Music Ministry
Music at First Parish Brewster UU is vibrant and varied – an integral, uplifting part of our worship and celebration experience. When attending service on any Sunday, you might enjoy hearing folk, gospel, classical, jazz, rock, or world music. Our congregation loves music, and people dare to sing out! Choral and instrumental musicians are plentiful, and several hail from Cape Cod’s music community.
Choir
The choir sings in approximately two services per month, including Christmas Eve, Easter, and Music Sunday. We rehearse on Wednesday nights from 6:15-7:45 pm. We sometimes rehearse a bit longer, depending on the season. We sing everything from Mendelssohn to Sweet Honey in the Rock to Broadway. We welcome members on all voice parts, SATB. All ages. You do not have to be able to read music. You should be able to carry a tune in a bucket.
Pans of Peace Handpan Ensemble
A growing group of players enjoy rehearsing once a week and occasionally performing during services as well as in the community. What is the handpan? Gaining international popularity and recognition as a melodic and rhythmic percussion instrument, the handpan is only a few decades old and originated from the “Hang” drum created in Switzerland. Inspired by the brighter sounding steelpan, its mellow, beautiful tones are unique and often described as “enchanting”. Whether you have previous musical experience or not, it is a welcoming instrument that doesn’t require note-reading to sound harmonious!
Clarinet Ensemble
Serving as a community and church clarinet ensemble, the Cape Wind Ensemble performs tunes from spirituals to pop, which have included, “For the Beauty”, “Singing in the Rain”, “Prayer for Ukraine” and more. The group, facilitated by a church member, enjoys occasional coaching by music director Kaeza, and/or choral accompanist Dan Anthony.
Singer-songwriters & Guitarists
We are fortunate to have several very talented guitarists and performers who contribute to our services regularly with their playing, singing, and sometimes even their compositions! Songs are primarily from a folk, jazz, and rock repertoire.
Birthing composers
The church has had the joy of birthing new composers and premiering their works! In the past few years alone, a few members have composed beautiful and meaningful pieces that have been featured during worship.
Guest Musicians
Adding to the plentiful number of member instrumentalists and singers, we regularly feature local guest musicians who spice up the service with their unique and diverse musical contributions. Featured musicians range from a harpist to a fiddler to a group of African drummers
.
Organ
Built specifically for this church, the 1861 Edwin L. Holbrook organ provides a beautiful service repertoire and a rich accompaniment to some of our hymns.
Collaboration
Our collaborative approach to music-making makes us fun to work with and adventurous. We are willing to roam into fruitful and sometimes uncharted territory. For instance, what happens when you do the annual blessing of the animals’ service with a group of ukulele players singing a song about wanting to be a dog? Yes! The dogs end up howling along!
Kaeza Fearn, Music Director
Kaeza serves the congregation with joy, enthusiasm, and a tender heart. She seeks to facilitate the accessibility of many styles of music for all who want to join in. With Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in music and hailing from a very pianistic family, she has been making music in churches for decades. She especially loves to help make people’s musical dreams come true!
