The Saint Thomas
Choir of Men and Boys is considered by many to be the leading and outstanding
choral ensemble in the Anglican choral tradition in the United States today. Besides offering a full concert series each year, the Choir of sixteen men and
three dozen boys sings at five weekly principal worship services, preparing an
astounding four hundred pieces of sacred music a year. The choir performs
regularly with period instrument ensembles, Concert Royal and Juilliard415, or
with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s as part of its own concert series. Its primary
raison d’être, however, is to provide music for five choral services each week.
Supplementing its
choral services and concert series over the past three decades, the choir has
toured throughout the USA and Europe with performances at Westminster Abbey and
St Paul’s Cathedral in London; Kings College, Cambridge; Windsor; Edinburgh; St
Albans and the Aldeburgh Festival. In 2004, the choir toured Italy, and
performed for a Papal Mass at the Vatican. During 2007, the choir performed
Bach’s Saint Matthew Passion for the opening concert of the Mexico Festival in
Mexico City. In February 2012, the Boys of the choir traveled to Dresden to
give the premiere of Lera Auerbach’s Dresden Requiem with the Dresden Staatskapelle
in the Frauenkirche and Semper Oper. Later in 2012, the choir was invited to
perform in the Thomaskirche at the Leipzig BachFest. In addition to the annual
performances of Handel’s Messiah, concerts at Saint Thomas have included
Requiems by Fauré, Brahms, Mozart, Duruflé and Howells; Bach’s Passions and
Mass in B Minor; the Monteverdi Vespers of 1610; a Henry Purcell anniversary
concert; Rachmaninoff Vespers; the US premiere of John Tavener’s Mass; a
concert of American composers featuring works by Bernstein and Copland and a
composition by Saint Thomas chorister, Daniel Castellanos; and the world
premiere of Scott Eyerly’s Spires.
The Men of the Choir
are professional singers and the current roster is listed below; the Boy
choristers attend Saint Thomas Choir School. Founded in 1919, it is the only
church related boarding choir school in the United States, and one of only a
few choir schools remaining in the world. The Choir School offers a challenging
pre-preparatory curriculum, interscholastic sports, and musical training for
boys in grades three through eight. The Choir School is committed to training
and educating talented musicians without regard to religious, economic, or
social background. Choristers are sought from all regions of the country.
The Men of the Choir
are professional singers and the current roster is listed below:
Alto:
Eric S. Brenner
Corey-James Crawford
Patrick Fennig
Jeffrey Freuler
Tenor
Nathaniel Adams
Mark Bleeke
Martin Coyle
Lawrence Jones
David Vanderwal
Bass
Kelvin Chan
Richard Lippold
Daniel Moore
Charles Perry Sprawls
Christopher Trueblood
The choir was
directed since 2004 by John Scott, formerly Organist and Director of Music at
St Paul’s Cathedral in London. John Scott succeed Gerre Hancock as Organist and
Director of Music.(Read more about J. G. Scott life here:
https://goo.gl/HPvM3E)
In the summer of
2015, at age 59, Scott performed fourteen organ recitals across seven European
countries in six weeks. He completed what would become his final concert tour,
and returned to New York on 11 August 2015. The next day, he suffered a cardiac
episode, was admitted to Roosevelt Hospital, and died there with his wife Lily
at his side. St Thomas Church held a public funeral service on 12 September
2015.
With the death of
John Scott in the summer of 2015, the Rector and Wardens have appointed Stephen
Buzard and Benjamin Sheen as Acting Organist and Director of Music until John’s
successor is appointed; they will share those duties in the coming year. Mr.
Buzard and Mr. Sheen were trained by John Scott and will continue the high
standards of organ playing and choral direction that we have come to expect.
Watch Saint Thomas
Choir of Men and Boys here:
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