William Chandler Celebrates 50 Yrs As Audio Director | Information, Sports activities, Jobs

Chandler at first came to Jamestown following leaving the church he was substitute directing at in New York Metropolis. He also moved to consider on an engineering occupation at Cummins, where by he would sooner or later become the director of elements and get the job done for 25 several years.

“I was on the lookout all over for a Catholic church at the time, and was sooner or later contacted by St. Peter and Paul, who employed me to be the tunes director,” Chandler claimed.

The church was originally regarded as Ss. Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church before its merger with St. John to become Holy Apostles Parish, in accordance to Chandler. Chandler’s 50-yr vocation there began in 1971, but his tunes vocation commenced a very long time ahead of.

“I really began as a choir member in New York City when I was 10 decades previous,” Chandler explained. “I joined a concert boy’s and men’s refrain there. I did not essentially have any qualified education, but I guess you could say my audio schooling was a schooling by affiliation.”

William Chandler is pictured conducting the Holy Apostles Parish choir.
Submitted picture

Chandler is also a member of the Berkshire Choral Worldwide or the BCI chorus which performs all throughout the globe.

“I was in the BCI for 12 many years, until eventually we sadly ended up stopped by the pandemic,” Chandler stated. “But we will commence up yet again.”

Chandler’s tunes occupation also involves staying a Paulist Chorister for a few decades, becoming the substitute audio director at his 1st church in New York Metropolis, remaining the dean of the American Guild of Organists at a single time and singing at Chautauqua Establishment.

Chandler’s daughter, Anne Dolce, who is also at this time the church’s handbell choir director and assistant director of tunes ministries, recalled to start with coming to what was then Ss. Peter and Paul at seven a long time previous, mainly because her father “wanted to see what the church was like.”

“He was the choir director ever considering that,” Dolce reported. “My father is incredibly passionate about tunes and the choir, and began singing in choirs in New York Town considering that he was quite younger. Singing and directing became his lifetime. It is his enthusiasm and what he certainly loves to do.”

It was at Holy Apostles Parish where Tony Dolce would initially fulfill Chandler, who would inevitably become his father-in-law immediately after he married Anne.

“I’ve in fact been in the choir lengthier than I’ve been married,” Tony said. “I’ve experienced a lengthy romance with my father-in-legislation, to start with in the choir for 42 decades and then with him as my father-in-legislation for 25 yrs.”

Tony explained Chandler as acquiring a terrific information of audio and the liturgy of the Catholic Church, together with the occasions and traditions that occur with that.

“I’ve uncovered a great deal about Catholic new music from him,” Tony mentioned.

Chandler’s initially pastor at the church, Father Don Hughes, was an military chaplain who was termed away to assist parishioners work with the Attica Federal Jail in the course of the Attica Difficulty of 1971.

“Before that nevertheless, he formally made my title Director of Music Ministries,” Chandler explained.

Holy Apostles’ present-day pastor, Father Dennis Mende, worked with Chandler given that — for about 22 yrs.

“(Chandler) genuinely has an spectacular know-how for tunes and the choir,” Mende claimed. “He also has a really deep know-how of church music, and he is always doing work to review and update himself in that region.”

The organist for Holy Apostles Parish, Donna Gatz, has labored there with Chandler for 30 several years, and explained the get the job done as both equally inspiring and hard.

“I’ve been close friends with (Chandler) and his spouse ever due to the fact we met 29 a long time in the past,” Gatz reported. “I wasn’t in fact looking for a position, he came to me. And I’ve been doing the job there at any time given that. It has been inspiring to look at him get ready leading notch applications and continue to keep the choir working, primarily as a result of COVID.”

According to Chandler, the choir has experienced up to 70 associates at 1 time, but as of right now, pre-pandemic, there were being 36. The do the job is not all Chandler’s, by the way, as his wife, Sue has helped with at the rear of-the-scenes perform — arranging the new music, creating sure the choir robes are completely ready for the choir and in the course of the pandemic aiding space choir associates to manage social length.

“We have labored very tough to continue to keep the choir heading in the course of the pandemic,” Chandler reported. “We have been executing it securely with masks and social distancing, and have so much designed it through without the need of any wellbeing challenges. The choir customers at Holy Apostles actually are fantastic men and women and we have all been incredibly watchful to continue to be healthy.”

Chandler additional that the congregation likes the choir to continue.

“I really feel we get extra compliments now than we did right before the pandemic,” Chandler joked.

Chandler is really appreciative of all of his choir members, alongside with Gatz, who has a masters in the pipe organ.

“I cannot truly perform that instrument,” Chandler reported.

Chandler additional that he has experienced the opportunity to do the job with “some of the best people today in the world” each in New York Metropolis and at Holy Apostles, and that in some strategies it does not appear like it is probable for him to have arrived at 50 many years.

“In some techniques that is a long time, but it also goes by incredibly swiftly,” Chandler explained.“I hardly ever thought I would make it to 50 decades.”