About our Choirs
Our Director of Music - Donald J. Lefante
Choir Calendar (may take a minute to load for dialup users)
When in our music God is glorified,
And adoration leaves no room for pride,
It is as though the whole creation cried:
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Music is God's creation. In Luther's words, music "comes from the
sphere of miraculous audible things, just like the word of God". In
response to the gifts of God, we see nothing but God's love for us
and for the world he created and therefore we rejoice and sing.
How oft in making music, we have found
A new dimension in the world of sound,
As worship moved us to a more profound
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Just as fine architecture, stained glass windows, and glowing candles
can hush the noises and dim the glare of our busy world, reminding
us that we are in the house of God, so music can communicate and
express in ways that are beyond our words and our senses. Music can
capture our imaginations and lead us into the mysteries of God and
his gracious will. For Luther, music was a practical art, closely tied to
theology, to be used in the praise of God and in the proclamation of
the Word. When music is cultivated at the highest levels of artistic
excellence, the perfect goodness and wisdom of God are displayed
through this marvelous gift.
So has the Church, in liturgy and song,
In faith and love, through centuries of wrong,
Borne witness to the truth in every tongue:
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Music not only functions to stimulate our listening senses, but
is a very important part in our celebration of the worship of God.
Through liturgy and song, music inspires prayer and praise and
enhances the proclamation of the Word. At Our Redeemer, music
and hymns are always carefully chosen to balance, support and
express the theme and texts for the day. Join with us, as we
celebrate our common faith and sing unto the lord a new song.
Let every instrument be tuned for praise;
Let all rejoice who have a voice to raise;
And may God give us faith to sing always:
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. (LBW 555)
At Our Redeemer, music is an essential part of our life together.
Music breathes the spirit of the world in which we live, and speaks
to us of emotions and thoughts which are close to our daily experiences.
Through music we express human emotion in the light of God's word.
About our Choirs
Our choirs provide musical leadership for our worship, and
music training and fellowship opportunities for our members.
All choirs are entirely volunteer. We welcome all who desire
to make a joyful noise unto the Lord to join with us in singing
and ringing our praises to God.
Carol Choir is for children age four through first grade. They
rehearse Wednesdays at 4:00 p.m. and sing about once a month.
Junior Choir is for children in grades
two through five. They rehearse Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m. and
sing once or twice a month.
Youth Choir is for Middle School students. They rehearse on Wednesdays at 5:15 p.m. and sing about twice a month and all festivals.
Chime Choir, a ringing ensemble for kids in grades 4 and up,
makes use of our new set of Choir Chimes. They rehearse Thursdays
at 5:45 p.m. Pizza is provided after the rehearsal for those attending
Confirmation classes at 6:45. (Chime Choir is currently inactive.)
Senior Choir, an adult SATB ensemble, meets for rehearsal on Thursdays
at 8:00 p.m. They sing for worship every Sunday and all festivals.
Redeemer Ringers, for adults and older teens, rehearses on Wednesdays at
8:15 p.m. They play from time to time as well as for most festival services.
Our Director of Music - Donald J. Lefante
 Donald J. Lefante came to Our Redeemer in January 2001 after serving our neighboring parish in Wantagh for more than twelve years.
Don is a graduate of Westminster Choir College (1973) and was awarded the Choir Master certificate by the American Guild of Organists in 1979. He has served churches and Temples in the New York area, Montana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
Don lives in Wantagh with his wife Judy, cats Bella and Sophie, and turtle Franklyn.Their son, Timothy, is a social worker with a local social services agency. Daughter Megan is a speech pathologist in Wilmington, North carolina.
Don is also senior organist at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Brookville and Director of the Plainview Community Chorus. In recent years he has served as accompanist at Temple Beth Elohim in Old Bethpage, and Temple Chaverim in Palinview.
Church: ormusic@optonline.net
Home: djlefante@bigfoot.com
Web: djlefante.tripod.com
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