Our Music

The 2019 church year has once again, been a very Successful year for our choir and music ministry at Bensalem Presbyterian Church.  We have sung and participated in over sixty liturgical services to the glory of God.  Our choir schedule begins just after Labor Day and proceeds to the Sunday before Father’s Day in June. We also supply anthems, introits, hymns and other scripture oriented musical selections for Wednesday night Advent and Lenten services.

Back in March of 2019 we were very proud of our concert presentation for the spaghetti dinner and gave thanks to our guest tenor, Justin Gonzalez, along with Lenore for this extraordinary venue.  The program consisted of opera, religious, Italian and American musical theater selections. Once again it had been received by a large number of guests in our Sanctuary.  Also, this past year was the addition of a Wednesday night Advent service featuring international guest soloist Ronald Campbell Bass Baritone, singing several Afro American Spirituals.  This was a very moving Lenten service which was well attended by visiting congregations and guests.  During Holy Week, still in 2019, we combined our church choir with the choirs of Eddington Presbyterian Church and Voices of Bucks County for a performance or numerous requiem excerpts by famous composers Gabriel Faure, Wolfgang Mozart, Andres Lloyd Webber and Hector Berlioz.  The good Friday Requiem of the Centuries was accompanied by several instrumental musicians.  In addition to our own soloists we welcomed soprano, Wendy Hollenbach Hellyer, tenor, Justin Gonzalez and basso, Ronald Campbell.  This was a very successful goal for the music ministry at “Old Ben”.

Through the summer months, choir members, Lenore and I continued to present liturgical musical duets, solos, small choral and instrumental repertoire for morning services.  Then in the early fall, we again supplied music for our chicken BBQ.  Selections of music included gospel, musical theater, Pop and Jazz.  Also in the late fall, our chancel choir performed on Thanksgiving Eve community service led by Rev. Ken Wonderland and Rabbi Jeffrey Schnitzer at Congregation Tifereth Israel.

For the Christmas Eve early service, we featured Caeleigh Hartnett on viola and her father Andrew, on cello playing traditional Christmas carols.  This was a first event for Caeleigh as a viola soloist at Bensalem Presbyterian. 

In closing, we ask you to please thank your dedicated choir members for their continuing service to “make a joyful noise to the Lord”!  They are a faithful group of amateur musicians who are always willing to learn new classical, gospel and other scripture oriented repertoire.

We also give a special thank you to Session and Pastors Ken and Susan Wonderland, for their continuing encouragement and support.

We are looking forward to presenting excerpts from “Jesus Christ Superstar “by Andrew Lloyd Webber this coming Easter season.  Including in the presentation will be narrators, soloists, choirs and an instrumental ensemble.