Music

The Incarnation Choir, comprised of 10 professional singers and 30 volunteers, maintains a vigorous singing schedule, including more than 125 choral services per year, as well as concerts and special events.

The choir’s repertoire spans nearly 1000 years, ranging from Gregorian chant to 21st-century music. Their discography includes seven compact discs, the latest of which is a recording of Lessons & Carols as broadcast on Public Radio International. During the parish’s centennial year, the choir commissioned and premiered compositions by Joel Martinson, Hans-Dieter Karras and Francis Jackson.

The Incarnation Choir has toured extensively in the United Kingdom including residencies at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, and Westminster Abbey. In the summer of 2014, they made their first tour to Washington D.C. and New York which included a week-long residency at Washington National Cathedral and services at St. Thomas, Fifth Avenue and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.

Those interested in auditioning for the choir are encouraged to email Rachel Jones. Rehearsals are held on Wednesday evenings from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Volunteer members are asked to sing two services each Sunday on a rotating schedule. Singing in the choir is a great ministry opportunity and a fun way to use your musical gifts and talents.

As a component of one of Dallas’ most highly regarded church music programs, the Incarnation Choir School provides professional musical training to children ages 7 and above, at no financial cost to parents.

Benefits include:

1. Professional training in music, with an equal emphasis on voice training and music-reading skills
2. Development of leadership and intellectual skills
3. Significant individual attention in a challenging yet fun environment
4. Spiritual formation through the singing of sacred music of the Anglican choral tradition
5. A small stipend will be paid to each chorister, underscoring the seriousness of the commitment to the choir

This program will be open to children age 7 and above (as of September 1). Boys will remain in the program through the voice change (usually around 7th or 8th grade), and girls may participate through their high school years. No prior training or experience is required, only an eagerness to learn. Age-appropriate reading proficiency and the ability to match pitch are required. There are no expenses or tuition fees, unlike many comparable programs; the strong commitment parents and children make is all that is required. The program will be open to all children, regardless of religious affiliation.

The specific schedule will be set after dialogue with interested parents. Choristers will be asked to attend one or two weekday rehearsals (60-90 minutes) each week and will sing at the 9 AM traditional service on Sundays.

Interested families should email Rachel Jones.

REGISTRATION FORM

CURRENT LIST

2024 September – CTK

PREVIOUS LISTS

2024 EPIPHANY– EASTERTIDE 2023 SEPTEMBER – CTK (.PDF) 2023 EASTER – AUGUST (.PDF)2020 JAN – EASTER (.PDF)2019 SEPT – DEC (.PDF) 2018 JAN – EASTER (.PDF)

the organ

The use of the organ in Christian worship has a history stretching back to the 1400s. The breadth of music required in today’s worship demands an instrument capable of both subtlety and strength. The Incarnation Organ, built by the Noack Organ Company in 1994, admirably fulfills these roles. Its 58 stops are distributed among four keyboards and a pedal clavier. Of the 4,105 individual pipes, 2,218 come from Incarnation’s first organ, a 1960 Aeolian-Skinner. The instrument has an electric playing action, with the console located in the loft opposite the organ case.

The sound of the Incarnation organ was designed to support robust congregational and choral singing, finding parallels to classical organ design as well as certain details of 19th-century English cathedral organs. The result is an instrument that balances warmth and color with brilliance and excitement.

In 2015, responding to two decades of experience with the organ’s musical performance, Noack returned to undertake a thorough renovation. Portions of the mechanism were re-engineered to improve sound egress and dynamic range, and seven new stops replaced earlier, less satisfactory ones. In the process, the organ was cleaned, and every pipe adjusted and tuned. Richard Houghten of Milan, Michigan supplied the console with new keyboards, a rebuilt pedalboard, and a new complement of playing aids based on the guidelines of the American Guild of Organists.

This community of professional musicians, singers, and worshipers have committed their talents and hearts to the glory of God. The Uptown Worship Band leads a rich worship experience connected to faith that fosters hope, brings glory to God through singing and playing instruments, and leads the church into a true place of intimate worship. The songs speak truth, expressed through modern music.