Christ Church Choir

Christ Church Choir continues to build upon a long tradition of exceptional musical excellence through a broad variety of musical styles. Our choral repertoire includes Gregorian Chant, Anglican Chant, and motets from the Renaissance to the 21st century.

Our choral style emphasizes clarity of pitch, pureness of tuning, pureness and evenness of tone, and an emphasis on improvisation and musical experimentation.

Membership is drawn from Christ Church members as well as other persons throughout the Rochester community.

This choir leads and supports the congregation in their worship. Through hymns, descants, psalms, and anthems, this choir also provides liturgical enhancement that goes beyond the normal abilities of the congregation.

The Choral Scholar Program and the Christ Church Music Apprentice Program augment and enhance this choir.

Rehearsals take place on Wednesday evenings at 7:15pm-9:15pm and on Sunday mornings at 10:00am.

The choir traditionally breaks after Trinity Sunday and resumes after Labor Day.

Stephen Kennedy, Director of Music and Organist

Stephen Kennedy has been the Director of Music and Organist at Christ Church Rochester since 1994. He is also the founder and director of the Christ Church Schola Cantorum that specializes in the performance of Gregorian Chant and unaccompanied sacred choral repertoire. The Schola Cantorum has gained a national reputation for music performances at the highest level. The Schola sings the Office of Compline at Christ Church on Sunday evenings at 9:00pm from October through April.

Mr. Kennedy is also Director of Chapel Music and Instructor in Liturgical Music at Bexley Hall Episcopal Seminary. He also teaches courses in Sacred Music at the Eastman School of Music,and teaches applied organ in Eastman’s Community Music School. In addition, he teaches keyboard skills classes and secondary piano at Nazareth College.

Mr. Kennedy has appeared in many venues as organ soloist in programs of standard repertoire as well as recitals consisting solely of improvisations. He has been a performer and lecturer for local and regional events of the American Guild of Organists, and has given choral workshops in the U.S. and abroad. He has composed a great deal of liturgical and choral music as well as chamber music and compositions incorporating computer-generated sounds and improvisation. In addition to making and teaching music, Stephen is a visual artist whose paintings hang in homes and businesses across the United States.