‘If music be the soul of love, sing on’. Joanne Liaw examines the contribution of the 8:30am choir to the musical life of St Mary’s Cathedral.

‘He who sings prays twice.’ This phrase was quoted by St. Augustine as a commendation of music as a channel through which one is able to make melodious prayers and praise to God. Music is a marvelous gift from God which accords us the opportunity to encourage and remind our fellow Christians of God’s Word in song. Singing adds a valuable dimension to the proclamation of the gospel with the reverberation of harmonious melodies throughout the sanctuary. It is true that singing is a gift from God but an untrained voice is like a rough diamond which bears great potential for shaping and polishing to uncover the glistening diamond beneath the surface.

The 8.30am Choir of St. Mary’s Anglican Cathedral, Kuala Lumpur is currently headed by Austin Koh who is assisted by Jeffery Galie. Their mission is, ‘to change the paradigm of a singer to a chorister, promote choir as ministry and instill a choir culture in youngsters.’ The musical talents of the choir, which currently comprises six sopranos, two altos, two tenors and three basses, are honed through weekly choir practices on Saturdays from 3.30pm-6.00pm and additional rehearsals if needed.

The choir consists of multiracial choristers who lead the congregation in music during the Cathedral’s main services. The choir also sings for major Church Feasts such as Christmas Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Eve, Easter, Ascension Day, All Souls Day, as well as weddings, memorial services and Ordinations. Apart from singing in churches, they are also involved in activities held by their counterpart group known as, ‘The Anglican Choristers’, which includes Old Folks Home visitations, teaching children how to sing, and taking part in ecumenical music celebrations organised by other Christian denominations.

The choir aims to share the gospel of Jesus Christ through music and encourage others in their walk with Christ. This vision is brought also by leading congregational singing and providing an avenue through which individuals may share their musical gifts. They seek to be an integral part of Christian music and spread the Word of God through musical experiences.

The beautiful blending of melody and harmony in the choir is a reflection of the unity of diverse members in the church who share a common faith in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Just as it takes the eagerness of choristers to work together in singing their different parts, so does it take the willingness of the church as various members of the body of Christ to be united in His love. The celestial music created by the choristers is but a picture of the heavenly singing resounding at the gates of paradise, our future home.