A Brief History

Tam-Bien Choir was originally formed in 1976 by a group of young people who came from Saint Barbara Church. Once "migrated" to St. Callistus Catholic Church, the group was officially called Ca-doan Tam-Bien (Tam-Bien Choir), adopting Saint Cecilia being the Patron Saint.

During the formative years, the Choir consisted of about 10 people; by 1990, there were about 40 members in all. Also, during said period, from 1976 to 1990, the Choir was under general direction, at various times, of Vu Khiem, Nguyen Van Phu, Du Bich Tu, Pham Chi; musical directors included Chu Vinh Quang, Lai Van Tien, and Pham Minh Trang. Througout those years, there was one mass in Vietnamese language.

In Summer of 1990, Father Do Thanh Ha was appointed the Pastor of St. Callistus Church. Located within an area where a large and growing number of Vietnamese immigrants were residing, St. Callistus Church had continued to attract a larger number of church attendants. Seeing the need for growth, Father Ha decided to have two masses said in Vietnamese language; thus, the second group was formed under the leadership of Tran Nhan, Pham Van, Pham Dinh, Tran Hinh, adopting the same "generic" name "Ca Doan Tam Bien".

By 1993, the third group was formed, under the leadership of Nguyen Dang Khoa. By 1996, since the number of congregation had grown so large, a fourth group was warranted. The fourth group was formed, with Nguyen Ngoc Bao being the music director. Since then, there have been 4 Vietnamese Masses on the weekend, accommodated by 4 music groups.

In addition, as of 2002, a Youth Choir was formed, singing once every two months, on Sunday, at 4:00 pm.

The most unique feature of the Tam Bien Choir is that although there are now a total of 5 separate music groups, with different music directors, the Five Groups are however One. Every three years, those five groups elect one General Executive Director for all purposes. Pursuant to a unanimous vote in 2001, the Tam Bien Choir (consisted of four groups) adopted St. Peter Doan Cong Quy, a Vietnamese Martyr, as the Patron Saint.