Singers leaving parish NO choir to join parish TLM choir
  • Chant_Supremacist
    Posts: 341
    My parish offers both forms of the mass. The NO choir has one director, and I direct the traditional liturgical functions. We are collegial, and we sometimes "lend" each other choir members to help out, and sometimes I come help personally or vice versa. The many weavings would be complicated to explain, but the point is we work together.

    Over the last year there has been a decided, though not monumental, trend of singers leaving the NO choir to join the TLM choir. I have never tried to recruit from that pool in any way, let me add - some people are just choosing to switch. Recently one of that choir's strongest singers informed me she might join the TLM choir, and while I would welcome her assistance, and everything is ultimately her choice, this one now has me slightly worried about optics and relationships. She would be the fourth such person and certainly the biggest hit to the other choir.

    Is this something I should just not worry about (it's people making choices), something I should speak to the other director or the priest about? How should I handle this?
  • RoborgelmeisterRoborgelmeister
    Posts: 403
    A contributing factor could be the time of the mass and the rehearsal. Several years ago a survey indicated that TIME of day is the overriding factor in their decision as to which mass they attend. If this helps, I'm glad; but I'm not trying to incite a flaming war!
    Thanked by 3CHGiffen Chant_Supremacist Abbysmum
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 3,713
    To be honest my pastor has this problem with the servers even the youth. That’s the breaks basically.
    Thanked by 3Chant_Supremacist Abbysmum tomjaw
  • AbbysmumAbbysmum
    Posts: 196
    Is it maybe nothing to do with either of you, and maybe about them discovering they prefer that form of the Mass? Roborgel and Matthew both make good points, especially about preference for Mass times (and it's def a trend with servers, who are often dependent on what Mass their parents go to). If that's the case...
    That’s the breaks basically.


    That being said,...

    We have 4 weekend Masses at our NO parish, and each is differently "flavoured", musically. There are Masses I prefer over others because of the music. I am involved in two of them on the regular, and I know which one I would pick if I had to choose only one. Time of day is a factor, but the music has always been the bigger influence.

    Have you asked them why? Maybe it's rep. Maybe it's the ordo. Maybe they like how you run rehearsals better. And then probably have a chat with your counterpart.
    Thanked by 2Chant_Supremacist CHGiffen
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 3,713
    Yeah. and it could be all of it to the point where the other person’s improvements might not change their mind.

    I’m also very bad about feeling like I have to anticipate people being hurt and relationship problems, but my advice is to let it play out. Inquire, certainly, with this singer if she switches definitively but you might not need to bring it up, and who knows: people can be more gracious than we think.
    Thanked by 2Chant_Supremacist Abbysmum
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