Worshiping God through Singing

Join Our Chorister Program for Ages 5-17

Handing on the Catholic faith through the beauty, joy, and challenge of learning to sing the Church’s sacred music with excellence

Our Mission and Goals

Are you looking for a positive, fun, and joyful environment for your student to pray, learn his or her Catholic faith, develop musical talents, meet great friends, and develop virtues such as patience and resiliency?

The Catholic Institute of Sacred Music Chorister Program is committed to inspiring young singers through a comprehensive program that emphasizes musical excellence and spiritual growth. Our mission is to cultivate a love for sacred music, guiding young voices to reach their full potential while instilling values of discipline, teamwork, and artistic expression.

Open to all students ages 5–17, the Chorister Program offers weekly training in:

The Catholic faith
Active participation in the sacred liturgy through singing the Church’s treasury of sacred music, including Gregorian chant, sacred polyphony, hymns, responses, etc.
Rigorous vocal training and technique
Music theory and aural skills
Reading musical notation (modern notation for choral music and square notes for Gregorian chant)
Rhythm and conducting
Improvisation and composition
Choral singing in the great cathedral tradition

Open to singers of all experience levels. The ability to match pitch is required and will be determined in an informal audition with a faculty member once the program begins. Students needing remediation to match pitch will receive short supplemental education.

This training complements any private instruction in voice, keyboard, stringed, or other instruments students are receiving outside the program.

Rehearsals are on Tuesday afternoons at St. Patrick’s Seminary for most of the choirs. Some choirs have an additional rehearsal during week. Please see below for the exact rehearsal schedule for each choir.

Rehearsals begin August 25th, accepting students on a rolling enrollment basis through September 22nd.

2026–27 Program Details & Fees

Choirs in the Program

There are five choirs in our program! Below is a description of each choir:

St. Nicholas Choir:	For new singers ages 8 and up and for returning singers who are unable to commit to two rehearsals a week. Please note that returning singers in the St. Nicholas Choir will not be able to participate in the full Mass schedule as the other choirs. Must be able to commit to one rehearsal a week and all required Masses. See exact schedule and calendar below, this choir’s performances marked in red.
Holy Innocents Choir:	Ages 5 -7. Must be able to commit to one rehearsal a week and all required Masses. See exact schedule and calendar below.
St. Gregory Choir:	For Boy Choristers (returning singers who were invested as choristers) or by audition. Must be able to commit to two rehearsals a week and all required Masses. See exact schedule and calendar below.
St. Cecilia Choir:	For Girl Choristers (returning singers who were invested as choristers) or by audition. Must be able to commit to two rehearsals a week and all required Masses. See exact schedule and calendar below.
Schola Cantorum:	Boys Changed Voice Choir. Must be able to commit to one rehearsal a week and all required Masses. See exact schedule and calendar below.

Attendance Requirements

Participants must attend weekly rehearsals, special events,
and sing for scheduled Masses at Church of the Nativity in Menlo Park.

Homework

There is weekly homework for The St. Nicholas Choir (Probationers). Practice videos reinforce musical concepts and help students learn repertoire. Students should expect to practice about 1 hour per week total, divided up in 15 minute practice sessions, 4 days per week.

Choristers (St. Gregory, St. Cecilia, or the Schola Cantorum), do not have regular practice videos, but will given specific written or listening assignments.

Tuesday Vespers

Attendance at 6:00 Vespers with the seminarians is mandatory for all groups except the Holy Innocents Choir. Choristers and changed-voice boys will sing for Vespers, while St. Nicholas Choir Probationers will attend to listen and learn.

Schedule Overview

St. Nicholas Choir: New Singers ages 8 and up / Returning singers who elect this option:

Tuesdays, 4:15 – 6:15pm

St. Gregory Choir: Boy Choristers (returning singers or by audition)

Tuesdays, 4:45 – 6:15pm and

Thursdays, 4:30 – 6:15pm

St. Cecilia Choir: Girl Choristers (returning singers or by audition)

Tuesdays, 4:45 – 6:15pm and

Wednesdays, 4:15 – 6:00pm

Schola Cantorum: Boys Changed Voice Choir

Thursdays, 5:15 – 6:15pm

Holy Innocents Choir: Ages 5 – 7

Tuesdays, 3:45 – 4:45pm

Pick-up and Drop-off

Singers may be dropped off between 5 and 20 minutes before their rehearsal call time. Parents should closely monitor their children while they play outside or sit quietly in the foyer before class starts.

Uniform for Mass

Modest black bottoms and white tops, or all black dresses/suits, with closed-toe shoes are required for each singer.

Dress for Rehearsal

For boys: collared shirts and/or sweaters, and trousers/slacks.
For girls: modest dresses, skirts/loose-fitting pants with collared shirts.
For all: no flip flops, sneakers, shorts (unless part of a school uniform), t-shirts, or blue jeans.

Parent Volunteers

It is vital to have parent volunteers assisting us in order for our program to be functional and successful. The expectation is that each family have a parent volunteer two times each term (Fall and Spring).

We will need at least 1 – 2 volunteers at every rehearsal/special event/Mass, to manage check-in/check-out, help with study hall, and to assist with rehearsal room/bathroom monitoring.

Please, when you sign your children up for this unique program, know that you’re committing to volunteering to help us on a regular basis. The more volunteers we have, the lighter the workload! You’ll receive more information and more details after enrolling in the program.

Volunteering Discount: Each time you volunteer after two times (3+) results in a $50 credit for the upcoming semester.

Tuition and Fees

Yearly Tuition: $1,000 per student; payable in full at registration or in two installments of $500 (one installment at registration and the other in January)

$700 per student for Holy Innocents Choir; payable in full at registration or in two installments of $350 (one installment at registration and the other in January)

Family Discount: Pay for the first two students, third student and beyond are free.

Volunteering Discount: Each time you volunteer after two times (3+) results in a $50 credit for the upcoming semester.

Additional scholarships are available for families in need. Please contact Sr. Mary Vianney at mary.vianney@stpsu.edu.

Music Materials

$100 per student (all students, including those with free family discount)

Calendar for 2026 - 2027

NB: Choristers = St. Gregory, St. Cecilia, and Schola Cantorum Choirs

Masses

September 20 – Mass @ Nativity (St. Gregory and St. Cecilia Choirs Only)
October 18 – Mass @ Nativity (St. Gregory and St. Cecilia Choirs Only)
November 15 – Mass @ Nativity (St. Gregory and St. Cecilia Choirs Only)
Dec. 4, Friday – Advent & Christmas Concert @ St. Patrick’s 7pm (All Choirs)
Dec. 20 – Mass @ Nativity (All Choirs)
Dec. 24, 10pm – Mass @ Nativity (St. Gregory and St. Cecilia Choirs Only)
Jan. 31 – Mass @ Nativity (St. Gregory and St. Cecilia Choirs Only)
Feb. 10 – Ash Wednesday – 5:30 Mass @ Nativity (St. Cecilia Choir Only) – Rehearsal @ 4:45.
Feb. 21 – 9:30am Mass @ Nativity (St. Gregory and St. Cecilia Choirs Only)
Mar. 13, Saturday – Pueri Cantores Northern California Festival & Mass – Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption, San Francisco. ALL CHOIRS. Exact time TBA.
Mar. 17, Wed. – St. Patrick’s Day, St. Cecilia Choir Only sings Mass, 5pm @ St. Patrick’s
Mar. 25, Holy Thursday – 6pm Mass @ Nativity (All Choirs)
Mar. 26, Good Friday – 2pm Liturgy @ Nativity (St. Gregory and St. Cecilia Choirs Only)
April 18, 24 or 25 – Confirmation Mass @ Nativity (St. Gregory and St. Cecilia Choirs Only)
May 6 – Ascension Day, St. Gregory Choir Only sings 5pm TLM @ St. Patrick’s
May 16 – Pentecost – Mass @ Nativity – End of the Year (All Choirs)All Choirs)

Rehearsal Location Shifts or Special Notes

August 25 – Rehearsals begin
September 15 (Tuesday) – Choristers rehearse at Nativity. Holy Innocents and St. Nicholas at St. Patrick’s
October 13 – no rehearsal (mid-term break). Rehearsals on Weds, Thursday as usual
November 10 (Tuesday) – Choristers rehearse at Nativity. Holy Innocents and St. Nicholas at St. Patrick’s.
November 11 (Wednesday) – no rehearsal – Veterans Day
Nov. 24-26 Thanksgiving break
Dec. 8, Tuesday – Immaculate Conception, Rehearsal & 5pm Mass @ St. Patrick’s
Dec. 15 – All rehearsals at Nativity.
Dec. 22 – Rehearsal only for Choristers – no rehearsal for other choirs
Dec. 24 – No regular rehearsals
Dec. 29-31 – Christmas break
Jan. 5-7 – Christmas break
Jan. 12 – Rehearsals resume
Jan. 26 (Tuesday) – Choristers rehearse at Nativity. Holy Innocents and St. Nicholas at St. Patrick’s.
Feb. 2, Tuesday – Candlemas – Rehearsal & 5pm Mass attend @ St. Patrick’s
Feb. 16 (Tuesday) – Choristers rehearse at Nativity. Holy Innocents and St. Nicholas at St. Patrick’s
Mar. 16, Tuesday – Solemn Evening Prayer – all choristers attend. 5pm.
Mar. 23 – All Choirs – rehearsals at Nativity.
March 30-April 1 – Easter break
April 6 – Rehearsals resume
April 21, 22 – Spring Break
May 11 – All Choirs – rehearsals at Nativity.

Faculty

Led by expert musicians, students in our Chorister Program receive top-tier training.

Prof. Christopher Berry, Director, Catholic Institute of Sacred Music Chorister Program
Biography

Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka, Director, Catholic Institute of Sacred Music
Biography

Questions?

In need of a scholarship? Please get in touch with us.

Interested in volunteering? We are in need of parent volunteers.

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