The Choir from College St. Joseph

Situated in the town of Le Puy-en-Velay in the Haute-Loire Region of Auvergne in the mountains of south-central France, College St. Joseph educates around 1000 students in grades K-12. Along with St. Joseph Academy in Cleveland, CSJ is a part of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph. Le Puy is built in an ancient volcanic caldera with three prominent columns of rock. These columns hold the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Le Puy, the Chapel of St Michel and a Statue of the Virgin Mary, three of the most prominent locations in Le Puy. The choir at CSJ is recruited from within the school and they perform at the local parish church (affiliated to the school) and at the Cathedral. The Choir’s repertoire include an extensive mix of classical and neo-classical liturgical music in French, German and Latin and has been headed up by Director M. Emmanuel Magat and Mme Francoise Magat for many years. St Joseph Academy has had a long-standing relationship with CSJ due to the Congregation of the Sisters of St Joseph link. St Ed’s established an exchange student link in 2016. Mr. Michael Anthony Perrins saw the choir perform at a St Joseph’s Day Service and the idea to have them travel to the United States was born. The choir has a busy week in the United States with performances during a Prayer Service at St. Ed’s, an open concert at St. Joseph Academy, the opening and closing ceremonies at CLEIMUN19 and various performances at local churches.