The Choirs
The music program at Christ Church includes three choirs which sing from September through May:
- The Adult Choir Choir is open to singers of all ages. The Adult Choir leads the singing and other liturgical aspects of the 10:15 a.m. Eucharist each Sunday, plus occasional services such as Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, the Christmas Eve Midnight Eucharist, and the Carol Service. Sunday services typically include two anthems. There is usually one full-length concert per year. Rehearsals take place on Wednesday evenings. Repertoire is drawn from the last five hundred years of choral composition around the world. Some reading ability is required. The choir currently has 42 members and meets from September through June
- The Youth Choir is for children in grades 3 through 8. Choristers learn to read music and practice proper technique to lead to healthy vocal development. Rehearsals take place on Wednesday afternoons. The Youth Choir helps to lead the 10:15 a.m. Eucharist each Sunday morning, singing an anthem approximately three times per month. These anthems include trebles-only repertoire and selections from the vast collection of SATB music with the Adult Choir. Parties, outings and fun make constant appearances in our September-through-June calendar! In addition to learning about liturgy and Scripture, community outreach is an important part of the program. In recent years, thousands of dollars have been raised for the St. Agnes Children's Home in Gokwe, Zimbabwe, Stand Up for Kids, and Heifer International
Sir David Willcocks, formerly Director of Music at King's College, Cambridge, England, works with the Christ Church Youth Choir.
- The Evensong Choir was founded by Stuart Forster in 2000, and is open to teens and up. Choral Evensong is sung at 4:00 p.m. on the first Sunday of the month, October through May. There are two Tuesday evening rehearsals per month. The choir consists of 36 singers with strong sight-reading ability.
Each service includes a great deal of music as part of the Rite I Office of Evening Prayer, a traditional service not offered regularly by any other church in the Greater Boston area. Repertoire is drawn from the last five centuries of choral composition, focusing largely on six- to eight-part music of the cathedral tradition. This professional-standard volunteer choir has taken residence at such esteemed places of worship as Washington National Cathedral, St. Thomas' on Fifth Avenue, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, both in New York City, and at Christ Church, New Haven, Connecticut.
The Christ Church Evensong Choir on the steps of the National Cathedral Church in Washington DC where they sang a Sunday Evensong in August 2003. The Evensong Choir has been invited to return in 2004.
The Handbell Choir
The Handbell Choir is made up of volunteer 'ringers' who rehearse on Monday evenings and play at the 10:15 a.m. Eucharist approximately once per month. They also play for regional handbell events. Instruments include four octaves of Whitechapel handbells and a new set of handchimes. To learn more, please click here. Melissa Hirshson, Director
The Music List for the current season
Please click here for the music list for the coming liturgical seasons.
If you would like to be on an email list to receive notices about upcoming musical events,please click here. Put "CCC email music list" as the subject line. Be sure to include your email address.
The Music Committee
The Music Committee advises the Director of Music on policies regarding music at Christ Church. In addition to acting as extra eyes and ears for what works, and does not work so well, on a regular basis, the committee members also help with periodic tasks such as distributing publicity and recruitment materials, organizing the Concert Series, and gathering collective opinions from the congregation. Rachael Cobb, Chair
The Director of Music & Organist
Our Director of Music and Organist, Stuart Forster, is well-known both as a soloist and an accompanist. Previous appointments include several parishes in his native Sydney, Australia, and most recently Fellow in Church Music at Christ Church, New Haven, Connecticut; he served concurrently as Marquand Chapel Organist at Yale Divinity School. Mr. Forster's work has been published and recorded around the world, including his transcription of Dvorák's Ninth Symphony "From the New World". He studied at the University of Sydney, the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Yale University and Trinity College of Music, London. More information is available at Mr. Forster's web site: www.StuartAForster.com
Joining the Choirs
Anyone who is interested in joining one of the choirs should speak with the Director of Music. He is typically at the church from Saturday through Wednesday, and 24-hour voice mail is available on (617) 876-0200 ext. 15, or email him at StuartForster@cccambridge.org .
Occasionally, interested people are not able to commit to a choir's regular schedule. We welcome anyone who would like to join for special occasions such as Christmas or Easter. Rehearsals can be expected to begin 4-6 weeks ahead of these dates. Music selections are planned months ahead to follow the lectionary and liturgical seasons.
Organs at Christ Church
Christ Church dedicated a new 3-manual Schoenstein Organ on April 30, 2006. A brochure, which includes the specifications of the organ, a photograph of the console and façade, and descriptions of the present and earlier instruments, may be downloaded as a pdf by clicking here. Click here for the specifications of the new Schoenstein organ.
The 1805 Gray Organ is situated in the rear gallery. Please click here for the specifications of the Gray.
Our Mission
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