The Chancel Choir, comprised of both volunteer and professional musicians, is a strong presence in the spiritual life of NSPC. Every Sunday morning from September through May, the choir presents music ranging from early classical settings to modern American and English compositions. The choir welcomes and encourages all adults and youth with a love of music to participate. Rehearsals are held in the sanctuary every Thursday evening from 8:00 p.m.- 9:30 p.m.

"O sing to the Lord a new song;
Sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing to the Lord, bless His name;
Tell of His salvation from day to day."

Psalm 96:1-2

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The NSPC Quartet is an audition-only ensemble of professional musicians that enrich our worship service weekly. Their presence both enhances the Adult Choir and encourages strong corporate hymn singing. They regularly provide music for the Gradual, drawing on the rich, musical heritage of the church. The Quartet’s current roster includes:

Jackie Dunleavy Boyle, soprano

Jackie Dunleavy Boyle, soprano, joined the NSPC Quartet in 1997 and began directing the Junior Choir in 2001. She also performs extensively in the Philadelphia area. Notable among her most recent engagements are as soprano soloist in Mozart’s Requiem with organist Jeffrey Brillhart and the Mainland Choral Society and performances of Handel’s Messiah with groups such as the Reading Choral Society, where she was a winner of the 2004 Reading Choral Society Young Artist Competition. The Reading Eagle praised her performance as “outstanding” and her interpretation “enlightening, delicately nuanced and lyrical.” Other recent concert engagements include Bach’s Ascension Oratorio and multiple performances of Messiah and Vivaldi’s Gloria with ensembles in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

As a soloist, Jackie has also performed with the Lehigh Valley Gay Men’s Chorus in several concerts (including Jay Kawarsky’s Prayers for Bobby and Jaques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris) and with orchestras such as the Lansdowne Symphony and the Main Line Symphony; in choruses, with the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony, and the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia. As an ensemble performer, she has sung in concert with Denyce Graves, Rod Stewart and Patti Labelle and has worked with such conductors as Lorin Maazel, Christophe Eschenbach, Zdenek Macal, Stephen Mercurio, and Joseph Flummerfelt. In 2003, she was a guest artist with J.J. Penna in his “Visions and Visionaries” song festival in Princeton, NJ, performing songs of Karol Szymanowski. As an ensemble performer, she has sung in concert with Rod Stewart, Denyce Graves and Patti Labelle and has worked with such conductors as Christoph Eschenbach, Lorin Maazel, Zdenek Mácal, Stephen Mercurio, David Hayes and Joseph Flummerfelt.

Jackie received her M.M. in Voice Performance and Pedagogy in 2004 from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ. She is a member of the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA), the National Association of Pastoral Musicians (NPM) and a professional member of The Philadelphia Singers and Chorale. She is a fulltime administrative staff member at Settlement Music School in Philadelphia, PA.

Mary Beth Gray, mezzo-soprano

Mary Beth Gray, mezzo-soprano, joined the NSPC Quartet in 2000. As a soloist, Mary Beth has sung with the West Chester University Orchestra, the Reading Symphony Orchestra, the Reading Choral Society, the Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia and the Berks Classical Children’s Chorus. With Choral Arts, she appeared at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia as a soloist in J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. Mary Beth earned both a BMusEd and MM in Vocal Performance from West Chester University. With West Chester University’s Opera Workshop, she has performed as Madame Peep in PDQ Bach’s Oedipus Tex, the Sorceress in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, Hansel in Humperdinck’s Hansel und Gretel, and Sally in A Hand of Bridge. In 2002, Mary Beth won the Eastern Regional NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing) competition in her division. In 2004, she was a winner in the Reading Choral Society Young Artist Competition and, in 2005, runner-up in the Kennett Symphony Young Artists Competition. In addition to her performing and studying, Mary Beth also teaches music, grades kindergarten through second, at Amity Primary Center in Daniel Boone Area School District.

Ryan Goulden, tenor

Ryan Goulden, tenor, joined the NSPC Quartet in 2007. Originally from York, PA, Ryan is working toward a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance at West Chester University. He is an active singer in the area with most recent appearances as Nanki-Poo in the Mikado and as Laurie in Little Women. Ryan is on the Board of Directors for the Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Chester County and sings with the Belle Voix Chamber Singers, a semi-professional group based in Wilmington, DE.

Dayton Gray, baritone

Dayton Gray, baritone, first began singing with the NSPC Quartet in 1998. He has appeared as a featured soloist with the Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia and the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia in such venues as the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. Dayton’s oratorio credits include the St. Matthew Passion of J.S. Bach with Choral Arts, and opera performances include Papageno in Mozart’s The Magic Flute and Doctor Miracle in Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffmann, all with West Chester University’s Opera Workshop. He has studied voice at both the University of Utah and West Chester University.

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The sanctuary piano is a Yamaha C-1 grand.