Music at St. Paul's

The Choirs

St. Paul’s Choir – Rehearsal Thurs 7:30-9:00 PM & Rehearsal/Service Sunday 9:00-11:15 AM

The St. Paul’s Choir, made up of dedicated volunteer voices and a professional octet of section leaders, provides musical leadership during Sunday’s 10:00 a.m. service. While the ability to read music is not required, it is an asset. Most members do read music and the pace of rehearsals is geared to singers with that skill. Rehearsals begin in September and continue through early June on Thursday evenings as well as warmups on Sunday mornings prior to the service. The St. Paul’s Choir is joined by a professional orchestra in their annual spring performance of “Masterworks at St. Paul’s.” High school aged singers and older are invited to sing.

St. Paul’s Handbell Choir – Rehearsal Wednesday 6:00-7:00 PM

The bell choir performs several times each year during Sunday’s 10:00 a.m. service and on holidays. No experience or ability to read music is required, just the ability to count! It is a great opportunity for both adults and children.

St. Paul’s Children’s Choir

Children ages 5-12 are invited to participate in special services throughout the year, including the annual Christmas Pageant and Easter Sunday. Rehearsals take place on Sundays at 11:30 a.m. for 3-4 weeks prior to the performance. If your child is interested in singing, please contact Mark to find out about the next opportunity to join!

The Summer Choir – Rehearsal/Service Summer Sundays 9:00-11:15 AM

Membership in the Summer Choir is open to all members of the parish. The Summer Choir provides musical leadership at Sunday’s 10:00 a.m. service during the month of July. The choir meets each Sunday at 9:00 a.m. to rehearse a simple anthem. Attendance is “come when you can.”

“Sometime Singers”

Sometime Singers are members of the parish and community who would like to sing in the St. Paul’s Choir for a choir concert, Evensong, or on specific occasions such as Christmas and Easter. No long-term commitment is required to be a “Sometime Singer!”

All rehearsals take place in the Choir Room.

To learn more or join a St. Paul’s choir, contact Mark Hyczko, Director of Music, at mhyczko@stpaulswestfield.org. 

Friends of Music

Friends of Music at St. Paul’s was established in April 1993, to enhance the musical experience at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church – above and beyond the parish program. Their financial and volunteer support allows us to maintain and to expand our musical offerings to the parish and community. The support of over 160 members of the parish and community allows us to present the Steeple Concert series and to provide additional funding for instrumentalists to join us for other musical events and recitals throughout the year. More information can be found at SteepleConcerts.org.

Director of Music – Mark Hyczko

Mark has served as the Director of Music at St. Paul’s since October 2018. Additionally, he is the Choir Director and Organist at Temple B’nai Or in Morristown, New Jersey. He also served as Music Director and Conductor of the New Brunswick Chamber Orchestra from 2012-22 where he spent a decade creating innovative programming of contemporary classical works focusing on the works of living composers. In addition to performing, Mr. Hyczko currently teaches at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. He previously held the positions of Director of Music and Organist at St. Peter’s Church in Freehold, New Jersey where he was also the Artistic Director of the Downtown Concert Series, a classical music series that is regularly broadcast throughout the tri-state area on WWFM – The Classical Network. Mr. Hyczko received his Master’s Degree in Piano from The Mannes College of Music, where he studied under Pavlina Dokovska. He also holds degrees in both Music and Chemistry from Rutgers University. Contact Mark Hyczko