Visiting Liturgical Choir Application

Thank you for expressing an interest in singing for a liturgy at the Co-Cathedral! We are an active Roman Catholic parish community at the heart of Houston. The Sacred Liturgy is at the center of who we are and what we do. We are happy to welcome guest choirs that will lead our assemblies to fuller participation in the Rites as they are celebrated in this cathedral church.

Our staff organists, choral ensembles and cantors are charged with leading liturgical music at the Co-Cathedral. However, there are often opportunities that a guest choir may bring its gifts to bear, supplementing the regular parish practice. During the choir season Co-Cathedral choirs typically lead singing at the 9:00 and 11:00 Sunday Masses. Often, special liturgies on Saturday evening, Sunday evening, or during the week require the presence of Co-Cathedral staff. With these exceptions there are many potential occasions at which your choir might sing. Please provide us with the following information to better understand the nature of your request:

In the case that you will provide your own choral accompanist they will be allotted 2 hours of practice/registration time during the week preceding your liturgy. To schedule practice time please contact both [email protected].

Rehearsal in the church for the full ensemble can be a logistical challenge. We recommend, if at all possible, that your choir come prepared to sing. If the choir might benefit from a warmup or rehearsal in the space, please note the limited parking and tight weekend liturgy schedules. These are brief warmup/rehearsal periods that are recommended but not necessarily guaranteed. We will automatically assign your respective warmup period if available.

           For Saturday 5:00 Mass:         4:00 in the loft (Weddings until 4:00—no music)

           For Sunday 5:30 Mass:           4:00 in the loft (Rosary starts at 5:00—no music)

           For weekday 12:10 Mass:       10:30 in the loft (Confessions start at 11:30—no music)

           For Sunday 9:00 Mass:           8:00 in the loft (stop to allow adequate time for prelude)

           For Sunday 11:00 Mass:         10:15 in the loft (9:00 Mass often lasts 75’)

Our church has only limited support facilities and resources on site. The choir rehearsal room is two blocks from the choir loft and not accessible unless scheduled. There are water fountains near the elevator in the narthex. However, there are no drink-dispensing machines in the church facility. Restrooms are located on the left side of the narthex as you enter the main doors of the church. If your choir needs to robe you will need to secure the assistance of parents or other volunteers to manage this.

There are normally 3-4 music stands in/around the loft. These are available for your use.

The Co-Cathedral’s natural acoustic supports singing exceptionally well—a sound that truly blossoms in the nave. Consequently, we do not use or provide infrastructure for artificial amplification of choirs in the loft.  

We recommend a donation to the church of $300-$500 for visiting ensembles.