Music Ministry
Chancel Choir rehearsals have resumed on Thursday evenings at 7:30 p.m. If you are interested in joining the choir, please contact Music Ministry Coordinator Iain Macpherson by email at choirdirector@rideaupark.ca.
Cherub Choir gathers on Thursday evenings at 6pm in Room B12.
Drums Alive! sessions are on Thursdays at 4:30pm in the Sanctuary.
Youth Choir/drumming is awaiting more registered participants (min. 10).
Music Ministry Coordinator
If you have any questions or would like to become involved in any of our music programs, please call Iain Macpherson at 613-733-3156, ext 226, or email choirdirector@rideaupark.ca.
Rideau Park has opportunities for choral singing for all age groups: children, youth, and adult/intergenerational. In addition, we have handbell choirs for youth and adults, and chimes for children. Drumming has been a recent addition in our services, and drumming activities are available for all ages.
Children’s and Youth Choirs
Youth Choir/Drumming: This activity is open to all students in grades 4+. We will be learning a fun Ghanaian (West African) piece, which includes drumming, dancing, and call and response singing. Please contact Iain Macpherson (choirdirector@rideaupark.ca) for more details or to register.
Cherub Choir: Cherubs are children in Junior Kindergarten to Grade 3. They meet every Thursday night from 6pm-6:30pm. We learn secular (e.g. Baby Bumble Bee) and religious songs (e.g. Jesus Loves Me). Cherubs also use rhythm instruments and learn the values of whole notes, half notes and quarter notes in 4/4 time.
We celebrate every holiday with parties and costumes and fun, fun, fun! We are not performance-oriented, but do sing in church on Christmas Eve, on Mother’s Day, and on other occasions as asked by the Music Ministry Coordinator. For further details, contact Iain Macpherson, choirdirector@rideaupark.ca.
Adult/Intergenerational
The Chancel Choir is an adult choir that enhances the worship experience at the Sunday morning worship service. The choir supports the congregation in singing the hymns, sings anthems and leads the liturgy of the service. Special choral presentations in the fall, Christmas and spring are also presented. This choir is not auditioned and rehearses September-May on Thursdays from 7:30pm-9pm. For more information on our Singers/Soloists who further enhance the music on Sunday mornings, click here.
The Rideau Park United Church music library consists of over 450 choral titles, with multiple copies of each work. The repertoire includes sacred, secular, ancient, and modern arrangements in unison, 2, 3 and 4 part settings. To see a list of available pieces, please visit the Ottawa Choral Lending Library website (OCLL – Ottawa Choral Lending Library). We do loan music (for a small fee) for use; if interested, please contact our Music Ministry Coordinator, Iain Macpherson at choirdirector@rideaupark.ca.
Handbell Choirs
For more information on the handbells and chimes choirs, click here.
Drums Alive!
Drums Alive! is a weekly, drop-in drumming class on Thursdays at 4:30pm in the Sanctuary, open to people of all ages. At this time, there is no cost to the class, and people are welcome to join in at any time. Regular attendance is encouraged, but not mandatory. Click here to view the poster.
We are learning drumming pieces from Ghana (West African Drumming), which involve drumming, dancing, and call and response singing, as well as some basic skills to help us develop our skills. If you have any questions or would like to become involved, please call Iain Macpherson at 613-733-3156, ext 226, or email choirdirector@rideaupark.ca.
Ager Productions
For more information, see New Opera Lyra.