Ensembles

Christ Church Children’s Choir

   This is a fun and rewarding way for youth to be involved in Christ Church’s liturgy and music program. This choir is geared towards children grades K-3, incorporating singing and movement through engaging activities to teach basic musicianship skills.

            Weekly rehearsals will be in the second-floor nursery for 20 minutes on Sundays directly following the 11:00 Holy Eucharist. Regular communications and reminders will be sent to parents and guardians via email. Please feel free to contact me if you have a child interested in participating or if you have any questions about our program. Thank you!

Andrew Johnson, director Lydia Andraso, assistant 

The image link above will take you to an example of The Christ Church Choir Sunday experience.

THE CHRIST CHURCH CHOIR

Principal function of this choir is to sing the liturgy for the 11:00 am. Sunday Eucharist.  This auditioned choir directed by Stephen Kennedy, builds upon a long tradition of musical quality through a broad variety of musical styles.  Repertoire includes Gregorian Chant, Anglican Chant, and motets from the Renaissance to the 21st Century. Membership is drawn from parishioners of Christ Church, students from the Eastman School of Music, as well as individuals from the Rochester community. Rehearsals take place on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm, as well as on Sunday mornings at 10:00 am.  This choir is active from September through Pentecost Sunday.

THE SCHOLA CANTORUM

“The Christ Church Schola Cantorum… sings beautifully.” Fanfare magazine.  Founded in 1997 by Stephen Kennedy, the Schola performs the Office of Compline each Sunday evening from October through April at Christ Church in Rochester NY. Rochester Magazine called it “The coolest, most unusual music experience in the city…” The Schola specializes in the performance of liturgical music and chant, as well as contemporary music and improvisation.  This ensemble has collaborated with Manfred Cordes and Weser-Renaissance Bremen, Boston Early Music Festival Chamber Players, and organists Edoardo Bellotti, Hans Davidsson, David Higgs, Olivier Latry, William Porter, Joris Verdin, and Harald Vogel. The Schola has been a favorite of festivals and concert series, notably at the annual international Eastman-Rochester Organ Initiative.  APM’s Pipe Dreams, Minnesota Public Radio, and WXXI’s With Heart and Voice regularly broadcast tracks, via NPR, from the Schola’s CDs. With organists Edoardo Bellotti and Stephen Kennedy, the Schola and dual organs performed a “guided improvisation” accompaniment to Carl Dryer’s 1928 silent classic La Passion de Jeanne d’Arc for Eastman’s 2014 EROI Festival and the University of Rochester’s interdisciplinary UCIS Cluster on Music and Film.  In 2017, the Schola performed two featured concerts for the AMS National Convention in Rochester which included motets from Praetorius’s Polyhymnia Caduceatrix et Panegyrica with early instrumentalist specialists from around the country as well as collaborating with Ensemble Perihipsous (Michael E. Ruhling, Music Director) in their debut concert with the Haydn Requiem. The Schola has recorded for Arsis and Loft labels and its latest CD is of 19th century French choral music with Belgian keyboardist Joris Verdin on Eastman’s vintage Mustel harmonium. The ensemble is comprised of Rochester-area musicians, Eastman School of Music faculty and students, and RIT faculty. Participation in the Schola is offered for course credit at the Eastman School of Music.

To watch this performance of Compline, click on either of these image links.