Join Our Choir School

A series of workshops designed to deepen your understanding and appreciation of music

In this message, Ian Cunningham reflects on the exciting opportunities ahead for the All Saints Choir School. He shares his personal connection to the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) and highlights upcoming events and programs that will inspire and enrich choristers and their families.


From Ian Cunningham


I had hoped to share a few words at the Choir School Kickoff in August, but we decided that I could write a short message to the church and all those in the "Choir School Family."


When I first heard that All Saints was finally becoming associated with the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) and adopting the Voice for Life® curriculum, it was a dream come true.


I spent my first few years at All Saints evangelizing about RSCM, since Voice for Life® was the first pillar of my music education. I later attended the nation's largest RSCM choir residency—an intensive choir camp for young singers—eleven times. The course was held at King's College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Started in the 1990s, it took place yearly until 2019. I attended this choir residency five times as a chorister and then another six as a staff member. It was an integral part of my young adulthood, and I made lasting friendships and connections with vocalists, organists, and conductors from around the country during my time there.


The weeklong camp I attended at King's no longer exists, but some of the alumni formed a new one. In 2022, this new camp began: the RSCM Midwest America Summer Choral Residency at Indiana's University of Evansville. Its registration recently opened for July 21–27, 2025. I am joining the residential staff there this coming summer, and I hope, through this program, to finally introduce my children, Poppy and Soren, to some of the most notable musicians in the country. All of our All Saints Choir School choristers aged 10 and up will have that same incredible opportunity.


There is also a weekend event in Nashville on March 22–23, 2025, roughly halfway between here and Indianapolis, which would work well as a stepping stone for curious choristers and their families. The 26th Annual Cathedral Chorister Festival at Christ Church Cathedral is a two-day event that will allow choristers to work with musicians from across the nation. On Saturday, choristers will rehearse in preparation for a Sunday morning service and evensong the following day. We already have choristers signed up, and we would love for more to join.


All this is to say that Maggie and Brad, bringing us into the arms of this global community, is a gift! The free workshops provided by the Choir School are priceless. The special services the choirs sing—the upcoming Contemplative Evensong on February 5, the Lessons and Carols of Creation later this spring, the Service of Remembrance every November, and the yearly Advent Lessons and Carols in December—are gorgeous and memorable events.


The All Saints Choir School programs have always been something special for the Birmingham area, but all of these upcoming opportunities to sing, learn, and travel are a gateway to unforgettable experiences in the music world at large.


Attached at the bottom are a few highlights from some of my favorite years at RSCM's King's course, 2009 and 2011.


There aren't many visual or audio recordings, but here are a couple of resources:


VIDEO FROM 2013

AUDIO FILES



All of these opportunities are open to any young person. Our choirs and music programs are open to any child in the community, and any of our choristers have the opportunity to register for RSCM choral programs as well as the Nashville Choral Festival in March.


Ian Cunningham

___________________________



We thank Ian for his insight and passion for our Choir School and the opportunities available to our youth! To register for a choir in the All Saints Choir School, or to find our more about our choirs, check out our WEBPAGE. Contact Maggie Gill at mgill@allsaintsbhm.org to find out more, or to receive links to sign up for the following events that Ian spoke about:


March 22-23 will be the 26th Annual Cathedral Chorister Festival

Christ Church Cathedral, Nashville, TN

*Contact Maggie Gill (mgill@allsaintsbhm.org) by February 20 if you are interested in this event

Saturday, March 22, 2025 | Workshop and Rehearsal day 

Sunday, March 23, 2025 | 11:15 AM Holy Eucharist & 4:00 PM Choral Evensong (all participating choristers sing these two services)

Guest Director Maxine Thévenot, from the Cathedral in Albuquerque

*To see last year's Evensong from this event CLICK HERE


July 21-27, 2025 RSCM Midwest in Evansville, IN

This seven-day immersive choral experience is an RSCM America Summer Choral Residency for children age 10+ and adult singers.

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Scam Alert!

September 28, 2025
Alert! To be clear, All Saints' Clergy, Vestry, Warden's or staff will NEVER ask for money or gift cards from you! If you receive any communication asking for money in any form at all, it is a SCAM! Or if you get texts asking for a private conversation, it is a scam! These scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated, so it’s important to approach texts and emails with caution. One quick way to spot a scammer is to check the email address it came from. No matter the name, look at the email address. Emails from All Saints staff will always end with "@allsaintsbhm.org" (i.e. office@allsaintsbhm.org). Never reply to, click on, or enter any information if you receive one of these suspicious EMAIL/TEXT messages. Most schemes involve scammers mimicking church staff, typically posing as someone in a position of authority asking you for money transfers or gift cards. Many times, the scammers will manipulate the email address, name, or even the area code of phone numbers, so that it appears to be coming from someone you know. Even if the email or text seems legitimate, if a request seems even remotely “off” or is asking for anything from you, don’t act on it until you confirm it with a phone call ( 205-879-8651 ) or face-to-face conversation with someone at All Saints. Some general suggestions: Check sender details carefully. Any suspicious emails or text message should be investigated before replying. Pay attention to the message content, including attachments and URLs. When in doubt, call: If there are questions about any email, do not reply. Instead, call our office - 205-879-8651 Label it spam: If your email service has the ability, report the email as spam. Here’s how you can report these scams: Report Phishing Attacks: the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team has an Incident Reporting page to report email phishing, as well as an email to forward them to, at https://www.us-cert.gov/report-phishing . Forward all emails to the Anti Phishing Working group at phishing-report@us-cert.gov . Report text scams to through the Federal Trade Commission’s Complaint Assistant which helps the FTC detect patterns of fraud and abuse.

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donate altar flowers

Donate Altar Flowers

By bwallace • December 24, 2024
Altar Flower Memorials You are invited to donate altar flower arrangements to honor, remember, or give thanks for someone special. These arrangements can be dedicated in honor of a loved one, in memory of someone who has passed, or in thanksgiving for a particular blessing or person in your life. Each memorial dedication will be acknowledged in the bulletin for that week, ensuring your tribute is shared with the congregation. Flowers are $100.00 and checks should be made out to All Saints Episcopal Church. If you are ordering flowers and would like to dedicate them in honor, memory or in thanksgiving for someone, please indicate what you would like for the dedication to say. If there is no dedication filled in we will assume they should be dedicated “to the Glory of God." The flower guild can create your arrangement but if you would like to order them from the florist we will honor that request. Please comment that you are using a florist and contact Mountain Brook Florist or Dorothy McDaniel's directly. With questions, contact office@allsaintsbhm.org or allsaintshwdflowerguild@gmail.com