Photo courtesy of Christ Episcopal Church
Christ Episcopal Church Music Director Ryan Bridge stands with Pastor Diana Wilcox during a recent Choir Thanksgiving Sunday.
Ryan Bridge has been selected as the new music director of Christ Episcopal Church.
A 10th grade graduate of Belleville High School, Bridge studied classical piano and organ at the Manhattan School of Music and earned a master’s degree in classical piano from Montclair State University, where he also served as a graduate assistant in theory and composition. He started playing the piano at the age of five, studied voice, and played the clarinet and saxophone.
“Most of my time was spent playing the piano,” the 32-year-old Belleville resident said in a recent interview. And I sang in the choir at every school I attended. I also sang in the North Jersey Regional Choir in high school. ”
He has been involved with the New Jersey Youth Choir in New Providence for the past three years and hopes to start a youth choir at Christ Episcopal Church.
“I have a passion for music education,” he said. “I want to make the church a center for music. I’d like to bring some of my colleagues and I to share music. That could be a great thing.”
Bridge has also been involved with the community group Ridgewood Singers for six years, starting as a concert pianist. He currently serves as assistant conductor. He is a composer and hopes to write choral music. He also works as a staff pianist at MSU, which has about 24 private students. He said the purpose of religious music is primarily to place special emphasis on the occasion of worship.
“At Christ Episcopal, it’s traditional Angelica music,” he says. “It can be lively and energetic. Perhaps it evokes a sense of holiness and holiness. I grew up attending St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Nutley and love musicals and jazz, but… , I love music that has always been sacred to me.”
Sacred music has a core choral piece that captures the mood of the moment or season, he said, but sometimes there is more freedom in the content performed.
For example, in the past, Black History Month and Women’s History Month have been celebrated at Christ Episcopal Church, so music choices can be tied to world events in general.
He said that to truly understand sacred music, one should hear the live music echoing throughout the building.
“An organ can make so many different sounds,” he said. “People say it’s the first musical synthesizer. It’s incredibly fascinating.”
The Rev. Diana Wilcox, who leads Christ Ecstatic, said religious music is first and foremost about praise.
“Our choir and music director help our congregation lift our hearts toward God through beautiful music,” she said. “When I hear my favorite hymn, it always fills my heart.”
Ms. Wilcox can sing a variety of hymns to the same tune, with her favorites being “Lord, Thou hast given a great commission,” “For all the saints,” and ” Be my vision,” and “Guide me, thy great Savior.” ”
“We sing every verse in worship because each verse expresses the lyricist’s theology, and to omit a verse or two is to cut off the flow of the lyricist’s prayer. ” she said. “Choral hymns in worship provide an opportunity for everyone to prepare for the Eucharist and be in the right mind and heart.”
Bridge said his love for choral music comes from the sense of community it builds.
“And the way you bring poetry to life is incredibly powerful,” he said.
Provided by: Christ Episcopal Church
Christ Episcopal Church Choir performs “Lessons and Carols,” a tradition of the Order of the Angels.
