Music at St. John’s
Music is an integral and essential part of worship at St. John’s. Our music program is known for its excellent quality and distinctive style. Our volunteer choir and Choral Scholars from CMU lead the congregation in a wide range of music, from traditional Anglican and Episcopal hymns to medieval chant and Renaissance motets to American folk music and spirituals.
Our Musicians
Ethan Kindle, Organist | Eric Vinciguerra, Choirmaster
Our Choral Scholars
The Choral Scholar ministry at St. John’s is our primary outreach to the Central Michigan University community. This year, five students from the School of Music are singing in our choir with members of the parish – we love them, we embrace them, and they, too, become part of our community.
Ana Aldritch is from Jackson, Michigan. She is a junior at Central Michigan University studying choral music education and is currently in her second year in St. John’s choral scholar program. On campus, she is a member of chamber singers, PR representative for the
chapter of the American Choral Directors Association, as well as in the upcoming production of “She Loves Me”. Off campus, when
not doing homework, she likes to spend time reading or watching movies with her roommates.
Gavin Foley is a Junior Vocal Performance major at CMU from Columbus, Indiana. He is a member of the CMU Chamber Choir as well as the fiber arts club. He plays video games and in the warmer months keeps a garden. This is his 3rd year as a choral scholar. a sophomore at Central Michigan University from Columbus, IN. He is majoring in Vocal Performance and is a member of the CMU Chamber Singers.
Haley Phillips is a junior at CMU who is pursuing a Bachelor of Music Education. She is involved in ACDA (American Choral Directors Association); she works on Event Staff at the School of Music, does Voice Lessons at B’s Music Shop, and works at the Cabin. She is from Haslett, Michigan. With any free time she might have, she loves to read, and she loves learning languages. She has been a part of our Choral Scholars program for one year.
Knight Emerson is a sophomore from Belleville, MI. He is pursuing BFA in Musical Theatre Performance. This is Knight’s 1st year singing with the St. John’s choir as a choral scholar.
Our Organ: St. John’s organ, Op. 65, was built by the internationally known Canadian organ builder, Gabriel Kney in 1973. It is one of only two tracker instruments in Mt. Pleasant, the other being a studio organ at Central Michigan University, also built by Gabriel Kney. The organ has 2 manuals and 16 stops.
Gabriel Kney, Organ Builder, grew up in the city of Speyer-am-Rhein in Germany where he apprenticed with master organ builder Paul Seattle. In 1951 he immigrated to Canada. In 1955, in London, Ontario, he started his own business of building organs, retiring in 1996.
At the time of the Tracker Organ Revival in America, in the late 1950s, he was the first Canadian organ builder to again build mechanical (tracker) action organs. St. John’s Opus 65 is an outstanding example of the visual and tonal character of his instruments.