Thanks for your contribution. However I'm more interested in knowing what you would do, if anything.

Get members of your choir to invite urge her to join the choir, and do it charitably, sincerely.

Father, be fair, the "it" surely referred to belting more loudly than an entire choir and holding out notes longer than anyone else, not to what's in her heart.

Lacrimosa, I don't think you can do much beyond pray.
I have had such people in congregations and choirs, and in casts of shows, and they are very difficult to change. (In professional theater, at least an on-top-of-things stage manager or music director can give notes....)
The music director might be able to speak to her, and even that is doubtful.
You as a choir member can only "offer it up" as my Grandma used to say.

(Save the Liturgy, Save the World)

If it's only bothering you and the choir, and it's not bothering most of the people in the pews, I wouldn't do anything about it.

I get your frustration, though; at one of my parishes, a priest with no sense of musical timing leaves his mic on and sings the hymns, but with the wrong timing. Last weekend at Spanish Mass, we did "Pan de Vida," with its long gaps between lines. I, uh, will need to gently persuade him to turn his mic off next time we do that one.

Father, be fair, the "it" surely referred to belting more loudly than an entire choir and holding out notes longer than anyone else, not to what's in her heart.

Sorry to have to disagree with you, G. The OP may have intended the reading you give, but the rules for antecedents in English are quite clear, and the antecedent of the "it" in question is "what's in her heart."

I know it's hard to ignore, as is the loud talking after Mass while we are singing the Salve Regina. But we work to ignore it and rather focus on making our own offering of music the best we can make it.

How would you want it handled if you were in the position of the lady in question? Do that.

Once, I was that overly-zealous singer in the congregation. At the time, my son was 9 or 10 and loved to sing in church. But he sang so loudly and so off-key, and, not wanting to squelch my son's enthusiasm for singing praises to the Lord (don't we have so much the opposite problem?), I tried to drown him out with my own loud singing. One Sunday, the man who always sat in front of our family turned to me and said, "Wow, I sure can hear you sing!" I talked with my son after that and we both toned it down--no problem henceforth.

My sympathies, lacrimosa. We had a similar situation with a young fellow in the congregation. When he first appeared one Sunday he was sitting near the front of the chapel and was singing Credo I with such vigor and volume the schola in the back of the chapel all looked at each other in surprise.

Since we're very short of males in our school, I approached him after Mass and asked if he'd like to join us, and he immediately agreed. We have had to clip his wings a considerable bit since he sings the few things he knows with considerable gusto, but he is, thankfully, a very cooperative soul. We work with him after Mass every week, and with much practice on his part, he's now able to sing the Introit and Communion antiphons and the ordinary. He requires a lot of attention, but he has learned to sing quietly, and we keep him stationed between two strong schola members. Sometimes my husband must cut him mid-phrase since he has pitch problems, but he's okay with that, and he's improving all the time, and we're very proud of our little fledgling.

It was tough for him at first since he wasn't used to being muzzled. I give him lots of credit for having the grace to accept direction and being willing to learn. With continued effort, he will soon be a very useful addition to our schola. We really believe that God dropped him into our path, and it's our obligation to do what we can to bring him along, since he has a very willing heart, God bless him.

I'm glad it's working out, but I don't think I'll ever ask anyone to join the choir on the spur of the moment like that again. (My bad.) There were times I regretted opening my big mouth, believe me, but thankfully, he's humble enough to accept correction and has natural talent, and that makes all the difference.

She won't join a choir. She has made statements to the effect that she's too good for that.

And that says it all. A local church has a music professor who reduced a DM to tears with criticism from the pews. But will not participate.

[an increasing number of posts are coming from choir and congregation members here, I have noticed. I think that this is great, and shows that a glowing level of discontent from non-professionals is popping up from them and proves the hard work of Jeffrey T and Arlene and others is paying off.]

This past week, the priest drowned out the cantor, choir, and congregation. Wonder what that music director is facing right now...

May one also complain to the MD about singers in the pews who don't sing at all, are too soft, out of tune, mispronounce, or who breathe at the wrong places? Two parables leap to mind. One is Brother Massé reproving and sending away the angel for knocking too loudly (Saint François, Scene 4, 7'20"; it's also fun to watch Dawn Upshaw rehearsing at 7'15" of this documentary) and the other of course is Emily Dickenson's poem.

The elocution "has made statements to the effect that" suggests that the listener might have preconceptions of what they expected to hear, and that it might be in order to get things from the horse's mouth, so to speak.

Being the amiable, amicable and melo sorta guy that I be (I suppose that should be in purple or red,) I agreed to play bass for the diocesan Youth Day Congress Mass, led and directed by our Youth Minister, whom I greatly respect as a minister.This was yesterday afternoon, so I had to DVR the balance of the Raiders' incredible loss to San Diego, darn you MACW!
Anyhoo, one thing I noticed, particularly during Communion, not one kid or adult (as I seriously scanned the 1000 faces in the auditorium) joined in the singing of "Song of the Body of Christ." (What else is there to do for me in a tune that basically has two chords?) I believe the participation level was similar for the rest of the Mass, including the serviceable "St. Ann Mass" of Bolduc.
Mind ya, if I ask the primary kids at parochial school K-3 to sing SOTBOC, they'll burn the house down with their cherubic voices, as they will do with Webbe's AVE REGINA COELORUM this Saturday night for the Fatima Rosary. (I'll include the 2nd grade YouTube link.)
But we have to cease giving a rip that each and every tune we choose is appropriate for every person in the nave of a church. Just program appropriately. If Ms. Diva belts out "City of God," well program "O God, beyond all praising" next week and let her hang on the D with pulchritude!
I, HAVING NOT BEEN SWORN OR ORDAINED BY ANY CREDIBLE AUTHORITY, BUT INTUITIVELY ENDORSED BY THE SPIRIT OF THE WORLD'S MOST INTERESTING MAN, PR. WM. MAHRT, HEREBY GRANT A UNIVERSAL AND PERVASIVE INDULT TO PROGRAMMERS OF LITURGICAL, PASTORAL AND/OR SACRED MUSIC, TO THOROUGHLY AND WITHOUT REPROACH IGNORE WHATEVER THE HECK SOME OTHER "EXPERT" OR COMPLAINER DEEMS AS ESSENTIAL TO F.C.A.P., aka "Full, conscious, active particpation." ANYONE OCCUPYING SPACE WITHIN THE SACRED CONFINES OF A CHURCH DURING HOLY MASS (OR OTHER LITURGIES) IS PRESUMED TO HAVE PARTICIPATED THROUGH THE MERE ACT OF BREATHING AND REMAINING ALIVE. ALL SUCH MINISTERS OF MUSIC ARE THUS RELIEVED OF THIS CONCERN.
Just thank me and move on.

Lacrimosa, if the staff member is a secretary, tread carefully. Just sayin'.

I forgot the link. My youngest grandchild's in this. Can you pick the kid?

http://youtu.be/6W47hyZQXjU

Way to go, Melo! What an awesome bunch of kiddos! Is he the little cherub in the middle of the first row?

Thanks, Julie! That's my former teacher's current group.

The priest shouted "STOP! WE'RE DONE SINGING NOW! Good morning! Let us begin in the name of the Father.."

More evidence that AmChurch is the harbor for all who think "It's my play and my stage, the rest of you are bit players." That gets worse when a person who is ordained who mistakes the alter Christus privilege and burden as an excuse to display egoism.

STOP! WE'RE DONE SINGING

Now THAT'S "breathtaking."

(Save the Liturgy, Save the World)

Oh my goodness, Melo. I was looking for someone Scots-Irish because of your last name, I guess, but your little guy is singing his heart out, and that's not easy stuff. He's a Benjamino Gigli in the making. This just made my day.

At the same church I mentioned above, we had a gentleman who would sometimes - in a very deep voice - add an audible "amen" after the priest finished the homily - as though to add his ascent and approval to the homily. The priest dealt with that problem the same way he dealt with the singer.

How are saying "Amen" at the end of a homily or singing loud and off tempo "public actions that challenge what is going on"? Or maybe I've misunderstood what you meant.

When there are people in the parish who "do things" during Mass that are disruptive - as in the case of these two, the incoming guy may be warned about this in advance to give him a heads up.

Let's face it everyone in the building knows that one person is singing out of step to everyone...and that this guy is saying AMEN.

Do you permit it to go on, like one person clapping after the sermon or anthem, and then everybody starts doing it?

Don't assume that the priest was being insensitive as the opposite may be the case. It bothered you so much that you posted on a forum that is read internationally...if he knew what was going on, responding publicly to this situation may be a way of establishing control that had been missing in the prior administration.

Consider (seriously!) asking this person if she is aware of what she is doing, and the impression it is making.

Is excellent advice!

But I'd ask the pastor first for his take on it. He may be the better person to do this - or may already have a plan in place.

I think in both cases, talking to the people privately after Mass is better than shouting from the sanctuary.

I contacted my pastor about it by email. He said "let it go."

I don't know if I should follow up with him or not. I think it's something that should be fixed and it could be done so very easily. I wonder if I should just work up the courage and tell her directly.

He said "let it go."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moSFlvxnbgk