How many choir members on average? Part II
  • mmeladirectress
    Posts: 1,092
    Reviving a terrific, very long 2013 discussion. The OP asked, "what do you all consider to be a doable number of choir members? What's the average at a parish level?"

    Our congregation is 400-500;
    Presently we are 10 singers, including schola. This is our max due to severe loft space limitations but soon will have a very large loft, and I'm wondering what is a good formula for the future.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • TCJ
    Posts: 985
    We have attendance of 200 - 750 at Masses (depending on which one) and two choirs of five members each. Both were much larger in the past, but we lost a lot due to school, health issues, and people moving and have had a hard time finding replacements.
    Thanked by 2mmeladirectress CHGiffen
  • irishtenoririshtenor
    Posts: 1,318
    The parish where I used to be MD had approx 130-150 in attendance between 2 Sunday Masses. It was me + 1 cantor at the early Mass. The choir sang at the later Mass, which had 5 paid singers + 5-8 volunteer singers = 10-13 singers.
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen mmeladirectress
  • TimTheEnchanterTimTheEnchanter
    Posts: 201
    Deo gratias, 15-20 members. Fewer than pre-Covid (before I arrived), but I've rebuilt with younger folks (well, younger than retirement age) who are buying what I am selling. We have a decent balance of singers across the vocal ranges, happily.

    315 or so attendees at choir Mass, about 1,000 total across all four Masses.
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen mmeladirectress
  • trentonjconn
    Posts: 608
    We have about 300 folks split between a few Masses on Sunday. There are currently 15 volunteer choir members on the roster, and they sing at the High Mass on Sundays and holy days. I do double duty as organist and cantor at the rest.
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen mmeladirectress
  • Jeffrey Quick
    Posts: 2,086
    We've got 8 volunteers plus me, for a congregation of ca. 150. We don't often have everyone there though. They don't all identify as being from "our parish". I have an organist from another parish who comes so she can do decent music and receive kneeling, and another who thinks that I help her sing and that I treat her respectfully.

    It's barely enough to do 4-part music. I've got a baritone who takes tenor parts, and me, and another floating man who doesn't read music. But I think they do pretty well.

    Fr. Rossini had a rule in Pittsburgh that you had to have an average of 5 voices per part to do polyphony...you needed 20 singers to do 4 parts. I was shocked, because that doesn't match any professional reality I've ever experienced. But the longer I work, the more I understand. 1 amateur on a part won't work because they generally don't know how to get back on when they make a mistake. 2 on a part means that if one gets off, they pull the other off. Three to a part has the security of numbers...and one might actually need to have 5 enrolled to have 3 sing on any given Sunday.
    Thanked by 5CHGiffen tomjaw mmeladirectress irishtenor LauraKaz
  • emac3183
    Posts: 46
    About 400 spread across three Masses:
    1. Saturday night ~100 and cantor or youth schola (of just 5 kids right now...) from our middle school. Looking to add another high school group to sing a weekend a month soon.
    2. Sunday 8am ~100, 5 person choir of young and retired...we sing lots of unison...I'd love to grow this choir, but this has the reputation of being the "old person Mass."
    3. Sunday 10am ~200, 10-15 person mixed choir depending on the week (well distributed by part). This is a good size, but I'd love to add 1-2 more per part. Reinforcements are busy having children, but I could see this happening in the next year or two.
    Thanked by 1mmeladirectress
  • NihilNominisNihilNominis
    Posts: 1,012
    My best ever ratio was with the TLM crew in MN. Something like 120-130 at the Mass and 15-20 in the choir.

    Here I'm 400-500 at the main Mass with 6 paid and 10-12 volunteer singers, which is just the right size at the moment. My stable of volunteers is theoretically bigger, but someone's always got something going on.
    Thanked by 1mmeladirectress
  • btodorovich87
    Posts: 100
    We have a 3000+ family bilingual parish, with probably 15% Anglo families and 50% speaking only Spanish. In days past before we became bilingual, I'm told there were 30-40 in the choir. Now we have:

    English Masses without choir - organist and cantor
    English choral Mass - 19 singers on the books, maybe 300 in attendance (SATB rep)
    the one Spanish Mass I conduct - 7 singers, 500+ in attendance (unison rep)
    3rd/4th grade school choir, 24 singers (unison or 2-part)
    5th/8th grade school choir, 15 singers (up to 3 parts if I'm lucky)
    Adult funeral choir that doubles for high feasts - 6 singers (SATB rep, they're good readers)
    3 octave handbell choir, 11 ringers
    Thanked by 1mmeladirectress
  • Elmar
    Posts: 505
    Parish 1: attendance ~150, childrens' choir 10, 'youth' choir 15
    Parish 2: attendance ~60, (was youth 40 years ago) choir 20
    Parish 3: local church closed in July, choir left with 10 out of 20 to sing in other parish churches once in a while
    Thanked by 1mmeladirectress
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