Mater Misericordiae Parish has an opening for an alto section leader beginning November 10. We seek a practicing Catholic with the following qualities:
a desire for excellence in the singing of Renaissance polyphony and other sacred music suitable for a mostly a cappella choir of 12 to 20 voices in the context of the Latin Mass
a mature, rich, resonant voice
strong sight-reading skills
impeccable rhythmic accuracy
good technique for straight-tone choral and ensemble singing and, for female applicants, occasional solo singing with vibrato
willingness to sing challenging music alongside volunteers of various levels of ability
familiarity with tenor G clef (8vb) in addition to the standard treble G clef; proficiency in reading square Gregorian notation is preferred but not indispensable for the treble section leaders
ability to transpose as much as a minor third from the printed key without difficulty
Responsibilities include approximately forty Masses per year, weddings, and weekly rehearsals Monday evening 7:00 to 8:30, with a sectional rehearsal half an hour before or after. Trebles typically have the first and third Sundays of the month off; therefore, this position is compatible with some Sunday morning substitute or cantor work elsewhere. Pay is $88 per call, including ensemble singing (two voices per part) for weddings, plus $11 for each additional quarter hour in excess of 2 hours. A typical choral Mass has about 40 minutes of music including four to six movements of a polyphonic Mass and two motets. Sunday High Masses are usually finished within an hour and a half, and there is no mixed choir warm-up because of lack of space. The mixed choir repertory list is available here, recordings here, and current schedule here.
Section leaders must be available for Christmas Midnight Mass. Most Masses are at St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church in south Phoenix (Southern & 44th St.), with rehearsals and occasional Masses at Mater Misericordiae near the Capitol (Monroe & 16th Ave.). Please contact Patrick Williams at choir@phoenixlatinmass.org if interested and include “Alto Section Leader" in the subject line.
Background check and diocesan Safe Environment Training certification are required, and compliance with the church dress code is nonnegotiable for choir members. Mater Misericordiae is a parish of the diocese of Phoenix served by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) with exclusive use of the traditional, pre-Vatican II Roman rite in Latin.
Drawings for our new church to be built on the property of St. Edward's:
