Happy 37th Anniversary

Happy Anniversary my dear STAC! Wow, we've really come a long way. Can you believe it's been 37 years since a bunch of like-minded young people came together to form this group? Though I've only been in this choir for 4 years, I would just like to say that I thank God for how far we've come. It really is amazing!

My fellow STAC-ians, let's never forget that we're more than just a choir. We're a family, and we will remain that way as long as we're of one heart, one purpose and one voice. So let us pray for unity and strength and God's continued blessings as we journey into 2011. Come what may, we will get through all obstacles and hardships together, and rejoice in the good times as a family! God and St Thomas Aquinas will always be looking out for us! =D

This blog, along with this post, is my personal present to all of you this anniversary. It will contain updates for various events, as well as hold links to uploaded scores, pictures and useful sites. So make good use of it!

I wish all of you the best for the year ahead. May God hold you in the palm of His hand! =)

A Candlelight Carol

On 18th December 2010, the Saint Thomas Aquinas Choir helped spread the message and joy of Christmas by organising A Candlelight Carol for parishoners of Nativity Church and members of the general public. This caroling session was a huge success, seeing almost 200 people in Casa Maria that song-filled night. The choir presented not just traditional carols, but spiritual and contemporary pieces as well, creating a lively and comfortable setting for the audience to rediscover God's gift of Christmas.

STAC wishes everyone a wonderful, meaningful Christmas and a happy New Year. Thanks to everyone who supported and helped out with this event, be it by being physically present, giving us moral and spiritual support, or even filling up our love-offering box with your generous donations.

Cheers to our Saviour's birth as well as to 2011!

Photo Album

Okay, was digging through my email and realised we have a common Picassa Web album! To all STAC members, please get over there and upload stuff! Ask someone for the user/password =))

Our public gallery can be found here: http://picasaweb.google.com/108282943903327629009

Saint Thomas Aquinas Choir

We celebrate our 37th anniversary in 2011, having come a long way from our humble beginnings since our founding in 1974. We currently have about 25 members ranging from 13 to 20-somethings . As one of the choirs of Nativity Church, our role is to provide liturgical music during the celebration of the Mass and to lead the congregation in cantoring, but as one of the youth groups, we know how to let our hair down as well!

Where to catch us!

We sing at the 7.30am Mass every Sunday morning, and join the combined choir twice a year during Lent and Advent, for Easter Vigil and Christmas Mass. The practices are frequent, long and tough, but everything is worth it in the end. We also keep in touch with the other choirs – Holy Spirit Choir, St. Hilary’s Choir and Salve Regina Choir. Singing is not all we do; we also have holiday retreats and get-together sessions regularly. Our recent activities include the STAC Food Trail 2010, Aquinas BBQ and STAC 36th Anniversary Celebration.

Our choir may not have professional training, but we have informal vocal training conducted by our own choir members (those with music/vocal training). They may not be music teachers, but we do learn many things we would otherwise not know (besides, the lessons are free!) On occasion, we also attend liturgical music workshops to learn more about the role and function of liturgical music in the church and in the Mass. It also gives us an opportunity to meet members of other choirs in Singapore, whom we have learned many things from.

What if i can't sing?

Many people seem to think that you need formal training in vocal singing, or background in music, in order to join the church choirs – this is not true! Many of our members have no background in music but are doing just fine, and having fun too. Vocally trained or not, so long as you can hold a tune, and are willing to learn, you are invited to join us.

If you’re interested, please contact us via Leonard (98338527) or Bernard (96194865) or drop us an email (sta.choir@yahoo.com). Alternatively, join us for Sunday practice at 8.30am, in church or at Rm C-3 (next to the canteen), or morning breakfast at Blk 401 from 9.30am onwards (though we may be slightly late sometimes), and we’ll tell you more.