St. Joseph Catholic Church Choir

The Choirs of Saint Joseph Catholic Church

Saint Joseph Church has an established Music Ministry with a tradition of excellence. We hope to make each service a special event in our church, to the praise and glory of God. We seek to have an active outreach ministry within our church, in our community and throughout the world.

We currently have

An Adult Choir of approximately 50 voices
An Adult Contemporary Choir
Bel Canto Choir – grades 4 to 12
Prima Voce Choir– grades 2 to 3
Primary Choir – grades K to 1
An Adult Handbell Choir
Young Ringers Handbell Choir
A Cantor Program

Special Events

Annual Festival of Lessons and Carols during Advent
Concerts after Easter for Adult and Adult Handbell and Children’s Choirs
Ecumenical Services with other area churches
Hymn Festivals and Organ Concerts
Concerts by Guest Groups
Concerts at Piccolo Spoleto

Performing Highlights

Adult Choir has again been invited to be the Principal Choir at 10:30 High Mass, Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome, January 2007.
Bel Canto Choir performed at Crescent City Choral Festival in June 2005, gave a concert at Trinity Episcopal Church and sang High Mass at St. Patrick's Church, the oldest church in New Orleans. The choir is currently raising funds to assist the New Orleans Children's Choir in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The Choir is planning to perform at Disney World, in Orlando, FL, in June 2006.
Adult Choir toured Ireland in June 2004, performed concerts in the Galway Cathedral and in the Pro-Cathedral in Dublin.
Bel Canto Choir performed at Carnegie hall, New York City, in June 2004.
Bel Canto Choir appeared as a performing choir at American Choral Director’s South Carolina State Convention in October 2002, and as a Demonstration Choir in October 2004.
Bell Canto Choir, performed by invitation, at the Crescent City Choral Festival, New Orleans, in June 2002.
Adult Choir performed, by invitation, as a Demonstration Choir in a special interest session for the American Choral Director's Southern Conference in Charlotte, NC, February 2002.
Adult Handbell Choir has performed at several workshops and Diocesan events as well as several times at Piccolo Spoleto
Festival of Lessons and Carols service is the subject of a 90 minute television special produced and broadcast by South Carolina Educational Television in November and December 2000 & 2001. Our recording, "Season of Wonder" was offered as one of the "thank you gifts" for the SCETV Christmas Season fund raising campaign.
Our recording, "A Festival of Lessons and Carols" has been the basis of an hour long National Public Radio Christmas Special broadcast nationally during the 1999, 2000, and 2001 Christmas Seasons.
Adult Choir performed, by invitation, for the American Choral Director's Southern Conference in Orlando, Florida, March 2000.
Adult Choir has performed concerts at the Festival of Churches, Spoleto Festival USA, Charleston, SC since 1988
Adult Choir has made five concert tours to Europe, performing in Rome, Florence, Prague, Vienna, Salzburg, London, Chartres, Paris, Galway and Dublin.
Adult Choir was the Principal Choir at the 10:30 High Mass at Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome, January 1994.
Adult Choir was featured on Italian Television as a part of the Vatican's Christmas Music Series.
Adult Choir performed for Pope John Paul II at his weekly audience.
Adult Choir performed for the Pope during his visit to Columbia, SC in 1987.

Recordings

2006 "Season of Triumph" is our latest all digital CD. It documents Palm Sunday, Holy Week and Easter Sunday at St. Joseph Church. This is a unique CD that will appeal especially to those who love the liturgy of this season. As always, the music spans several centuries and a couple of great handbell pieces are on it too!

2005 "A Festival of Lessons and Carols". This is a DVD produced by South Carolina ETV. It is of our live performance in 1999 and was created for SCETV's fund raising programs during the Christmas season of 2000 and 2001. Although not in HD, this all-digital video was created with five studio quality cameras and 24 channels of sound.

2002 "Live at Spoleto – St Joseph Choir" Our newest all digital recording features live performances at Piccolo Spoleto from 1992 to 2002. Mozart’s’ Coronation Mass and Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms are the featured works along with other outstanding English and American anthems.

2000 "Season of Wonder" was offered by South Carolina Educational Television as a thank you gift for contributions of over $100. It, as are our other CDs, is available here on our web site for $15 plus shipping! On it you will find a wonderful variety of music for the Christmas season that you can enjoy all year long.

1998 "Sundays at St. Joseph Catholic Church" A collection of some of our favorite anthems, motets and spirituals representing virtually all styles of sacred music for the past 400 years

1997 "A Festival of Lessons and Carols" This all digital recording was made available for broadcast during the 1999, 2000 and 2001 Christmas seasons by National Public Radio to all its stations throughout the nation.

Scrapbook

The Director Tours Jerusalem

Teresa Sturcken Riley is in her 25th year as Organist-Director of Music at St. Joseph Church, in Columbia, SC. She received her Masters in Voice Performance from Converse College, Spartanburg, SC. She performed several major roles at Brevard Music Center in the summers of 1966-1968 and has been responsible for music programs in the public schools of Baldwin, New York and Atlanta, Georgia. She has been soprano soloist in churches and temples in New York, Atlanta and Charleston. She has taught voice and piano and serves on the Bishop's Liturgical Commission and the Diocesan Synod Commission. She has served as the State of South Carolina Chairperson of the American Choral Directors Association Committee for Repertoire & Standards for Children’s Choirs, and as R&S Chair for Music and Worship