Come let us sing to the Lord;
let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation

(Psalm 95:1)

Though St. Alban’s Chapel is abuzz with activity all through the week, our priority is to gather together for worship each Sunday. Through the act of worship, we are nourished by the living Word of God in the Old and New Testaments. We are united as we sing to the Lord. Our core beliefs are deepened through Book of Common Prayer and hymn and anthem texts. Through worship, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to do whatever God has called us to do. Music is a key element in that worship experience. The music helps us to bring our whole selves before God, not simply our best thinking. It helps us to shift from self-absorption an attentiveness to the Rock of our Salvation who loves us and has so wonderfully redeemed us.

Located just a block away from the LSU School of Music affords St. Alban’s Chapel the wonderful opportunity to employ a student choir to lead our Sunday morning worship during the academic year. The choir is an eight-voice ensemble made up of LSU students pursuing various degrees in the School of Music. The choir is also directed by a student from the LSU School of Music, usually a master’s or doctoral student, and is accompanied by indefatigable organist, Brad Pope. Our singers perform regularly in LSU music events, many holding lead roles in the Turner-Fischer Center for Opera's season shows. Over the years, the choir loft has been occupied by many notable composers, singers, conductors, and music educators. St. Alban’s Chapel naturally becomes the church home for many of these singers during their college years. They add incredible warmth, vitality, and youth to our community life.

On Sunday mornings, the congregation enjoys music from the traditional Anglican choral culture to contemporary anthems from a variety of musical genres. Programmed music is chosen to enhance the personal experience of worship, not only aligning with scripture, but presenting
music that varies on a weekly basis in style and historical context. Singing for the St. Alban's congregation is a special experience for our choir members, and it shows in performance! In the spring of 2019, the Chapel Choir recorded their first-ever CD in celebration of St. Alban’s Chapel’s wildly successful Legacy Campaign. Recorded within the walls of our chapel, "Be Still, My Soul" captures the Sunday morning experience unique to St. Alban's. The album compiles the choir's best and congregation's favorite anthems, psalms, and hymns - it is a true celebration of Episcopal worship music.

Our Sunday evening service features a wide range of student musicians performing in a variety of styles from gospel, to jazz, to classical, to traditional hymns and anthems.

 

Our Ukulele Orchestra regular takes gigs around town as well as playing for congregation. The Shaped Notes
and Contra Dance groups perform in the traditional, old-time, Appalachian style. Our children regularly make offerings of music at our services as well. St. Alban’s Chapel is a hub for all sorts of music from Anglican chant to bluegrass. There is a place here for everyone to lift their praises to the Lord!

For more information about our music program, please contact Cassie Schmitt, our Director of Music (cschmitt1315@gmail.com).