Cedar Park United Church

Cedar Park United Church, has a vibrant, growing music ministry under the direction of Douglas Knight, and we invite you to be part of it.

Our goal is to provide music in the worship service as a meaningful experience for members of the congregation and the musicians.  There are opportunities for all who wish to share their musical talents in worship. Our Sunday Choir is open to all singers, from high school age to seniors. The choir sings contemporary inspirational praise anthems as well as traditional favourites, and leads the congregation in the singing of hymns. We invite you to come and ‘test drive’ the choir. You will find that

• New singers of all levels are welcome at any time of the year.
• Beginners are encouraged; training is incorporated into rehearsal.
• Rehearsals are also a time of fellowship every Thursday evening, 7:30-9:30 p.m., in the Sanctuary.

If you are proficient in any musical instrument, please consider sharing your gift with us.

Music news is published monthly in our newsletter, Music Message, which will keep you informed about what we’ve done and what’s in store in the music ministry such as choral workshops, carol services, singing in the community, and much more!    

Choral Voice Workshop, Feb. 2008                Photo: Charlie Scott

Musical Styles Style, be it in music, art, clothing, hair, or the way one walks, is personal. People have their own opinions, likes, dislikes, and indifferences. Through music we can enjoy our personal preferences and appreciate the preferred styles of others. Our worship is expressed at times through classical music, and at other times through contemporary works, or through jazz, rock, folk, Taizé, or gospel, to name but a few. We sing to an array of accompaniments such as organ, piano, guitar, and drums. Whatever the style, it is sung or played in truth and with spiritual honesty.

Handel’s The Messiah, Dec. 2006; conductor, Douglas Knight
                                                                        Photo: Charlie Scott

The Christmas season marks a very special time for the choir. Many weeks of preparation go into presenting a very special service, an evening of choral music celebrating the birth of Jesus. It may be a candlelit service of carols and anthems or one that includes a cantata or perhaps an oratorio. There may be unaccompanied “a cappella” music, or solo or choral works with organ, piano, or other instruments, or perhaps an orchestra as in the 2006 Christmas Carol service, which featured the Christmas section of Handel’s “The Messiah” with the local community orchestra, Lakeshore Chamber Orchestra, led by Douglas Knight. 

Douglas Knight, Director of Music

 In June 2007, Douglas Knight joined the staff of Cedar Park United Church as its new music director. He has been an active church organist for the past 25 years, and comes to us after a 20-year career as minister of music for the Anglican Parish of Vaudreuil, as organist and choir director at St. James Anglican (Hudson), and concurrently the organist at St. Mary’s (Como). Although many of Douglas’ musical activities have been centered around Hudson with his musical directorship of the community choir the Hudson Choristers, the community theatre groups the Hudson Music Club and StudioTheatre, he is actually a longtime resident of Pointe-Claire South (over 20 years), and well known to many as the founder of the Pointe-Claire-based concert choir, the Knight Singers, and as the present conductor of the Lakeshore Chamber Orchestra. Many often refer to Douglas as a Gilbert & Sullivan specialist, having been the music director/conductor of the Montreal West Operatic Society for over a decade, and yet in fact he is also well versed in the conducting of grand opera having studied for a number of years with Metropolitan Opera conductor, Paul Nadler in New York, and with Gustav Meier, head of conducting studies at Tanglewood and the University of Michigan. Douglas holds a McGill University degree in piano performance with highest distinction. He teaches both piano and voice students in his Pointe Claire studio, and works as a freelance accompanist. In his spare time he likes to compose and has interests in oil painting, gardening, and cooking.