Have You Heard Our COVID-19 Quartet?

They are informally known as the St. Theresa COVID-19 Quartet. Each Sunday since March 22 ^nd their voices combine in gorgeous harmony to lead sung prayer for our 5 p.m. Saturday Livestream and 10 a.m. Sunday liturgies. The quartet is a result of Fr. Larry’s vision of beauty in liturgy, not often heard in other virtual masses.  As good as they sound on the Livestream Mass recordings, in-person the sound is even more beautiful.  Here is more information about the quartet members:
 
Sylvia Reyes Casper — Soprano
Sylvia has been a member and leader in the St. Theresa 11:30 a.m. choir for 23 years and serves as section leader, cantor, psalmist, and soloist. Like the others in the quartet, she feels honored and blessed to sing in the choir, but also misses the other choir members. “I think all four of us look at certain seats in the choir and imagine our music family members in them,” she said. She is humbled that parishioners so deeply appreciate their music. 
 
Kimberly Sandoval — Mezzo Soprano
It may come as no surprise that Kimberly has a background in opera, earning both a bachelor’s degree in Music Studies and a Masters in Vocal Performance. A native of McAllen, she is a voice teacher, sings with the Boston Opera, and has been the Alto section leader and cantor with the St. Theresa 11:30 choir for four years. When she sings with the quartet, she likes to think of the Rev. Paul Turner quote of how a beautiful voice can “become the gateway that escorts others to the presence of God.”
 
Daniel Girardot, D.Min. — Director, Tenor
Dan has been Director of Music Ministry at St. Theresa for 37 years and for the first time, his choirs cannot lead the sung prayer at Mass.  “Our quartet is singing on behalf of the nearly 100 members of our adult and youth music ministry who remain connected as they sing along at home,” he explained. “We sing, feeling their strength and presence as they pray for us.” He keeps the choirs involved and connected with weekly Zoom calls to rehearse for their upcoming virtual choir video and share prayer. Dan is grateful for our wonderful summer organists, Gregory Eaton and Mark Stern.
 
Morris Stevens, Jr., DME — Baritone
Morris has been Associate Music Minister at St. Theresa for 27 years. He served as choral director at McCallum and Westwood high schools, and led the Music Department as Assist. Professor and Director of Music at St. Edward’s University. He says it has been a profound blessing to be able to sing at the liturgies, and it has strengthened both his spiritual and musical focus. “I have had to concentrate to lift my musical skill to a much higher level, because I feel such a responsibility to the congregation and to the liturgy as a whole since there are only four of us,” he said.

Finally, Sylvia shares this heartwarming story that says so much about who we are in this parish:
 

One day, I was returning a hymnal to the choir area , and I heard someone open the church door, his keys jingling as he made his way toward me.  It was Reuben of our maintenance team, whom I thought must have been checking that I belonged back there.  As I said hello,  I noticed he was misty eyed.  He said “ I just wanted to say Thank you.  You don’t know how much it means to me and comforts me to hear your familiar voice and know you all are here every week during this time”  I’ve been carrying the memory and the look on his face with me ever since."  

 
We are immensely grateful for the talents and ministry of this Quartet, and all those in our music ministry. We look forward to the day when we can all be back together soon!