MUSIC AT SECOND PRESBYTERIAN

Join the Choir or Handbell Choir

Sanctuary Choir and Bell Choir rehearse on Wednesday evenings. Bells rehearse upstairs in the sanctuary from 5:15-6:15 pm and the choir rehearses from 6:30-8:00 pm downstairs in the sanctuary. We welcome new members, or even if you just want to come and check us out! You don’t have to have had music or choir experience. For bell choir it’s not necessary even to know how to read music!

The Bell Choir is open to high school students and adults; prior bell ringing or musical experience is not necessary. Ringers learn the rudiments of music, ringing technique and something of church music and hymn history. The Bell Choir plays once or twice a month in the Sunday service during the school year.  The Bell Choir takes a break during the summer as well.  The church owns a three octave set of Schulmerich handbells.  New ringers are always welcome in the Bell Choir.

Please contact Lee Lingle for more information about the choir or Julia Harlow for bell choir.

Children’s Choir - Melody Butcher and Nate Grav work with the children, during the service in Children’s Church on Sundays. They sing approximately once a month. After the Children’s Time, they exit and go to the Education Building for music and religious instruction. If you are interested in having your child participate and would like more information, please contact Julia Harlow (link above) and she will put you in touch with Melody.

 Special Music Programs

For the past several years, Second Presbyterian has hosted joint community services with several other area churches on the Tuesday evening before Thanksgiving and on Maundy Thursday (the Thursday before Easter). The programs consist of each church choir singing an anthem and it is an enjoyable opportunity to hear other choirs and for community fellowship. Please consult the church calendar for the date, time and location of these special services.   Services with special music programs include Christmas Eve candlelight service, Christmas Day, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

Instrumentalists

We welcome the inclusion of instrumentalists in the service, both for solo offerings and as part of the choral anthems. Playing melody instruments such as flute, violin, trumpet, piano or guitar are just some of the ways one might participate in worship. Please contact Julia Harlow for more information on how to participate.

A Hymn by Mary Edna Fraser and Julia Harlow
This special composition was commissioned for the Bicentennial Finale service held on Sunday, April 26, 2009. It was premiered during that service - the congregation sang the melody, accompanied by organ and brass choir. The words for the first three verses were written by Mary Edna Fraser. The melody, harmonization and words for the fourth verse were composed by Dr. Julia Harlow. The name of the hymn tune is "Wragg Square," after the city park located directly in front of the church. Several other famous hymns are named after places, e.g., Regent Square (Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation), Duke Street (I Know That My Redeemer Lives) and Bunessan (Morning Has Broken).

1.  All power given in heaven and earth, in name of Father and Son, and Holy Ghost observing all things, to ends of all the earth as one.

2.  Black holes above, mysterious, dark, Earth's bluest sky offering light, with fragile faith at best we oft embark, led forth to knowledge and sight.

3.  Through earthquake fire and hurricane, enduring wages of war, through many hardships which the Church sustained, our peace and hope we secure.

4.  With gifts of love and healing prayer, we live our faith in charity, and going out into the world we share, Commitment and Community.

Church Organ

Second Presbyterian's first organ was built in 1845 by Henry Erben of New York City. The splendid divided carved case and façade pipes are all that remain of that instrument. The present organ, of three manuals and 30 ranks, was built in the 1950's by the Moeller Organ Company of Hagerstown, Maryland. The organ sustained considerable damage during Hurricane Hugo in 1989 and was rebuilt by the A.E. Schlueter Organ Company of Atlanta.

MUSIC PERSONNEL

Lee Lingle, Choir Director -

Dr. Julia Harlow, Director of Music and Organist, began at Second in February 1997. Her undergraduate degree in Organ Performance is from the University of Iowa (Iowa City), and her Masters in Early Keyboard Performance and Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Organ Performance and Pedagogy are from the University of Oregon (Eugene). Dr. Harlow teaches organ and harpsichord privately and at the College of Charleston and has taught eartraining, world music and music appreciation. She is active in the Charleston music scene, as a coordinator for the L'Organo organ recital series for Piccolo Spoleto, the American Guild of Organists, as a bagpiper, and performs frequently as organist, harpsichordist or pianist with the Charleston Symphony, Chamber Music Charleston, College of Charleston, Piccolo Spoleto, etc. In June 2010, she founded the ensemble 'La Belle Musique' to perform 17th and 18th century works, notably by women composers and currently also plays with Spartina Consort. contact: jharlow@2ndpc.org