Music at St. Paul's
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Concerts at St. Paul's
Worship services are not the only time you can experience incredible music at St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Throughout 2022/2023 we will offer a series of concerts which feature our talented music staff and highlight up-and-coming artists. Mark your calendar because you won’t want to miss these one-of-kind experiences!
Music is an integral part of worship at St. Paul’s Cathedral. Music of the Anglican tradition spans the ages from the Renaissance and Tudor masters to today’s most innovative composers. The beauty of the finest sacred choral and organ music in the cathedral setting enriches worship and provides inspiration for all who enter the Cathedral whether as a first-time visitor or long-time member.
Upcoming Events:
None at this time, but check back soon!
Upcoming Events:
Unclouded Day: Music of the Americas
Friday, May 9, 7:30 pm, In the Cathedral
Four musical organizations will unite to celebrate the rich musical heritage of the Americas. Join Musica Vitale, Crown City Chorale, the MiraCosta College Chamber Choir and the Ghukasyan Orchestra of Baja California to experience Music of the Americas.
For five centuries, the clash of cultures in North and South America—indigenous, African, Spanish, Portuguese, French and English—has produced a uniquely diverse range of musical styles, further enriched by successive waves of immigration. We will hear music from Canada, the United States, Cuba, Mexico and Brazil, setting traditional lyrics as well as texts by American poets Sara Teasdale and Walt Whitman. The pieces will range from the lighthearted to the serious, addressing the themes of war and peace, the wonders of nature, and the borders that both separate and unite us. And, for an unusual treat, you will have an opportunity to meet three of the composers in person.
Summer Orchestra in the Cathedral
Saturday, July 13, 7 pm, In the Cathedral
Come and hear the Villa Musica Summer Orchestra, including Dean Penny in the viola section, as they perform a program of Japanese and Japan-inspired music in the Cathedral on Saturday July 13 at 7 pm.
Purchase your ticket online (Click Here).
These concerts usually sell out, so don’t delay in buying a ticket, if you want to guarantee a seat in the Cathedral. Free and overflow seating will be available in the Great Hall, to watch the live stream.
- General Admission – $10
- Student Admission – $5 (requires valid ID; priority seating on a first come, first serve basis)
- Reserved Seating – $25
Great Hall Overflow Seating – Free
On October 14, St. Paul’s opens its concert series this fall with a delightful performance by soprano Angelina Réaux, and baritone Michael Sokol singing “Songs for a Saturday”. This program includes some of musical theatre’s loveliest love songs and duets, songs from the American Songbook and songs from composers such as Poulenc, Ravel, Bernstein, Sondheim, and Ricky Ian Gordon… Read More
What makes music at St. Paul's special?
Accomplished musicians. Organist and Choirmaster Martin Green is a native San Diegan who has trained and spent his entire musical career here. He has prepared choirs and accompanied for such notable conductors as Sir David Wilcocks, John Rutter, David Flood, Martin Neary, and Duiane Wolfe. As an organist, Martin has played as both solo performer and accompanist. throughout the US, as well as Mexico, Canada, and England. He has won several awards from the American Guild of Organists and appeared on NPR’s “Pipedreams Live!” He also serves as the Associate Music Director of the San Diego Master Chorale. Sub-Organist and Assistant Choirmaster, Gabriel Arregui, has appeared in recital with sopranos Julianne Baird and Rosa Lamoreaux, has taught 18th-century counterpoint, and has performed for Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Archbishop of Canterbury. He has served as an instrumentalist in the Baroque Music Festival since 1994.
Stunning choirs. The Choral Music program is wide ranging and consists of the Cathedral Choir (adults, mixed voices), which has been in existence since the late 1800s; the Cathedral Choristers (boys and men), which includes the only boys’ choir in San Diego; the St Cecilia Choir (girls and men); and the Cathedral Schola (a professional-level auxiliary group to the Cathedral Choir).
An exquisite organ. The Cathedral’s organ has the longest history of any in San Diego — in 2012 it was completely rebuilt by Quimby Pipe Organs. It contains nearly 5000 pipes and is considered one of the finest instruments in the area. Free organ recitals are offered every Friday at 1 pm.
Cathedral Choirs
The Choral Music program is wide ranging and consists of the Cathedral Choir (adults, mixed voices), which has been in existence since the late 1800s; the Cathedral Choristers (boys and men), which includes the only boys’ choir in San Diego; the St Cecilia Choir (girls and men); and the Cathedral Schola (a professional-level auxiliary group to the Cathedral Choir).
Cathedral Choir
The Cathedral Choir has existed since the late 1800’s at the original St Paul’s Parish church. It was one of the first vested choirs in San Diego County and continues to support worship services to this day. This choir, which consists of paid professional singers and dedicated volunteers is primarily heard at the 10.30 a.m. Mass every Sunday offering a wide variety of choral mass setting, motets, and anthems throughout the year.
Cathedral Schola
This group is made up of the core singers of the cathedral choir, and other professional singers, choral directors and students from throughout San Diego County. Its members are those professional-level musicians who are dedicated to the Anglican choral tradition. It operates as an auxiliary to the cathedral choir, as well as the boy and girl choristers when they are on break. This ensemble is most frequently heard at 5PM Choral Evensong during the summer break for the choristers as well as special services and concerts from time to time throughout the year.
St Cecilia Choir
A choir for girls was founded in the 1960s. In 1977 the Girls Choir was reconstituted as the St. Cecilia Choir of girls and men, allowing it to rightly be a full counterpart to the Choristers. The treble section of girls aged seven through eighteen (or their Senior year in High School) creates a sound distinctly different from the boy trebles. The St Cecilia Choir sings 5PM Choral Evensong on the second and fourth Sunday of the month, and for Advent Procession, Easter Day, Easter Lessons and Carols, occasional Sunday Morning services, and other concerts and outside appearances. A number of our boy and girl choristers appear in annual productions with the San Diego Opera, and also at times with the San Diego Symphony. The choirs have also been featured in the Mainly Mozart Festival in San Diego and Tijuana. Both choirs are affiliated with the Royal School of Church Music.
Cathedral Choristers
This choir of men and boys was originally founded in 1885 at the original St Paul’s church. However, this choir did not prove to be sustainable at this time and was replaced by the choir of mixed voices a few years later. In 1963 the choir of boys and men was re-started by then-Organist & Choirmaster Larry King. Since then, the choir has flourished, and remains the only boys’ choir in San Diego, and one of only a handful in the United States. The Cathedral Choristers sing 5PM Choral Evensong on the first and third Sunday of the month, as well as Christmas Lessons and Carols, Easter Day, the St. George Festal Evensong, occasional Sunday Morning services, and other concerts and outside appearances. The choir is open to enrollment for boys with unchanged voices, age 7 and up.
The chorister experience for boys and girls at St. Paul’s is back!
Our youth choir programs offer opportunities for children to build lifelong friendships, receive a world class musical education, participate in off-campus field trips, learn team-communication skills, and perform regularly with professional institutions like the San Diego Symphony and San Diego Opera. Previous choristers have gone on to have successful international music careers and have graduated from Ivy League universities.
We’re looking for young singers who are:
- Age 7+
- Boys with unchanged voices.
- Girls who have not yet completed their senior year of high school.
Commitment: Weekly rehearsals and two monthly Sunday 5pm evening services (Evensong). Additional rehearsals for major Holiday services and concerts. Summers off. Rehearsals will be in large, well-ventilated areas with all possibly safety precautions taken.
No previous musical experience is required.
No religious affiliation of any sort is required.
If interested please fill out the form below and we will send you more information, including our Fall Season start dates as soon as they are available!
