Songs of America

Michele Marr

Last summer, 1,300 people filled the church for the first performance

of the Orange County Catholic Chorale after a Fourth of July picnic,

hosted by the Sts. Simon and Jude Men’s Club and the chorale.

Music directors Mark T. Purcell and Brian Dehn at Sts. Simon and

Jude Church are prepared for history to repeat itself as they expect

another capacity audience tonight for “Stars and Stripes Forever,”

the chorale’s second patriotic concert.

The more than 125-voice chorale formed scarcely two years ago at a

time when the Sts. Simon and Jude Parish Choir wanted to perform a

major musical work.

Purcell and the choir invited singers from other Catholic parishes

as well as from other local churches to join them.

“People want to sing,” said Purcell, “We were delighted to receive

over 40 additional singers.”

Some came from Catholic parishes. Others came from Lutheran,

Presbyterian and nondenominational Christian churches.

“They all love good music and we are providing an exciting musical

outlet for them,” said Dehn, Percell’s assistant.

Sts. Simon and Jude Church provides the chorale with a place to

hold its many rehearsals and it has been the venue for its concerts.

During Holy Week at Sts. Simon and Jude, the chorale performed the

Mozart Requiem with a 30-piece orchestra.

The chorale chose Orange County for part of their name because all

of them come from Orange County. The word catholic is intended to

mean catholic with a small “c,” to signify a cohesive, universal

group.

The chorale relies entirely on donations, from concerts like

“Stars and Stripes Forever,” and ticket sales from their masterworks

concerts, such as their performance of Mozart’s Requiem, to cover

their expenses.

All of the singers are volunteers although some are professionally

trained and others had never performed before joining the chorale.

“We learned that a lot of people who normally don’t get to rub

shoulders with each other can meet, rehearse, socialize, make new

friends and sing some pretty exciting choral literature,” said

Purcell.

Wednesday night the group performed in Los Angeles at the

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in a hymn festival in

collaboration with the Assn. of Lutheran Church Music. The festival

featured John Ferguson, the Our Lady of the Angel’s Choir, The

National Lutheran Choir and others.

“We are constantly looking for other venues to perform in Orange

County,” said Purcell.

Tonight, the chorale’s program of patriotic anthems, military

anthems and popular spirituals will include songs such as “God Bless

America,” “When the Saints Go Marching In,” “Ain’ a That Good News,”

“The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” and “The Battle of Jericho.”

The voices will be accompanied by a 12-piece wind ensemble;

organist, Purcell; and pianist, Barbara Worsley, who holds a

doctorate in piano from the University of Southern California.

The Rev. Christian Mondor of Sts. Simon and Jude will play banjo

with instrumental performer Jerry Holton.

The members of the wind ensemble, like the chorale’s singers, are

volunteers who are either professional musicians or students majoring

in music at local universities. Purcell and Dehn are veteran

professionals.

Purcell, who has been a parish organist and church musician for 36

years, played his first Mass in St. Canicus Church in Mahoney City,

Penn., at the age of 12. By the age of 16, he was the church’s choir

director.

He earned a degree in music performance from Chapman University in

Orange and also studied conducting and organ at the University of

Southern California. He has been director of music at Sts. Simon and

Jude Church since 1997.

Dehn studied choral conducting, vocal performance and music

education at Chapman University.

He has conducted throughout the Western United States, in Italy

and in Eastern Europe and as a tenor soloist he has performed with

the William Hall Chorale, The New Century Singers and Opera Chapman.

At Sts. Simon and Jude Church, the assistant music director

conducts its 85-voice choir and leads its children’s vocal and

handbell choirs. He is also conductor of the Orange County Catholic

Chorale.

Tonight’s informal concert will again follow an

old-fashioned-style Fourth of July picnic featuring of hot dogs,

apple pie and watermelon. The picnic, which starts at 6 p.m., is

free.

The doors for “Stars and Stripes Forever” will open at 7 p.m. The

concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. A free-will offering will be asked.

Sts. Simon and Jude Church is at 2044 Magnolia St. For more

information, call (714) 964-0659.

* MICHELE MARR is a freelance writer from Huntington Beach. She

can be reached at [email protected].