First Parish Church of Groton : Music

Shawn McCann,
Music Director

Music at First Parish Church

Music is one of the most inspiring parts of our services. An Adult Choir, a Youth Choir, and a Children’s Choir provide music for most services. In addition, we are blessed to have a number of talented musicians in our congregation who also contribute to our services.

The Adult Choir rehearses on Thursdays at 7:30 pm. The Youth Choir rehearses on Sundays from 11:30 am to noon, and at 9:00 am before services at which they sing. The Children’s Choir rehearses on Sundays from 11:30 am to noon. If you are interested in joining one of the choirs, please contact music director Shawn McCann by email at , or see him after church.

Choir Schedules

The Adult Choir will sing at services this year once or twice per month; the Children’s and Youth Choirs sing about once per month. Here you can view or download schedules for all three choirs (in PDF format). There are also notes on being a choir member.

Welcome to this place of possibility.

This is love's hearth, the home of hope,

A refuge for minds and hearts in search of truth unfolding...

Here may compassion be our shelter

Here may we find comfort and courage

Here may our sight become vision,

to see the unseen, to glimpse the good that is yet to be.

Here may we touch the deep places in our souls and know once again our hearts truest desires.

— Marianne Cotter

Sabbatical

Our Music Director Shawn McCann, who has been at the helm for 15 years, is taking a well-earned sabbatical for a portion of the upcoming church year. He will be on sabbatical between Christmas and Easter (he will be leading our music for those two major holidays). In preparation, a Sabbatical Music Committee has been meeting with Shawn over the summer to plan the music while he is away. The SMC is identifying potential guest artists, both inside and outside of the congregation, who might be able to share their talents with us in Shawn’s absense.

About Our Music Director

Shawn McCann has been playing in area churches of many denominations (Christian Science, Methodist, Congregational, Catholic) since graduating from Acton-Boxborough regional high school in the summer of 1979. He holds Bachelor of Music degrees in Piano Performance and in Music Theory/Composition from the University of Lowell. Shawn was organist at St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church in Acton for 9 years prior to joining the staff of First Parish Church of Groton. This past summer Shawn completed his 21st year as summer organist at the Acton Congregational Church. Other highlights of Shawn’s musical career include working as accompanist for the Nashoba Valley Chorale under conductor Johanna Hill Simpson, directing the summer chorus at Theatre III in Acton (where he met his lovely wife, Monica), and of course, his weekly Sunday morning gig as Music Director at First Parish Church. Shawn is also keyboardist for The Installers, a blues/rock band whose most recent CD, “Nail It!”, was produced by Jay Geils.