Incarnation Welcomes New Director of Music & Organist, Christopher "Kit" Jacobson
A lifelong Episcopalian, Kit Jacobson is deeply devoted to the liturgical worship and the rich musical tradition of the Anglican and Episcopal Church. He has trained choirs in sacred music from Gregorian Chant to contemporary commissioned works, and enjoys working with both modern and period orchestras. He will join Church of the Incarnation in Holy Week.
Sacred music is one of the primary means by which we worship, love, and serve our Lord Jesus Christ. Church of the Incarnation is blessed to be able to offer sacred music in a variety of styles.
Serve the Lord with gladness and come before his presence with a song. — Psalm 100:2
In our Traditional services, we offer the best of the Anglican choral tradition, with music led by the organ and the Incarnation Choir. Music brings a new dimension to Christian worship, and the Scriptures offer many examples of the use of music to love and worship our Lord. Sacred music, in particular, has a unique ability to thin the veil between Earth and Heaven. By offering musical liturgies, it is our goal to give our best to God and to “worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” (Psalm 96:9)
The Incarnation Choir sings for the 9 am and 11:15 am traditional services each Sunday, as well as 4 pm Choral Evensong during the academic year (September through May).
THE INCARNATION CHOIR
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 contact Monica Awbrey. Rehearsals are held on Wednesday evenings from 7 to 9:30 pm. 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.
THE INCARNATION CHOIR SCHOOL
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:
- Professional training in music, with an equal emphasis on voice training and music-reading skills
- Development of leadership and intellectual skills
- Significant individual attention in a challenging yet fun environment
- Spiritual formation through the singing of sacred music of the Anglican choral tradition
- 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 contact Monica Awbrey.
ORGANISTS
Christopher Jacobson
Director of Music and Organist
MUSIC LISTS
CURRENT LIST
PREVIOUS LISTS
2019 JAN - EASTER (.PDF)2018 SEPT - DEC (.PDF)2018 EASTER - AUGUST (.PDF)
2018 JAN - EASTER (.PDF)2017 SEPT - DEC (.PDF)2017 EASTER - AUGUST (.PDF)
2017 JAN - EASTER (.PDF)2016 SEPT - DEC (.PDF)2016 EASTER - AUGUST (.PDF)
2016 JAN - EASTER (.PDF)2015 SEPT - DEC (.PDF)2015 EASTERTIDE - AUG (.PDF)
2015 JAN - EASTER (.PDF)2014 SEPT - DEC (.PDF)2014 EASTERTIDE - AUG (.PDF)
INSTRUMENTS
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.
The Incarnation bell tower houses twenty-five bells. The oldest bell was cast in 1887 by the Meneely Bell Foundry of Troy, New York for the then Cathedral Chapel of the Incarnation. The inscription on the original bell bears witness to the rural location of the first church, “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord.” In 1963, a twenty-four bell carillon was installed by the Van Bergen Company on the current Incarnation campus. All of the bells are playable both automatically and from the organ console. In 2014, the bells were fully refurbished by the Verdin Company of Cincinnati, Ohio.
In Uptown, you’ll find powerful, modern praise and worship music with electric guitars, piano, drums, bass, strings, and more. On any given Sunday, you’ll hear everything from a worship song by Hillsong and an 18th century hymn to a song on the radio played within minutes of each another.
You will hear music that connects us to a historical faith while fostering an authentic atmosphere for all generations to worship and respond to God. Catch the Uptown Worship Band at the 9 am, 11:15 am, and 5 pm Uptown Contemporary services each week.
THE UPTOWN BAND
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.
WORSHIP LEADERS
Wendell Kimbrough
Director of Music and Songwriter
Events
Resources
CDs are available from the Incarnation Bookstore or the Music Office for $15 each. Please email Monica Awbrey or call the Incarnation Bookstore at (214) 522-2815 for more information.
Choral Evensong for Eastertide
Captures the beauty of Choral Evensong and features American music in the Anglican tradition, along with the Dallas Canticles of Herbert Howells.
Two French Masses
Includes Maurice Duruflés Requiem, Charles-Marie Widor’s Mass for Two Organs and Two Choirs and Franz Biebl’s ever-popular Ave Maria.
Hark! A Thrilling Voice
Choral music of Advent and Christmas as heard at Church of the Incarnation.
Kindle Our Hearts
Howells, Bainton, Ireland, and Joel Martinson’s Missa Puer Natus Est, commissioned by Incarnation.
The Glory of Gibbons
Sacred choral music of English Tudor composer Orlando Gibbons.
Word Incarnate
Choral music from the Renaissance to the modern day, with an emphasis on English Tudor composers.
A Royal Standard
A collection of favorite anthems, hymns and psalms.
Thirst
The music of the Uptown Contemporary Service.