Music & Worship

The Grace Cathedral Choirs

Music plays a vital role in the worship life of the Cathedral. The choirs of Grace Cathedral provide musical leadership during all sung worship services in the Cathedral. Adults, youth, and children all share their musical gifts leading inspiring congregational hymns and service music along with providing high quality anthems and major choral works from many choral genres and musical periods. The Cathedral is affiliated with the Royal School of Church Music in America.

Contact Eduardo Garcia-Novelli, Cathedral Choirmaster, if you would like to join the choir.

The Cathedral Choir (adults and high school students)

Rehearsals: Thursdays from 7 to 9 p.m.
Sunday warm-ups at 10 a.m.

The Cathedral Choir sings for the 10:30 a.m. Sunday morning liturgy and many feast days and Diocesan services. The ensemble also sings for seasonal Choral Evensongs, major works concerts, and other Cathedral musical events. Membership is open to all high school and college students and adults who feel a calling to this ministry. Basic musical literacy is recommended. The choir sings the entire year except August and non-Episcopalians are welcome.

Cathedral Choristers (4th grade and older)

Rehearsals: Sundays at 12:15 p.m.

The Cathedral Choristers is a treble choir of girls and boys starting at grade 4 that sings challenging sacred literature of many styles, genres, and languages. The Choristers rehearse from mid-August through mid-May and generally sing on occasional Sundays as well as many feast days and Holy Day Services.

Children receive training in music reading, theory, and vocal production. As an affiliate of the Royal School of Church Music in America, Choristers progress through a graded music literacy education program that provides academic challenges and individual rewards. Membership in the Cathedral is not required.

Contact Zachary Cope, Associate Choirmaster, for more information.

The Handbell Choirs

Grace Cathedral’s Handbells choir meets on Thursday evenings at 5:30 p.m. Contact handbells director Donald Livingston for more information.

Organs

History of Organs in St. Mary’s Chapel

The Hall Organ Company of New Haven, Connecticut installed the first Cathedral organ in 1917. It was a three-manual and pedal instrument with “modern electric action and detached console.” The organ was divided – the Great and Choir divisions on the east organ chamber, and the Swell and Pedal divisions in the west organ chamber. “A unique feature” of this organ was “a separate console in the Chapel” from which seven stops of the main organ could be played. This small, one-manual console was built into the rear Chapel wall between the center door and the steps leading from the Cathedral Chancel, and the pipes from the east organ chamber spoke into the Chapel through grille work over the small console.

By 1947, the Hall main organ console had fallen in disrepair, and the Reuter Organ Company of Lawrence, Kansas, was contracted to build a new main console. Some discussion occurred and even a proposal was made to replace the Chapel organ console, but this project was deemed unnecessary at the time. In 1958 a contract for a new Cathedral organ was signed with the Aeolian-Skinner Company of Boston, Massachusetts. The Hall organ was removed in 1961, as was the small Chapel organ console, and no organ stood in St. Mary’s Chapel from 1961 to 1998.

Ralph C. Flowers, a parishioner of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church but long-time member of The Cathedral Choir, named in his will a large bequest to Grace Cathedral “to be used to pay the costs of installing a small pipe (not electronic) organ with two manual keyboards and a full pedal board in St. Mary’s Chapel.” When Mr. Flowers died in 1995, the Very Reverend Marc D. Lee, Dean of the Cathedral, appointed the Chapel Organ Committee: Myles J. Criss (Organist and Choirmaster, Chair), Phil Coolidge (Cathedral Architect, ex officio ), Hurst Coffman, Charlotte Burris, Ben Blair, Evelyn Meade, and Billye June Bradley. The committee selected the Martin Ott Pipe Organ Company to construct the new organ. The original contract called for two prepared stops to be installed at a later date, and Harold H Geer and others gave these stops in memory of John C. Lincoln. The completely finished nine-rank organ was installed in November 1998.

In 2004, the Chapel was remodeled. Pews were replaced with movable chairs. Color schemes were changed and flooring replaced. In order to accommodate new functions held in the space, the depth of the organ was decreased by removing the 16’ Bourdon pipes. These pipes were replaced with electronics and the organ was able to be successfully pushed back against the west wall. In 2010, Martin Ott re-pitched the original 1 1/3’ Quinte pipes into a 2’ Flachflöte. The organ is a delightful instrument – ideally suited to accompany weddings and funerals as well as lead congregational singing.