Welcome to the Choir Family!
Join the Choir Community
- Become part of a thousand year old tradition and sing choral masterworks written for the voices of young people
- Learn the value of hard work and why the sacrifice of time and effort are worth that investment – skills for life
- No training or skills needed, contact Patrick Allen to have an interview
- Build confidence communicating in front of people and grow self esteem
- Increase concentration and focus skills
- Apply language, math, science and history lessons learned in school and build confidence using them to solve problems and achieve goals
- Apply skills from team sports to the discipline and art of music – it’s all connected and is of reciprocal benefit
- Become who you are – build self esteem and image
- Be part of an intergenerational team where the young people provide the soprano part and professional adults sing the lower parts.
- The Chorister (Young people – girls and boys) part of our team begins in second grade and moves all the way into High School.
- Through this hard work as a team learn how to express ideas and communicate them with confidence
- Take your first job interview
- Earn your first pay check
- Learn how to get to work on time and when you may not feel like it. An important lesson for life – just like parents must do every day
- Sing in multiple languages and tour internationally
- Through music spread love and reconciliation to those who come into historic Grace Church and hear your musical offerings
- Heal the world through music and community working in love and respect
- It’s fun to create music and achieve these goals with friends
Grade Levels
Choristers are made up of young people grades two through eight.
- Grades Two and Three: For the first year of the choir program all choristers are generally novices, which includes rehearsing one morning before school and singing at School Chapels and on Sunday mornings when their respective choir is scheduled (not every week).
- Grades Four and Five: The next step is the junior chorister program, which requires attending two morning rehearsals (Wednesday and Thursday) and Tuesday afternoon (5–6:30 p.m.) evensongs.
- Grades Six through Eight: Finally, those choristers who desire to do so progress to the senior chorister level, which involves three weekday morning rehearsals (Tuesday – Boys, Wednesday and Thursday – Boys and Girls, and Friday – Girls) and as scheduled (not every week or Sunday when singing) an early morning Sunday or Sunday after church rehearsal and breakfast/lunch.
Benefits for the Choristers
Choristers and their families find choir extremely rewarding. Choir offers the obvious advantages of rigorous musical training in a storied tradition of liturgical repertoire. Less apparent, though, choir also offers linguistic training in multiple languages, the mental and physical discipline of frequent performance, the team work and camaraderie of working with other choristers and the excitement of international travel. Finally, choir offers opportunities for developing leadership and self-reliance, enhancing self-esteem and expanding social skills. Often the lives of choristers’ families are also enriched as there are opportunities for family participation in many choir activities.
Background of the Choirs
The choirs are affiliated with the Royal School of Church Music. Our style of training is based on their model that evolved in England over a thousand year tradition. The Choir of Men and Boys is the oldest resident boy choir in continuous service in New York City. Since the founding of our program in 1894, it has been made up of children from many faith traditions. While there is never any pressure for choristers or their families to participate actively in Grace Church outside the choirs, we do work to communicate the text we offer in song respectfully remembering that the church is a house of prayer for all people.
Choir Tours
Every two to three years the choirs take a concert tour. The goals are for every chorister to take at least one trip while they are in the choir and that no chorister should not go for financial reasons. The tour choir is made up of members of The Choir of Men and Boys, Girls’ and Adult Choirs. Annual fund raising to develop the Choir Special Project Fund helps supplement the cost of these tours – The November Pie Sale, The Annual Spring Concert Reception and the End of the Season Choir Raffle are the three big events that support this fund in addition to generous gifts by people like you! Give to the Choir Special Projects Fund and support these special opportunities and offerings.
How to Join
Choir is open to everyone, whether or not a child is a student at Grace Church School. Schedule a meeting with the choirmaster, it’s fun and requires no advance preparation, lasts about half an hour and includes both the chorister and one or both parents.
Enjoy Past Concerts
Listen and watch the 15th Annual Concert of Music for Treble Voices, the Combined Girl and Boy Choristers of Grace Church in New York, 11 February 2024.
Have a listen to all or part of the Annual Spring Choir Concert offered by the Combined Choirs on Friday Evening 26 April 2024. We had so much fun making music for a tremendous audience of family, friends and neighbors.
Learn more about us!
- Visit our event calendar and attend an upcoming choral event such as a Tuesday evensong from 6-6:30 pm, or the Annual Choir Concert at 7 pm on Friday, April 24 (no ticket required).
- Contact Patrick Allen to schedule a meeting, discuss further, or request the Choir Handbook.
- Visit the Music page of our website and listen to recordings of the Choirs on our YouTube and Vimeo channels.