COLUMBIA — St. Peter Church is making a joyful noise unto the Lord through a thoroughly modern medium: YouTube, the popular Web site.
Videos of musical performances from St. Peter have been uploaded to the site and are available for free viewing at www.youtube.com/visitstpeters.
Mark Husey, director of music for the parish, said the YouTube account has been active since the beginning of June. The available videos show performances of works by Amy Beach, Brahms, Mozart, Rachmaninoff and Bairstow, plus traditional Latin hymns, spirituals and other sacred music.
Husey said the videos are the first on YouTube featuring some of those pieces. New ones will be uploaded periodically.
This is just the latest foray onto the Web for the parish’s music program, he said. St. Peter uses an extensive e-mail list to promote its annual program of concerts.
Also, a Facebook page for “Choral Cronies of St. Peter’s Church” showcases the latest activities of the church’s choirs. The page has more than 135 friends, including people from overseas.
“I think the church owes it to its members to represent itself in all aspects of life,” he said. “There are a lot of things online considerably less Christian than others, and that’s why we need to be there to offer a Catholic presence.”
He said the videos not only showcase St. Peter’s music program, but also are a good outreach to homebound parishioners and members of the church who may be traveling or living overseas. It uses the Internet to show non-Catholics the deep musical heritage of the church, Husey added.
“We regularly perform everything from music by Renaissance masters and the traditional Western composers to spirituals and international carols,” he said. “This is a way to show the broad range of what the church can offer people, and the diversity of our members.”