musiC MINISTRIES

JOIN     -     ADULT CHOIRS     -     YOUTH CHOIRS     -     CHILDREN CHOIRS

SANCTUARY ORCHESTRA     -     YOUTH PRAISE BAND     -     MESSIAH     -     PERAGALLO PIPE ORGAN

join one of our choirs or ensembles!!

Read the descriptions below and decide how you and/or your children would like to serve our church.  We have selected many exciting anthems and major works to present during Sunday morning worship and for special events throughout the year. You will make new friends who share your enthusiasm for presenting beautiful music in worship. To register, click on one of the forms below and then attend rehearsal.


For more information, contact one of the directors:

Registration Information

If you’ve participated in the past, please renew your membership by filling out a registration form via the links below (paper copies are located on the large bulletin board between rooms 107 and 114 in the basement).  If you are joining an ensemble for the first time, please complete a registration form and attend the first rehearsal.  


We are a Safe Sanctuaries church. To view our policy, click here.

Adult Choirs

  • Sanctuary Choir (Lou-Anne Smith, Director) - This vocal choir leads weekly Sunday morning worship services, and welcomes folks from high school through adult! No experience is necessary! We will help you grow vocally and spiritually! Members are asked to commit to one service each Sunday – either 8:15 a.m. or 11:00 a.m. (and occasionally two services for special Sundays). Rehearsals are Thursday evenings from 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. in Room 114.      
  • Summer Choir (Lou-Anne Smith, Director) - For visitors and members of the congregation of all ages from high school through adults.  Summer Choir meets only on Sunday mornings during June, July, and August to learn an easy hymn arrangement as the choir anthem for worship.   Warm-up starts at 7:40 a.m. to sing in the 8:15 a.m. service and 10:25 a.m. for the 11:00 a.m. service.  
  • In Nomine Dei Ringers (Lou-Anne Smith, Director) - A beginner to intermediate bell choir for adult ringers meets on Tuesday mornings at 11:00 a.m. in Room 112. Homeschool students are welcome!
  • Covenant Ringers (Lou-Anne Smith, Director)  - An advanced youth, college student, and adult bell choir meets on Thursday evenings from 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. in Room 112. 

youth choirs

  • Canticles of Praise (Anthony Williams, Director) - Students in middle and high school rehearse choral music for worship. Rehearsal is Sunday afternoons from 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. in Room 173. 
  • Summer Choir (Lou-Anne Smith, Director) - For visitors and members of the congregation of all ages from high school through adults.  Summer Choir meets only on Sunday mornings during June, July, and August to learn an easy hymn arrangement as the choir anthem for worship.  Warm-up starts at 7:40 a.m. to sing in the 8:15 a.m. service and 10:25 a.m. for the 11:00 a.m. service.  
  • Bells of Praise (Anthony Williams, Director) - A bell choir for middle and high school students meets on Sundays from 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. in Room 112. 

End of year tour

Our Youth Music Students have worked hard all year and are excited to take their talents on tour June 22-25. The tour kicks off with our Bells and Youth Choirs blessing the residents at Edgeworth Assisted Living in New Town. 


During their time away, they will experience a master class with Dr. Christopher Ryder, Professor of Music and Director of Choral


Activities at the University of Mary Washington. They will be singing in Fredericksburg, Richmond, and D.C., with their Richmond performances being broadcast on TV in the local Richmond area.


Zach Griggs, our Family Ministries Coordinator, will be joining them and leading times for spiritual growth as they visit the Smithsonian American History Museum and the National Cathedral.  Their trip wouldn’t be complete without time for fun, fellowship, and celebration so they have a day in Kings Dominion built in!

 

They round off their tour with a Homecoming Concert at WUMC at 3:00 pm on June 25th. Please come out and help us support our youth as they present a celebratory end to their choral season for WUMC family and friends!


Registration for our Youth Music Program opens this September! Email Anthony Williams to sign-up!

children choirs

Interested in Early Childhood Music School? Click here.

sanctuary orchestra

Our orchestra rehearses on Monday evenings from 5:15 p.m. - 6:15 p.m. in the Atrium. We welcome beginners and experienced players alike! Eighth grade through adult. 


Lou-Anne Smith, Conductor

youth praise band

Our vocal and instrumental band for middle and high school students meets on Sundays from 5:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. in the Youth Center. They lead worship in Sunday School and Messy Church, as well as in Sunday morning worship several times per year!  


Anthony Williams, Director

Messiah

Williamsburg United Methodist Church is thrilled to share with our congregation, community and guests that our live and in-person Messiah Concerts will return on Friday, December 2, at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, December 3, at 5:45 p.m. 


Our soloists include Michelle Trovato, Soprano; Cecelia McKinley, Contralto; Ian Lane, Tenor; and Branch Fields, Bass. They will be accompanied by our Handel Chamber Orchestra.


To volunteer to join our Messiah Chorus, please click here.


If you have any questions, please email Lou-Anne Smith (lsmith@williamsburgumc.org).

pERAGALLO PIPE ORGAN

Our Peragallo Pipe Organ was installed in July 2011. It is a 62 rank, three manual and pedal organ.


The main organ includes the Grand Orgue, Positiv, Pedal, and Recit Divisions which occupy the pipe chamber on the right side of the nave. The new Grand Choeur division is located behind the left casework and provides a foil to the main instrument and allows for a balance of tonal projection in the worship space to support congregational singing. For a list of the Organ's specifications, click here.


The organ key desk is a low-profile French curved terrace design with select hardwoods such as cherry and mahogany. The tonal design was developed in collaboration with the church organist, Thomas Marshall. To learn more about our organist, Thomas Marshall, click here.


As part of the installation, the organ committee and the Peragallo's worked to improve the acoustics of the space by adding new tonal openings on both sides of the sanctuary and adding a new hardwood floor to the chancel area. The effect of these site improvements created a wonderfully balanced acoustic for the organ to project down the nave of the church.


The architectural integrity of the sanctuary has been enhanced by the new facade pipe cabinets positioned in front of the tonal openings. The Peragallo firm designed these cabinets to match perfectly with the original architecture and fine 18th century millwork present throughout the church sanctuary.



The Peragallo Pipe Organ Company is a fourth generation of organ builders. It was founded in 1918 by Mr. John Peragallo, Sr., who was an apprentice with the famous E.M. Skinner Organ Company. Mr. John Peragallo, Jr., joined the company in 1949 and further enhanced the business with a close “father-son” relationship. Today, this tradition continues with John III and Frank now heading the company joined by their sons Anthony and John IV. Specialized personal voicing has been the credo of the Peragallo Organ Company with personal voicing by John III, Frank, and their sons. The Peragallo firm is a family organization whose pipe organs successfully integrate old world craftsmanship with modern day technology. For more information, visit their website at http://www.peragallo.com/.