Adult Choir

The Community Church Adult Choir is open to all adults, regardless of previous vocal training.The music is generally in the SATB style, so some familiarity with reading music is helpful, but not necessary (see “The Community Church Singers” for a group with less complex vocal arrangements). We sing for Sunday services from September through May, usually for the second service but occasionally for both.

For this church year, we chose 2 larger works to perform, as well as our regular Sunday repertoire. On December 16, 2007 we performed the complete “Missa Brevis in F Major” by W. A. Mozart, with a string ensemble of 8, as part of the “Moravian Love Feast” service. On May 18, 2008 we will perform “Sources: A Unitarian Universalist Cantata” with music by Jason Shelton and text be Kendyl Gibbons, accompanied by a chamber orchestra consisting of strings, percussion and piano.

Occasionally we sing for weddings and memorials within the church, and selected community events (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Service, Fourth of July Concert). During the church year we rehearse every Wednesday evening from 7:15-8:45pm in the Straley Room. If we are singing at Sunday services, we also rehearse before the service, generally at 10:30am, or 8:45am if we are singing at both services. In the summer, rehearsals take place 1 hour before each service, at 9:30am, if the choir is singing at the service itself.

Material covers a wide variety of musical styles, and is always matched with the service topic. In the past we have done music by Duke Ellington (“Creole Love Call”), J. S. Bach (“Cantata No. 147”), Don McLean (“Vincent”), S. Rachmaninoff (“The Beatitudes”), Gwyneth Walker (“(Every night) When The Sun Goes Down”), Bobby McFerrin (“The 23rd Psalm”), and numerous arrangements by Moses Hogan (“I Got a Robe,” “Walk Together, Children”) and Robert Shaw and Alice Parker (“Wondrous Love,” “Same Train.” “I Saw Three Ships”). Music Director Glenn Mehrbach also arranges and writes for the choir if need be, including "These Walls," commissioned for the dedication of the renovated sanctuary in May of 2007. Most of the arrangements are SATB, with frequent splits. There are usually MIDI files made available online for home study, which have the music for each piece, with separate files emphasizing each vocal part. Occasionally an MP3 file of an existing recording of the piece is made available, especially for the more difficult or larger pieces. If there is enough interest, a Chamber Choir may be formed out of the members of the choir. The Chamber Choir rehearses every other Wednesday for 45 minutes after the regular rehearsal, from 8:45-9:30pm. Contact music director Glenn Mehrbach (music@c3huu.org) for more details.

Children's Choir

The Community Church Children’s Choir is open to all children of school age through middle school, and the general make-up of the group is between the ages of 7-11. Ability to read and follow written music, reading and understanding text, and general attention span makes it difficult for children younger than 7 to participate with the choir. We sing at appropriate services throughout the year, usually averaging a little more than one service a month. We also sing periodically for the other children, in CRE services, and occasionally for church events (The Greening). During the school year, we generally meet for an hour every other Saturday morning at 10am in the Straley Room, and for 30 minutes prior to any service where we sing. When involved with the Sunday service, we usually sing at both services, meeting at 8:45am for a rehearsal, and enjoying bagels and juice in the Music Office between services. Singing in the second service is usually scheduled early, so the children and parents can leave early. Material for the Children’s Choir is usually unison, although we have had success with simple 2-part harmony arrangements, rounds and obbligatos. Single line solos are usually provided within the context of each piece, so all of the children can have a chance to shine on their own. A good number of our songs are chosen from "May This Light Shine," the new children's songbook produced and published by the UU Musician's Network. Other songs have included “This Little Light of Mine,” “Costume Party” (by Peter Alsop), “I Wish I Knew How” (by Billy Taylor), “And So This Is Xmas” (by John Lennon), and “Sir Duke” (by Stevie Wonder). There are always MIDI files made available online for home study, which have the music for each piece, with separate files emphasizing each vocal part. Occasionally a specialized MP3 file, or one of an existing recording of the piece, is made available, especially for the more difficult pieces. Contact music director Glenn Mehrbach (music@c3huu.org) for more details.

Youth Choir

The Community Church Youth Choir is open to all middle school and high school youth. There is a concentration on contemporary music, with the choir members asked to contribute ideas for songs and arrangements. Music is arranged in a variety of styles, from unison to SATB. During the school year we generally meet for an hour every other Saturday morning at 11am in the Straley Room, and for 30 minutes prior to any service where we sing. When involved with the Sunday service, we usually sing at both, meeting at 8:45am for a rehearsal, and enjoying bagels and juice in the Music Office between services. Singing in the second service is usually scheduled early, so the choir members can leave early. Songs performed by the choir have included the African hymn "Freedom is Coming," Bill Withers' "Lean On Me," "You are the Light of the World" from "Godspell," "Seaons of Love" from "Rent," and "I Sing the Body Electric" from the movie musical "Fame." As with the other choirs, there are always MIDI files made available online for home study, which have the music for each piece, with separate files emphasizing each vocal part. Occasionally a specialized MP3 file, or one of an existing recording of the piece, is made available, especially for the more difficult pieces. Contact music director Glenn Mehrbach (music@c3huu.org) for more details.

Community Church Singers

The Community Church Singersis open to everyone. Now in its third year, it was formed to fill the need for those church members who love to sing, but either don’t feel ready for the commitment of a weekly rehearsal and performance schedule, or feel unqualified to learn and sing relatively difficult SATB (4-part harmony) material, as is the requirement for the Adult Choir. Material is primarily unison and simple 2 part harmony pieces, arranged to match the level and interest of group members. During the church year the group meets for an hour on alternate Sundays, 15 minutes after the second service, and sings for services at random intervals, an average of once a month. The material tends to be upbeat and fun, and often humorous, including songs such as "Old Time Religion" (the Pete Seeger/Filk SIngers version), Smokey Robinson's "My Girl," "Reach Out and I'll Be There" by the Four Tops, "1000 Grandmothers" by Holly Near and "A Christmas Carol" by Tom Lehrer. There are always MIDI files made available online for home study, which have the music for each piece, with separate files emphasizing each vocal part. Occasionally a specialized MP3 file, or one of an existing recording of the piece, is made available, especially for the more difficult pieces. Contact music director Glenn Mehrbach (music@c3huu.org) for more details. is open

Special Music

Every Sunday there are opportunities for Special Music in the service. Performers for this music are drawn from the congregation, ‘borrowed’ from other congregations, or hired from outside the church community, at the discretion of the music director, and depending on the needs of each service. Performers of special music are usually required to provide 2-3 pieces, 3-4 minutes in length, to match the topic of the service and the event in the service (“Musical Meditation,” for instance, should be quiet and encourage reflection). If you are interested in providing Special Music for services, please contact the music director for more information. Contact music director Glenn Mehrbach (music@c3huu.org) for more details. .

Prelude Music

For congregation members interested in sharing their musical talent with the church community, but not wanting to commit to an entire service's worth of Special Music, we have created “Prelude Music.” This music would take place immediately after the sounding of the gong, and doesn’t have the same restrictions on matching the sermon topic as other service music does. Contact music director Glenn Mehrbach (music@c3huu.org) for more details.

Music Gala

Each year in the spring the Music Committee generally produces a "Music Gala" to support either specific or general needs of the music program. In past years the funds have gone for new hymnals, to help fund the purchase of our new Yamaha 6'11" grand piano, and to provide new musical instruments for the church. Past galas have included "A Gershwin Gala," featuring all music by George and Ira Gershwin, in April 0f 2005, "With A Little Help From Our Friends: The Music of Lennon and McCartney." in April of 2006, and “OFF THE PEDESTAL: Meddlin’ with the Masters.” in April of 2007. This year's music gala has been cancelled, due to our hosting of the 2008 Thomas Jefferson District Choral Festival on the weekend of March 15 and 16, 2008. The music gala tradition will continue in 2009.

Musical Theater Show

On the night of November 19, 2005, the Community Church produced a fully staged musical theatre piece, entitled "Show Me: A New UU Revue," in the church sanctuary. All the singers, dancers, actors, instrumentalists, stagehands, costumers and set builders were members of the congregation. After getting our feet wet with that, and taking a break for the renovation of the sanctuary, we tackled the Broadway musical "Seussical" on the weekend of November 16-18, 2007. The entire production included nearly 100 church members, including 34 members in the cast, ranging in age from 7 to 70-something, a few score as part of the technical crew, and countless volunteers helping to sell tickets, create and sell refreshments, and do whatever needed to be done to make the show a success. The show was nearly sold out for the Friday and Saturday night shows, and we literally had to turn people away at the Sunday matinee performance. Plans are already underway for the next theatrical production, which should take place in the fall of 2008. Contact music director Glenn Mehrbach (music@c3huu.org) for more details.

Music Director

Glenn Mehrbach directs the music program. Glenn conducts and programs the Adult, Youth and Children's choirs, as well as the Community Church singers. He is also responsible for programming Special Music for the church, and helps in choosing hymns. Please contact Glenn with any questions or ideas about music in the Community Church. He can be reached by phone at home at (919) 403-9207 or via email at music@c3huu.org