Our Mission
"The musical tradition of the universal Church is a treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art. The main reason for this pre-eminence is that, as sacred song united to the words, it forms a necessary or integral part of the solemn liturgy.”
- Sacrosanctum Concilium
The Steubenville Children’s Choir was founded in 2026 with the goal of building an excellent, liturgical choral program for children. Our vision is that our children, and our community, will be formed by Sacred Music of the highest quality, in order to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness (Ps. 96:9).
By participating in the choir, our children receive the training and experience they need in order to provide beautiful music in the context of the Sacred Liturgy.
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Approximately 32 weeks of choral instruction (48+ hours)
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Instruction in solfege, sight-singing, reading music, and reading chant notation
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Experience singing chant and choral music in parts
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Unique opportunities to sing for the Mass, including special feasts such as the Immaculate Conception and Triduum Liturgies, as well as a public concert during Nutcracker Season
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Opportunities to sing for Friday Morning Daily Masses with the chance to gain experience soloing and directing
Artistic Director
Thomas Quackenbush is the founding Artistic Director of the Steubenville Children’s Choir. He envisions a world-class liturgically-based choir right here in the Ohio River Valley.
Thomas is a member of the renowned Sacred Music ensemble, Floriani. In addition to touring and teaching with Floriani, Thomas is a father of 6 and is currently an adjunct professor of Gregorian Chant at Franciscan University. A former high school choir director, Thomas has worked with hundreds of students of all ages and experiences.
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Thomas
Quackenbush
Starr
Plato
Executive Director
Starr Plato serves as the Steubenville Children’s Choir’s Executive Director. Starr manages all parent communication, rehearsal logistics, and more. She is a homeschooling mom of four, and has sung, taught, danced, directed, and played instruments for over 35 years! She is a lover of the Liturgy and holds a Masters in Theological Studies from Ave Maria University.