pianist, guitarist, and has studied organ with Andrew Henderson and Jim Lake. Evelyn, or “Evi,” as she is known to her friends, is a lover of the written word, Yoga, the outdoors, and all things food-related. She marvels at the people that the arts have brought into her life and the invaluable gifts she receives from making music.