At St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal Church, music plays a pivotal role in our worship experience. Whether it’s the beautiful harmonies of the choir, the timeless tradition of hymns, or the contemporary songs of the praise band, our music teams provide quality musical experiences every week in each of our services. We welcome members in all voice parts and hope you will consider joining our family!
Chancel Choir
Our Chancel Choir, composed of dedicated adults and experienced high school volunteers, provides musical leadership in the 11:00 a.m. traditional worship services by leading congregational singing and performing sacred choral music. The choir performs a variety of music, including anthems, hymns, and special choral works during the Christmas and Easter seasons. The repertoire of the Chancel Choir is diverse, encompassing various styles from classic hymns and traditional sacred works to gospel and spirituals. (The month of July and August allow for the choir to take a well-deserved break, resuming in early September.) Singing in the choir is a communal experience, bringing together people from various backgrounds to connect through a shared love of music and faith. Rehearsals are Wednesday evenings from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the church loft. We always welcome new members!
Praise Band
Our praise band musicians lead the music for the 8:45 a.m. services each week and play a wide variety of music genres, including contemporary Christian, rock, blues, Broadway musicals, hymns, gospel, country, and pop music favorites. The Praise Band also plays for community events, special services, and the fun Nativity Musical each year. This team features vocals, bass guitar, lead guitar, piano, keyboard, drums, percussion, and various string or brass instrumentalists. Rehearsals are Tuesday evenings from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Youth Music Team
Our expanding youth music team is made up of singers and musicians from 6th grade to 12th grade. This fun group meets every Sunday evening from 5:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and leads the worship music for the youth group each week and special events throughout the year, including Easter, Broadway Day and the Christmas Nativity Musical. Our goal is to create a space for youth to not only develop their musical abilities, but to also connect with other kids their own age in a safe and accepting environment. We are currently making plans to develop various groups in the future, including musical theatre productions, youth band, choir, orchestra, and band programs.
Children’s Choir
Our St. Thomas Children’s Choir is definitely one-of-a-kind! Consisting of kiddos from K-5th grades, we have a very talented group of creative kids who love to make and share their energetic faith-filled music with the congregation during all seasons of the year. From singing monthly songs, to our annual Christmas Nativity Musical and Summer Arts Musical Camp, our children’s choir enhances every service that they attend! The choir also provides music at special events like Broadway Day, the Kansas-2-Kenya Fundraiser, children’s activity nights, Vacation Bible School, and much more! This young choir team is growing and has doubled in size in the last few years due to their endless dedication, skilled musicianship, and excitement to be a part of the worship service experience. Our future plans will be to include more private lessons, music theory classes, drama courses, and musical workshops throughout the school year.
Our ultimate goal here at St. Thomas the Apostle is to build a heartfelt worship experience by creating an inclusive, authentic connection to one another. We hope to transcend the boundaries of language and culture to unite us all with the gift of music.