Music and worship have been inextricably bound together for millennia. From the earliest days of the Church, prayers, psalms, and hymns have been offered to the glory of God as a regular part of corporarte worship. Music is yet another way in which we experience God's presence in our world and in our lives, as well as the beauty of the divine.
At Saint Ignatius music is a very important part of our corporate life. Traditional choral music is an integral part of all our Sunday and feast-day liturgies. Our professional Choir offers music at all our principal liturgies and we are now building a volunteer choir whose principal mission is to lead the music at our summer services and occasionally at Solemn Evensong. We also host concerts primarily featuring early and sacred music, and we are home to several ensembles-in-residence.
St Cecilia window in the former choir loft.
Click here for a high resolution image of the window.
The Choir, an all-professional ensemble, sings at the 11 o'clock Solemn Mass from September to June and at special services throughout the year, such as the great liturgies of Christmas, Holy Week and Easter, All Souls Day, and the festivals of Corpus Christi and the Assumption of the Virgin. Some of our ensembles-in-residence and the Evensong Choir provide the music for other feast days.
At each Mass the Choir usually sings a polyphonic setting of the Ordinary of the Mass (Kyrie, Gloria in excelsis, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei), and a motet or anthem. They also sing the traditional Gregorian chant minor propers, brief passages from scripture that are appropriate to the particular day and season set to music.
The large repertoire of mass settings, motets, and anthems is mainly drawn from the glories of Medieval and Renaissance music and from the Anglican Choral tradition. The Choir has also premiered a number of liturgical works by prominent composers and produced several recordings.
The Volunteer Choir is our parish musical ensemble and its primary mission is to lead the music at our summer services and occasionally at other services or Solemn Evensong. The group consists of volunteers from the parish.
This choir leads the music at the Sunday 10 A.M. Sung Mass during the Summer while the professional choir is on hiatus and offers the music of the Mass for some feast days.
The organ, built in 1966 by Casavant Frères and renovated in 1981, is a fine and highly successful three manual instrument. Designed in the "American Classic" style with a strong French cast, it is versatile and is situated in a space with flattering acoustics.
With the vision and hard work of our former Organist and Choirmaster Douglas Keilitz, the organ was upgraded and restored after an aging water heater failed in 2009 causing extensive damage. See the Report of the 2009-2011 Organ Campaign here.
or call the Church office at (212) 580-3326.