Our 10:15am services feature our choir and Erbsloh & Becker organ (pictured above, played by organist Rani Fischer).
Music is an important part of our Episcopal worship, and we enjoy lifting our hearts to God through song.
For parishioners who prefer to worship without music, we encourage attendance of our 8am service.
Our choir has been a staple at our parish since its inaugural worship service in 1962. Singers come from all over the Bay Area to perform at St. Bede’s. The choir consists of highly skilled singers with backgrounds ranging from music students, community choristers, and professional musicians. They perform a vast array of repertoire ranging from late Renaissance to living composers of choral literature. This all culminates in a thoughtful curation of music that enhances worship at St. Bede’s in a profound and meaningful manner each Sunday.
The choir also puts on a plethora of special services such as Christmas Eve Lessons and Carols and periodic Evensongs throughout the year which allow them to share their musical gifts to their fullest extent.
Music Director: Vic De La Cruz, 2022
The grand organ standing in the St. Bede’s sanctuary was built by Rudolph von Beckerath of Hamburg, Germany in 1969. It was restored and tuned by Hans-Ulrich Erbslöh and Bernd Becker of Hamburg, Germany.
Master organ builder Hans-Ulrich Erbslöh and his assistant, Bernd Becker, have traveled from Germany to tune and refurbish organs all over the United States, including the Lutheran Church of Honolulu.
Organs need significant refurbishment every 20-25 years. During this process, all of the pipes are removed, cleaned, reset, and revoked.
Working in Hamburg in the late 1960s, Mr. Erbslöh originally had worked on the “voicing” of the organ. In the Beckerath workshops, this meant discovering the potential tone in each of 1,731 pipes, complete with ringing overtones.
Rudolph von Beckerath (1907-1976), impressed by the north-German organ builders, particularly Arp Schnittger, he prematurely ended his apprenticeship as a technical engineer to instead pursue the profession of organ building. He attended the School of Arts in Hamburg and built a small organ in the cellar of his parent’s home.
After completing his education in France, he joined the Victor Gonzales in Chatillon-sou-Bagneux near Paris in 1929.
He wrote: “They were experts in building mechanical key action. Although a change from this way of construction came up at that time, the skills were still present… The old tracker action, the fixed connection between keyboard and pipe pitches through angles and shafts, worked not only without time delay. It did much more than this, it allowed to influence the initial swing process by means of a differenced type.”
Bio will go here.
Bio will go here.
Bio will go here.
Bio will go here.
Vic has been the music director at St. Bede’s Episcopal Church since 2022. In his time, he has continued the longstanding musical tradition of prestigious music while bringing the ideals of contemporary choral music to the church’s congregants. While bringing thought-provoking and worship enriching repertoire to Sunday services, he has also collaborated with many musicians both within St. Bede’s and the surrounding community for several special services, including bringing Christmas Eve Lessons and Carols to Menlo Park as well as many Evensong Services.
Outside of St. Bede’s, Vic is the Head of Music and Director of Vocal Studies at Ohlone College where he directs the Choral Ensembles, instructs voice lessons, and teaches courses in musicology. He earned a Doctorate of Musical Arts from Northwestern University (where he acquired an intense love of both contemporary choral music and deep-dish pizza) and a Master of Arts from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, both in Choral Conducting. He is originally from Orange County, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Choral Music Education from California State University, Fullerton.
Beyond music, Vic has a deep love for Olympic style wrestling, which he both enjoys as a fan and trains and competes for regularly. The remainder of his free time goes to his lovely mini aussiedoodle – Buffy.
We engage in serving the needs of the unhoused, the food insecure, and those in need of educational assistance in the Peninsula as we proclaim the Gospel and promote justice, peace, and love for all people.
We strive to understand the workings of Jesus and enrich our lives with continuous learning. We strive to teach those around us about the good works that Jesus performed, and strive to input His teachings into our own lives.
We join with one another to support one another in all things, celebrating the high points of life, mourning together the low points, and following the example given to us by Christ during his life among us.
We gather together to set forth God's praise, to hear God's holy Word, and to pray for those things that are necessary for our life and our salvation, believing that the way of Jesus is the best possible way to live.
Include Jane’ New Bio for Family Ministry
St. Bede’s has been home to Jane for a startlingly long time. She taught music in Trinity School and was the Music Director at St. Bede’s for many years. She was then ordained, and served as the Vicar of Holy Innocents in San Francisco. In her retirement, she has returned to St. Bede’s where her family also attends. Her delight is working with the Children’s Ministry, but she can occasionally be spotted being useful in other ways.
