MUSIC
The Choir
Our choir is made up of some 20 volunteers who lead worship at the Principal Sunday service from late August until mid-June. They rehearse Wednesdays at 7:30 PM and on Sundays at 9:00 AM. For Christmas and Easter, they also offer more lengthy programs before the start of the Festival Eucharists. Their music ranges from early and traditional offerings to contemporary, and they have been known to sing in Latin, Russian and Zulu. The choir performs the Offertory Anthem on the first and third Sundays of each month.
The Organ
The current organ at Emmanuel is a 1984 rebuild of a 1952 M. P. Mohler instrument that is regularly upgraded by the Steiner-Murphy Pipe Organ Co. of Cumberland. It has 21 ranks, consisting of Great and Swell divisions at the back of the Church and a Chancel division at the front. In 2003, a trumpette en chamade was added as part of the Parish Bicentennial.
Instrumental Music
Additional instrumentalists add beauty to worship on Christmas, Easter, and other special occasions, offering preludes and postludes as well as accompanying hymns and service music.
The Professionals
The Music Director and Choirmaster is Dr. Scott Rieker, also the Director of Choral Activities and Choral Music Education at Frostburg State University. Our organist is Mark W. Steiner, who is also the owner of the Steiner-Murphy Organ Company. The Assisting Organist is Harold Sherman of Hyndman, PA.
Handbell Choir
There is an active handbell choir at Emmanuel, rehearsing regularly on Wednesday evenings from 6:30-7:30. The Handbell Choir plays on the second Sunday of the month from late August to mid-June.
Sacred Music Interns
Each semester, four music interns from Frostburg University join us for Sunday music and special music programs. They add their musical talents and learn about Sacred Music at Emmanuel.
Below is a sampling of music from our Sunday services. Visit our Youtube channel for more.
