Music

Because music expresses our deepest human longings, both spiritual and emotional, we typically set our Scriptures and Prayers into a framework of music. Music helps stimulate our thinking restore our souls, and at its best, becomes a powerful means of prayer.

Each year, the Trinity Chancel Choir, under the direction of Kyle P. Ramey, sings at the 10:30 Holy Eucharist on Sunday mornings, occasional Choral Evensongs on Sunday evenings and at other special services such as Advent Lessons and Carols. The choir also sings at special liturgies throughout the year, including Christmas Eve, Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. More than 4,000 man-hours of time are spent by choristers each year, preparing and presenting music to enhance our divine worship.

In addition to choral music, the 14-member Trinity Handbell Choir prepares music for Sunday Eucharist (both 8 and 10:30 a.m.) at least six times each year September through May. Ringing three octaves of handbells and two octaves of handchimes, this ensemble offers another dimension to our growing music program.

The Great Organ at Trinity Church is one of the largest and finest musical instruments in Northern New York. It is used each week to accompany the choir and congregation in our worship services and is also used many times throughout the year for concerts. Originally installed in 1924 by the Skinner Organ Co. and later enlarged in 1970 by the English firm of Hill, Norman & Beard, the organ is currently undergoing another transformation as pipework from the 1915 Estey organ, originally located at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Watertown, is integrated. The organ is expertly maintained and repaired by Kerner & Merchant Pipe Organ Builders, Ltd. of Syracuse.

Trinity Church is also home to one of Northern New York’s largest music libraries. Containing more than 1,000 different choral anthems, the library’s 21,000 pieces of choral music have recently undergone an extensive cataloguing. In addition, the music library includes several hundred pieces for handbells, dozens of oratorio works, a choral reference library of more than 3,000 single-copy pieces, and an extensive handbell reference library. The entire library is now catalogued in a custom designed database and is searchable by title, composer, scriptural reference, location and much more.

The Trinity Concert Series, now in its sixth season, presents world-class musicians to the greater Northern New York community and welcomes nearly 2,000 concertgoers each season. There is much more information about the concert series available at its website, www.trinityconcerts.org.