"Musical," is how the Linderman family would describe themselves.
They also appreciate the role the choir program at the Cathedral Church of Saint John has played in their lives. Upon the Linderman family's move back to Delaware from Virginia in 1975, Jeanne Linderman (now the Rev. Jeanne Linderman) wanted her children to continue their choral instruction. She first heard of the Cathedral's choir program from a relative who told her that Cathedral choir members were "the best-trained choristers in the area." Four of the younger Linderman children became enrolled.
According to Jeanne, all four children have continued singing in church choirs and are grounded in the Cathedral tradition. They love singing and are well trained in it. Participating in the choir program has also brought unexpected rewards and connections that have lasted a lifetime.
One of their daughters, Elizabeth (now Elizabeth Colagiuri), at age five was invited to sing in an opera production of Faust at the Grand Opera House here in Wilmington. At that time, the Cathedral did not have a choir for girls. However, through her family's participation, she and two other girls got to be in the opera's supporting cast. Then, in 1981, Choirmaster Herbert Tinney established a Choir of Girls at the Cathedral and Elizabeth enrolled. She also sang under the direction of Choirmaster Ray Urwin. She remembers Mr. Urwin creating a contest to add a new verse to the voice warm-up "Copper Kettles." She won the contest and a coveted prize of $5 or $10. According to Elizabeth, being in the Choir taught her discipline, and an appreciation of liturgy and music that defines for her what it means to be an Episcopalian. She has taken her formal choral training with her into each parish she has joined. She now attends All Saints' Church in Princeton, New Jersey with her husband and young son.
The Linderman's son Craig is now an army officer stationed in Italy. While in the Choir, Craig sang in "I Never Saw Another Butterfly" at the Jewish Community Center. This production told the story of children who suffered in the Terezín concentration camp located in the hills outside Prague, Czechoslovakia during World War II. The camp was created to help cover up the Nazi genocide of the Jews. Years later as an adult traveling in Czechoslovakia on the Autobahn, Craig saw a sign for the Terezín, and remembered what a powerful experience it was for him to sing in the production and come face to face what other children had to endure during the war.
In 1982, Jeanne Linderman was ordained as an Episcopal priest and received a call to Christ Church in Delaware City, where the family moved their church membership. The tradition of singing at the Cathedral Church of Saint John continues today, however, with a son-in-law and three granddaughters). All four are excited to be singing as part of the Cathedral's intergenerational Choir and to have the opportunity to travel to England in 2003.