What kind of music might you expect at ASA? Music is extremely important to the liturgy here, as it was to the early Christians. Aside from some scripture readings, some prayers, and the sermon, almost all of the liturgy is sung. As St. Augustine said, when you sing, you pray twice. We believe that singing helps us more deeply inhabit our prayers, and that our music is an offering to God who gave us voices to praise Him. 
We draw from all centuries of music used in Christian worship, from medieval Gregorian Chant to contemporary choral music written by living composers. Most of the music is sung by our locally renowned choir, made of parishioners and professional choral singers. A unique custom to our church is that the choir sings what is called the “Ordinary” of the mass (Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus/Benedictus, Agnus Dei), these texts that are the same from week to week. In many other churches, these are sung congregationally, but here our choir sings a different choral setting of them each week.
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For thousands of years, choral settings of the mass were written to be performed at the liturgy and are still being written today. We sing from this vast repertoire to help lift the congregation in prayer, and to allow the congregation to step out of the hustle and bustle of the world and be lifted up by the beautiful unamplified and unprocessed music from the human voice, some very ancient and some very new, all pointing to the One who is unchanging. 
Our choir has a specialties in Gregorian Chant, music written in the Renaissance, and contemporary choral music, but we preform choral music from all centuries, and often premiere pieces. In any given Sunday you might hear music from 1100, 1400, 1850, and music written the week before! In this sense, our music cannot be classified as either contemporary or traditional, but rather timeless. A reflection of the many threads in the tapestry of praise that has been offered to God by Christians throughout the centuries, and one that continues today. Come experience it for yourself! 
The choir is always seeking new members. Email our director of music ministry at c.power@asa-dc.org to set up an audition