Our Music Program

Canton Center Church has an active music program with its four choirs: Senior, Junior, Cherub and Cherry Brook Chimes Bell Choir.

The Senior Choir in the most active choir with weekly participation in the Sunday service. At present the membership numbers 22, with rehearsals once weekly from late Aug through mid June. Some of the choir’s past and present activities include:

• Annual participation in Thanksgiving Ecumenical Service.
• Theatre production Slice of Broadway (2008) with proceeds donated to shelter for abused women
• Planning a best of Broadway production in fall
• Previous theatre productions "Taste of Broadway" and "Godspell"
• Madrigal dinner with full concert.
• Concert to benefit church family with ill child
• Read through of the Messiah
• Concert presented by Hopewell Baptist Church Choir
• Palm Sunday Cantatas, including the "Requiems" of Faure and Rutter and Vivaldi’s "Gloria" with members of the Farmington Valley Symphony Orchestra

The Cherry Brook Chimes Bell Choir was started in 1982 with 3 octaves of bells given in memory of loved ones. The choir now has almost 5 octaves of bell and 3 octaves of chimes. The choir rehearses once weekly and performs monthly, with a membership of 12. Some of the choir’s past and present activities include:

• Annual Participation in Thanksgiving Ecumenical Service
• Annual Mini-Fest Concert with 5 area churches (since 1984)
• Performed at Canton and Riverton Granges
• Marched in Memorial Day parade (Canton)
• Performed at the Bushnell Memorial in Hartford
• Performed at the Civic Center in Hartford
• Performed for area rest homes
• Will be performing at the Church of the Latter Day Saints Christmas Concert
• Will be performing for Rabbi Howard Herman at his synagogue in Simsbury in the fall

The Junior Choir includes ages 3rd through 7th grade and rehearses once a week on Sundays and sings about once a month. The choir is directed by a volunteer and accompanied by the organist/pianist. The present membership is 7.

The Cherub Choir is open to open to ages 4 through 2nd grade and performs 3 times a year, Christmas Eve, Easter Sunday and C.E. Sunday with rehearsals on Sunday starting 6 or 7 weeks prior to each performance. This choir is also directed by a volunteer and accompanied by the organist/pianist. The choir recently acquired robes.

The Senior, Junior and Bell Choirs participate in a Christmas Music Sunday where the entire service is devoted to singing and ringing with soloists and a decorated church. The church is fortunate to have many talented members, including vocal soloists, flute and oboe players, violinists and a bass player, percussionists and pianists. Many of these members provide the music during the summer months.

The present organ is an Allen and will be upgraded in the future. There are two Baldwin pianos, an electric piano and several percussion instruments as well as a portable Fender sound system.

Our organist, choral and music director is Mary Lou Keefe.  If you have questions about the music program, choirs or would like to join, contact Mary Lou at Music@Cantoncenterchurch.org.