Music Ministries
“Their sound has gone out into all lands, and their message to the ends of the world.”
PSALM 19:4
ST. PETER’S CHOIR
St. Peter’s Choir is a choir of mixed voices which sings a variety of repertoire from the Renaissance, spirituals, gospel and the best possible contemporary music. We welcome seasonal residents to join us as they are able. Each member brings something unique to the choir and all are equally valued. Choir is a ministry to the congregation as well as to the members; convivial fellowship is always our goal.
Our Sanctuary Choir and Bell Choir have practice on Friday.
Choir meets at 2:00 pm in the sanctuary. The Bell Choir meets at 3:30 pm in the Luther Room.
ST. PETER’S HANDBELL CHOIR
St. Peter’s Handbell Choir is a group of musicians who enjoy the teamwork of making music with handbells. We utilize 4-5 octaves of Schulmerich handbells and all the fun and excitement that modern handbell music’s special effects affords its players. Members support each other in learning to ring the range of handbells. The handbell choir rings in worship, alternating services, about once a month and for the early Christmas Eve service, the Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday. New ringers should contact the Minister of Music to coordinate an entry date and appropriate position within the group.
Soloists and Ensembles
St. Peter’s has many auxiliary musicians who lead worship with solos or small ensembles, instrumental and vocal. They may be soloists with choir or bell choir, sing for special services; they might be instrumentalists with special talents and are represented by all age groups.
Our Southfield Organ
In 2021, a group of members of St. Peter’s Lutheran of Cape Cod, led by their Minister of Music, Cheryl Duerr, and Pastor Christian Holleck, assembled an Organ Task Force to study the problem of their aging church organ. It was evident that the 30-year-old electronic instrument, which was increasingly experiencing performance issues, could not be maintained as the manufacturer was no longer in business and parts were scarce.
Nearly a year later, in Spring of 2022, the task force was working towards an organ replacement recommendation, but God works in unexpected ways. At the same time, a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church of East Longmeadow, MA, who was also an Associate member of St. Peter’s, informed them that St. Paul was closing and they were looking for a home for their Southfield (SOC) pipe organ. In October 2022, St. Peter’s congregation held a special meeting and voted to accept the SOC gift from St. Paul and raise the necessary funds to complete the project.
Below is a picture of what the organ looked like in St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, East Longmeadow, MA:
In January 2023, the pipe organ was dismantled and moved to safe storage. For the next 22 months, the instrument was totally transformed by master craftsmen and skilled technicians of Foley-Baker, Inc. in Tolland, Connecticut. The installation took place from October through November 2024. To the delight of all, the organ was first played for St. Peter’s congregation on November 24 by Craig Tocher, our Minister of Music. The final artful voicing was completed by Foley-Baker in January 2025.
The organ was originally built by Southfield Organ Builders (1991) and as restored and installed at St. Peter’s, includes two manuals and pedal, 18 stops, 20 ranks, 1,186 pipes. The area where the organ was installed was redesigned and included two new cases and reused most of the materials from Southfield’s original case, including the polished tin façade pipes. New grille fronts were in keeping with the sea theme in the rose window.
Click here to read an article on the organ in The Diapason, the international journal for organ, harpsichord, carillon, and church music.
