All in the family: Son takes over for mother as church music minister
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Melanie Spagnolo has been the music minister at St. Germaine and Nativity churches in the Our Lady of Hope Parish for two decades.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Melanie Spagnolo (seated) is stepping down as music minister at Nativity and St. Germaine churches in the Our Lady of Hope Parish and turning the reins over to her son, Nicholas (back left). Her husband, Len (back right), provides the percussion sounds for the choir groups of both churches.
Photos: Eleanor Bailey.The Almanac
Melanie Spagnolo and her son, Nicholas, discuss vocal and piano arrangements for an upcoming number they will perform.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Melanie Spagnolo harmonizes with her son, Nicholas, during a song they rehearsed for Mass.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Melanie Spagnolo intones a song while her husband, Len, listens
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Len Spagnolo provides the percussion sounds during Mass at Nativity Church.
Move over, von Trapps: the South Hills has its own family who has been exulting in music for decades.
The Spagnolos – Melanie and Len, and son, Nick – all have a passion and talent for making music.
And while Melanie retired June 30 as music minister for two of the churches that comprise Our Lady of Hope Parish – St. Germaine Church in Bethel Park and Nativity Church in South Park – the position remains in the family, with Nick taking on the role.
“I don’t really want to retire,” she said in a recent interview. “It’s getting a little more challenging to do everything that I want to do. My eyesight is not what it used to be, so I find myself struggling even with glasses to practice and make sure I have everything just right.”
Spagnolo, 68, is thrilled her son is taking over the position she held for 20 years.
“It’s wonderful,” she said. “I’m absolutely proud, joyful, excited. He’s accomplished so much musically in a young life.”
For Nick, 28, it’s a chance to combine his passion for music with his love of God.
“It feels great,” he said. “I look forward to going to church every weekend and praising God. I’m a believer that has fun all day because of music and God. It was a good fit and a good time for me to take over. It couldn’t be more of a dream. It’s just what I’ve always wanted to do.”
Music plays an integral part in the lives of the Washington residents.
For Melanie, a Canonsburg native and graduate of Canon-McMillan High School, it goes back to a childhood that involved piano, organ and voice lessons from the woman she called her “second mother,” Betty Dugan.
At the age of 12, Melanie played at Masses at a Catholic chapel at Western Center and Hospital in Canonsburg.
“They would bring the children to those Masses in wheelchairs so they could listen to the music,” she recalled. “It was a wonderful experience.”
After three years, Dugan thought Melanie was ready for a church job, so at the age of 15, she became the organist at Chartiers Valley United Presbyterian Church in Carnegie.
While there, she also took the job as organist at Hope Lutheran Church in Upper St. Clair. After playing at the 8:45 a.m. Mass at Hope Lutheran, her father would drive her to Chartiers Valley Presbyterian for the 11 a.m. service.
She was also the accompanist for her high school choir.
“I was basically music 100% of the time,” Melanie said.
She also served at St. Gabriel Catholic Church in Whitehall, where she met her husband, Len, and St. John Capistran in Upper St. Clair before taking the St. Germaine job.
Melanie began teaching and playing at church services at St. Germaine in 2003 while Nick was in second grade at the school.
In 2013, the organist at Nativity resigned. Melanie took on that position, which resulted in playing at six Masses on a weekend. That was the same year Nick graduated from Bethel Park High School. His love of music started at a young age as well.
“Just years of growing up with all sorts of music, anything that had a beat,” he said. “I would just sit in the car and play along until I got it right.”
Nick has composed a number of his own songs and plays a number of instruments, including piano, bass guitar, ukulele, mandolin, xylophone and drums, his favorite.
“Nicholas is a far better piano player than I would ever hope to be,” said his mother. “He’s got a gift. He can read music and play it by ear.”
Now, the young man who began singing in the St. Germaine youth choir at the age of 7 is that church’s music minister. His parents will remain in the choir with him, his father on drums and his mother playing a little piano and singing.
It makes for a busy Sunday morning for the musical trio, beginning at the 9 a.m. Mass at Nativity at 9 a.m. before trekking about 10 minutes to St. Germaine for the 10:30 a.m. service.
“From the time I met Len and the time Nick was old enough, we’ve always played and sang together,” Melanie said. “Spiritually and musically we’re stuck together like glue.”