Music

Adult Choir

First Church ChoirThe First Church Adult Choir is a strong and integral part of the spiritual life at First Church, and is made up of about 30 talented volunteer and professional musicians. The weekly commitment and the strong spiritual devotion of each member to singing God’s praises are the foundation of this ensemble.

It is important to note that many members of the choir take an active part in the life of First Church, not only as singers, but in many different capacities as well, such as serving as officers and as members of various committees. Many members of the choir who are not formal members of the church consider First Church their home church.

This ensemble sings a wide range of repertoire, from Gregorian Chant and Plainsong to Renaissance motets and the major oratorios and mass settings, to 21st-century compositions. Many of our choir are heard in major concert halls throughout the world, including both concert and opera repertoire.

Some of our musical events have been:

  • Mozart’s Requiem
    March 2003
  • J.S. Bach’s Cantata No. 140 (“Sleepers Awake”)
    Benjamin Britten’s Ceremony of Carols
    December 2002
  • Handel’s Messiah, Parts II and III
    April 21, 2002
  • Handel’s Messiah, Part I
    December 2, 2001
  • J.S. Bach’s B Minor Mass
    March 18, 2001
  • J.S. Bach’s Magnificat, Haydn’s Anima Nostra, and Respighi’s Laud to the Nativity
    December 3, 2000
  • Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass
    March 26, 2000
  • Johannes Brahms’s Ein Deutsches Requiem and Serenade in D and Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus
    March 21, 1999
  • Benefit recital (for the South Wing) by Ellen Goff Entriken and David Fox, accompanied by James Bassi, with a world premiere of a work with text by J. Barrie Shepherd and music by Nancy Wertsch
    February 22, 1998
  • Bach’s Magnificat in D major, BWV 243
    December 7, 1997
  • Fauré’s Requiem and J.S. Bach’s Jesu Meine Freude
    March 9, 1997
  • Music for Awhile, a song recital in English from Purcell to Ives, featuring David L. Fox, tenor, and Ellen Goff Entriken, soprano, with Susan Woodruff Versage on piano
    May 5, 1996
  • Mendelssohn’s Elijah
    March 17, 1996