Music is an integral part of who we are at Christ Church Cathedral. When we gather for worship, we sing together exuberantly as a congregation. Our choirs offer a variety of superb literature from the Anglican cathedral tradition, and our musical instruments give voice to emotions ranging from joyous praise to deep lament.
Participating in the rich cultural life of Cincinnati, we offer weekly “Music Live at Lunch” free performances along with multiple concerts, festivals, and beloved musical traditions, including monthly Choral Evensong services and the annual Boar’s Head & Yule Log Festival.
Experience the Cathedral Choir, an ensemble of auditioned professional and volunteer choristers, at weekly Sunday morning services, monthly Evensong services, and other major liturgical observances in the church year. Directed by Stephan Casurella, the Cathedral Choir offers a range of choral literature from the Anglican cathedral tradition, the folk tradition of African-Americans, newly written works, and idioms from other cultures.
Enjoy the musical presentations of Christ Church Singers, an all-volunteer ensemble designed for those who love to sing but are not able to commit to the Cathedral Choir’s rehearsal and performance schedule. Singers meet for a single rehearsal and sing several times a year throughout the season. For upcoming dates for Christ Church Singers or more information about joining, please contact Doug Bruestle.
Sing along with Cathedral Choir of Children and Youth (CCCY), a citywide program that fosters a lifelong enjoyment and appreciation of music through the singing of sacred choral repertoire. Based on the Royal School of Church Music Voice for Life Curriculum, CCCY is open to children 2nd grade and up. For more info, please contact Jason Holmes.
Discover Queen City Street Choir (QCSC) who engages with people experiencing homelessness and marginalization through the restorative power of song. QCSC offers concerts in the community several times a year and rehearses weekly. For more information, contact director Jason Fishburn.
Our choral scholar program provides Cincinnati area high school students an opportunity to join the Christ Church Cathedral Choir as apprentices. Successful applicants will receive intensive training in the art of fine choral singing so that they may begin the process of learning to perform at a professional level. They learn a wide range of repertoire, such as works by Tallis, Brahms and Howells, as well as spirituals and music of other cultures. For their efforts, they are compensated with a monthly scholarship throughout the academic year.
Choral scholars participate in all the duties of the cathedral choir. This includes Thursday evening rehearsals, the Sunday morning Eucharist, monthly Choral Evensong, observances of holy days such as Christmas Eve, Ash Wednesday and Holy Week, as well as other liturgies or concerts as assigned by the cathedral.
Application deadline | June 1 Apply here!
Christ Church Cathedral’s organ scholar program is a stipendiary appointment designed as a practicum for students seeking to pursue a career in sacred music. Applications are accepted at the beginning of each calendar year for the upcoming academic year.
A vibrant musical organization, Collegium Cincinnati’s singers and instrumentalists, led by artistic director Matthew Phelps, present moving musical events that captivate audiences and enrich the community. Collegium’s performances are made possible, in part, by generous contributions to Christ Church Cathedral’s Friends of Music Fund.
Become a part of our great cathedral music tradition by becoming a Friend of Music. Your donation will be dedicated to special concerts, commissioned works, and other musical projects not supported by the cathedral’s music operating budget. Contribute now online or mail a donation to the attention of Friends of Music, c/o the cathedral. (Make checks payable to Christ Church Cathedral and write “Friends of Music” on the memo line.)
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Simply choose Friend of Music in the fund drop down, and make a one time, or recurring gift.
Our musical instruments contribute to the cathedral’s ability to offer the finest in music for worship services, recitals, and concerts. They also are resources for members of the Greater Cincinnati community to make music in the resonant space of the cathedral, nave, or in the more intimate setting of Centennial Chapel.
Cathedral Organ
Richards, Fowkes & Co., III/58 (Opus 24).
Installation was completed in March 2021. See specifications. The organ was dedicated on October 24, 2021, with a recital by David Higgs.
Watch excerpts from the dedicatory recital performed by David Higgs on October 24, 2021.
View Dedicatory Recital Program.
Watch a video with Organ Media Foundation’s Brent Johnson and Christ Church Cathedral’s Director of Music, Dr. Stephan Casurella.
Centennial Chapel Organ
C.B. Fisk, Inc., II/22 (Opus 148).
Installation was completed in July 2018. See specifications.
Watch the dedicatory recital performed by Francesco Cera in October 2018.
View Dedicatory Recital Program.
Continuo Organ
Juget-Sinclair Organ Builders, I/4 (Opus 40)
Purchase of this instrument in 2012 was made possible by a generous grant from H.B., E.W. and F.R. Luther Charitable Foundation. See specifications.
Harpsichord
William Dowd, Boston, 1983.
Rebuilt by Glenn Giuttari, 2011.
Modeled after the eighteenth-century Parisian builder Etienne Blanchet, this double-manual harpsichord has two 8-foot choirs and one 4-foot choir. Range FF-f”’; transposing A415/A440. The instrument is excellent both for continuo playing and for solo repertoire.
Pianos
Cathedral: Kawaii grand piano, 1984
Cathedral: Baldwin grand piano, rebuilt 2008.
Centennial Chapel: Steinway grand piano, rebuilt 2008.
Handbells
One diatonic octave of Whitechapel handbells for liturgical use.
Tower Bells
For reasons lost to history, bells were not installed when the tower of Christ Church Cathedral was built. For almost a century, the tower was a beautiful, albeit silent, addition to the city skyline. That changed in 2003, when thanks to the leadership of Janet Hauck, the congregation raised funds to install a cast bell chime.
A cast bell chime is a musical instrument consisting of nine to twenty-nine bells. The chime at the cathedral is fourteen bells, the most popular range, which includes an octave and a fifth in a diatonic scale from F to C. The bells weigh from 116 pounds (highest note) to 1,990 pounds (lowest note). The Verdin Company, the world’s largest supplier of bells, carillons, and clocks, cast the bells. The Cincinnati company has provided bells to over 30,000 churches, including 100 cathedrals, since 1842.
We are pleased to share the music of the bells with our city, not only to mark the passing of the hours, but also to celebrate happy occasions, to commemorate holidays and to mourn deaths.
With concerts, festivals, workshops, and community gatherings for adults and youth, and neighborly connection for all, create your calendar filled with what interests you & we’ll see you there.
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