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Brookside Congregational Church
About Brookside Congregational Church
 

 


Music

Brookside's Music ministry plays an active, vital role in worship each week, and provides an opportunity for participants to "serve the Lord with gladness" through their love of music and their faith.

There are many ways to get involved:
Chancel Choir
Junior Choir
Cherub Choir
• Carillonneurs (bell ringers)
• Music Committee

About the Brookside Sanctuary Organ

Rob's Resignation

On May 10, 2009, our beloved Music Director Rob St. Cyr submitted his resignation to begin a Masters program in Choral Direction with Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. As much as we will miss him, we also recognize that this is an opportunity for professional advancement and wish Rob all the best. It has certainly been a joy working with Rob these past six months. Rob possesses a special combination of musical talent and deep faith that not every church musician has. He is also willing to try something new and respond in the moment when the flaky pastor changes her mind or gets some new thought! Rob's flexibility is such a gift. Rob's last Sunday with us is July 26.

During August we will have guest musicians, and in September and October, Peter Labombarde will direct our Chancel Choir and be the organist. Ads have gone out, and we hope to have a Director of Music in place by November, but if it takes longer, we will manage. My thanks to Elaine Giguere for serving as the contact person for applicants and leading us through the search process.

~Pastor Dawn Berry

~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Position Available: Music Director/Organist

  • Organist and Choir director for adult and children's choirs
  • Sunday morning service at 10 AM
  • 15 - 20 hours a week
  • Salary - $21,000 - 24,000
  • Vacation - 2-4 weeks
  • Organ - 1902 Austin organ, 3 manuals, & 50 ranks
  • Position available - November 2009
  • Contact - Elaine E. Giguere

    23 Clearview Drive

    Bow, NH 03304

    Phone: 603-224-5507

    E-mail: egiguere@comcast.net


Saying Goodbye with Music

All are invited as Rob St. Cyr and Natalie Shaw present a farewell recital on Thursday, July 23 at 6:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary. They will perform a variety of concert literature from Baroque to musical theatre. Several guest artists will be featured as part of the recital. Freewill donation at the door.

 

Rob's last Sunday as organist/music director at Brookside Church will be July 26.


Brookside Concert Kicks Off "Pipe Organ Encounter" Week

Organists Michael W. Smith and Peter Krasinski will present a concert on Sunday, July 19 at 7:30 p.m. in Brookside's Sanctuary. The program promises to be fun and varied, including transcriptions, show tunes, medleys, and even a few classic selections for organ duet, organ and piano, and organ solo. In the artists' words, it is "not your grandmother's organ recital!"

This concert kicks off a week-long program for teenagers entitled "Pipe Organ Encounter," or POE. Sponsored by the New Hampshire Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, the POE is an exciting opportunity for teenage pianists to experience the organ through daily lessons with prestigious teachers, workshops, recitals and concerts, as well as a day trip to Boston. Both of Brookside's organs will be used during the week for lessons and master classes. This year's POE has attracted 32 students from all over New England, and as far away as Texas, California, Washington and Ontario.

The July 19 concert is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Kathy Metivier at 669-1891.


Chancel Choir
photoRehearsals: Twice weekly
Weds. 7:30 to 9 p.m. in the Music Room and
Sun. 9 a.m. in the Sanctuary

This dedicated group of people includes teenagers to senior citizens. The season begins Wednesday, August 29th, with a dinner in the Manning House, followed at 7:30 by the first rehearsal in the Music Room.

Other dates of note are Music Sunday and a year-end party in June.

The Chancel Choir participates in Sunday services through through late May/early June. Watch future Chronicles for further information.

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Junior Choir
photoRehearsals: Weekly from Sept-June
(except during school vacations)
Sun., 11:20 in the Music Room

An open invitation to all children ages 8-13. Have fun singing in a group! Junior Choir offers learning about the Christian faith through music. The group will sing at least one time each month. Hope you can join us this year!


Cherub Choir
photoRehearsals: 3 weeks prior to each singing date (see below)
Sun., 11:15 - 11:45 a.m.

Cherubs sing periodically throughout the year, during Sunday services. All children 4-7 years old are encouraged to participate.

Watch future Chronicles for further information.

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Carillonneurs - Ring a Bell?
(All ages)

Before church on Sunday mornings, volunteers provide about 10 minutes of bell music for arriving worshipers. Our nine bell Smyth Chime is a musical instrument that is relatively easy to use; but you do need to read music and be able to climb the rather long flight of stairs to the bell tower.

If you'd like to know more, please contact us.


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The Brookside Sanctuary Organ

photoThe organ was built in 1933 by the Austin Organ Company, Inc. of Hartford, Connecticut, using a significant amount of pipework from the church's existing 1902 Hutchings-Votey Opus 1505 organ. When the congregation relocated from the downtown to the current site in 1959, the organ was moved. While the move involved dismantling the organ, it was essentially unchanged except for a row of previously visible pipes that was placed out of sight in the new location. Austin Organ Company moved the organ.

The organ as it existed in the early 1990's functioned very reliably, due to the dependable mechanisms for which Austin organs are known. However, tonally it lacked much. Many organs built in the 1920's and 30's had a voicing style that was characterized by a dull, opaque sound. The 1933 Brookside Sanctuary organ had those characteristics. In addition, when the instrument was relocated in 1959, in spite of the fact that organs are custom designed for the room in which they are housed, no effort was made to regulate the instrument to the new room.

Most organs built in the 1930's have ceased to exist, because necessary tonal renovations have resulted in entirely new instruments. Since much of the Brookside Sanctuary organ's pipework and all of the mechanisms is of very high quality, to discard everything would not have been responsible stewardship of our resources.

photoIn 1993, with the assistance of Robert Leslie of New England Organ Service, Brookside developed a three-phase plan for rebuilding the sanctuary organ, which would first address the tonal limitations of the instrument, while planning for the eventual replacement of the 1933 console and the need to re-leather the entire mechanism. Phase 1 had as its purpose to enlarge the tonal pallet of the organ by enhancing the bass and treble areas of the sound. Phase 2 would complete the tonal enhancement begun in Phase 1 and replace the console. Phase 3 would re-leather the mechanism.

Phase 1 was completed in 1995 and included extensive regulation of 31 ranks of the sanctuary organ and the addition of eight new ranks. Robert Leslie did all the regulation, while the new pipes were supplied by Austin Organ Company.

Phase 2 was initiated in 1998. Six stops, containing 402 pipes, were transported to Austin Organ Company in Hartford, Connecticut and revoiced. In addition, 183 new pipes made by AR Schopp's Sons, Inc. were added. The pipe transportation, final regulation, and construction of two new windchests were spearheaded by K. R. Bengtson of Laconia, New Hampshire.

photoThe new drawknob console, which was made possible by a generous donation from the family of Mary Schow, was designed and built by Dudley Terrill of the Terrill Organ Company of Bow, New Hampshire. The three keyboard manuals have bone naturals and rosewood sharps. The pedal board has maple naturals and rosewood sharps. The keydesk and trim are walnut. The stop action contains Harris drawknobs and tilting tablet couplers. The combination action/stop processor is a solid state Peterson system with 99 levels of memory. The white woodwork is matched to the other colonial architectural features in the sanctuary.

Brookside is excited to announce the beginning of the third and final phase of the organ restoration project: releathering the entire sanctuary organ. Currently, Brookside has raised about $30,000 to fund Phase 3 of the project. A generous donation of $19,000 was given by Dr. and Mrs. Robert Lord in honor of the Rev. William Donoghue, recently retired Pastor of Brookside Church. We hope to initiate this project during the summer of 2007.


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Brookside Congregational Church
2013 Elm Street ~ Manchester, NH 03104
Telephone: (603) 669-2807 ~ Fax: (603) 668-9041

Sunday morning worship and Sunday School: 10:00 a.m.

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