Music

Music Ministry is an active part of St. Eugene’s parish.  The Adult English Choir comprises the core of the music program, with guest instrumentalists and the Handbell Choir periodically joining in liturgical and sacred music.  The Children's Choir is a part of St. Eugene's School and occasionally collaborates with the adult choir.

The English Choir sings each Sunday at the 9:30am Mass.  We meet from 6:30-8 pm on Wednesday evenings in the church, rehearsing music ranging from traditional Classical anthems to ethnic and contemporary pieces, in addition to the standard Catholic repertory of hymns and chant.  Prior choral experience and proficiency in music reading are not required to join; if you love singing and wish to add your voice to our group, we welcome you!

The Handbell Choir performs at Mass several times each year.  Contact Handbell Director Paul Nybeck at [email protected] for information on performance and rehearsal times.

For information on the Spanish Choir, contact Hispanic Ministry director Martha Martinez at [email protected]

The St. Eugene organ was built by industry leader Walker Technical Company of Pennsylvania in 2012.  Although it sounds very convincingly like a pipe organ, it is actually completely digital, using advanced audio technology to simulate the sound of each "pipe" of an organ in virtual space.

The St. Eugene organ has 141 individual stops, operated by the push/pull drawknobs organized in columns to the sides of the keyboards. An organ “stop” is one unique and distinctive sound of a specific pitch level, timbre, and volume. Each stop could be thought of as an individual instrument of an orchestra, for example, a soft Flute or a loud Trumpet. It is in mixing these together to create solo and ensemble combinations in a practically infinite variety that the organist can modify dynamic volume and evoke a wide range of dramatic moods and textures in hymns and solo music.

When looking at our organ console, the first thing most people notice are the four keyboards (called “manuals”) stacked on top of each other. Each of these controls a different set of stops unique to itself and sounding from a different part of the church. The bottom manual is called the Choir, and it sounds from just behind the right side of the altar platform. True to its name, it contains mostly soft sounds suitable for accompaniment of a small ensemble, as well as some unique solo voices such as a Clarinet or a Bassoon. The second from the bottom is the Great, whose main function is to support congregational singing with a robust foundation for hymns. It also sounds from the right of the altar. The third manual is the Swell, which sounds from the left of the altar platform and is mostly distinctive for its strong trumpet/brass chorus and warm, rich orchestral colors. The top manual is the Solo/Antiphonal, which contains some of the very loudest and softest sounds in the whole instrument. It is located high in the back of the church above the narthex, and its stops are seldom used in hymn accompaniment except for special effects such as chimes or a particularly powerful trumpet blast. Finally the Pedal division (chromatic foot pedals arranged like a large keyboard with sharps and naturals) provides the bass foundation for chords and the very lowest sounds of the organ.

I welcome anyone with questions about the organ to come up and visit after Mass.  I'd be happy to explain how the organ works in more detail.