Music at the Cathedral of St. Paul has long played an integral role in connecting choir members, choristers and congregants to each other, to the church’s history, to the Episcopal tradition, and to God.
We are committed to continuing the rich heritage of the Anglican choral tradition including music drawn from many centuries and musical styles. Whether through an anthem sung by the choir, a hymn with the whole congregation, or an organ postlude, lives can be transformed, and Christ is present.
Our choir leads the singing for our 10:00 A.M. Sunday Service from September through June. We also offer public concerts throughout the year and have released recordings. Various community music groups call the Cathedral home for rehearsals, performances, retreats and more. The Cathedral has also entered a unique partnership with the Erie Philharmonic. You can read more about that below.
The Cathedral Choir is a group of mixed adult singers who sing each
Sunday morning at the 10 am liturgy from September through mid-June.
They also sing Choral Evensong, concerts and services of Lessons and Carols throughout the year. In 2017 they recorded a CD of spiritual arrangements by Harry T. Burleigh, Erie native, former chorister and communicant of St. Paul’s, Hold On, Keep Your Hand on the Plow. Their most recent trip abroad was in August of 2018 to sing Sunday services at Coventry Cathedral and a week’s residency at Christ Church, Oxford. Other trips abroad for residencies in 2007 and 2010 have been to Canterbury Cathedral, Chichester Cathedral and the American Cathedral in Paris. In 2011, the Cathedral Children’s Choir and the Cathedral Choir sang the Sunday morning services and Evensong at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC.
The Cathedral Chorister Program is a treble choir of boys and girls.
The choir is structured on the principles of The Royal School of Church Music.
In light of the pandemic and with the retirement of our organist/choirmaster, this program has taken some time off. However, given its rich history and tradition at the Cathedral, we look forward to the return. In addition to singing services at the Cathedral they were often in great demand in the community.
They have sung with the Erie Chamber Orchestra, the Erie Opera Theatre and the Lake Erie Ballet. In 2017, they appeared with the Erie Philharmonic Orchestra. They have traveled and sung in Toronto, Ottawa, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Washington, DC and Cleveland.
The Cathedral of St. Paul is home to one of the finest pipe organs in the region.
The organ was built by Rieger Orgelbau of Vorarlberg, Austria and was installed at the Cathedral in 1982.
The three-manual mechanical action instrument contains 60 ranks of pipes and 40 stops. The organ also features modern solid state combination action allowing for 100 levels of memory.
More detailed specifications and stop list can be provided upon request.
The Erie Philharmonic Youth Chorale (grades 2-8) provides students
high-quality vocal education to help students grow as musicians and leaders.
In addition to the opportunity to collaborate with talented singers across the region, students have the opportunity to perform with the Erie Philharmonic, the Philharmonic Chorus, and the Erie Junior Philharmonic. The Youth Chorale, along with the Junior Philharmonic Chorus rehearse weekly in the Cathedral Chapel Space. Sharon Downey, the Cathedral’s former organist/choir master, is the conductor of the Youth Chorale.
The Cathedral is also home to a state-of-the-art piano lab open to members of the Erie Philharmonic Junior Chorus and Youth Chorale During each chorus rehearsal, students are given the opportunity to visit our state-of-the-art Roland digital piano lab, where Dr. Sarah Kahl instructs students in piano skills, music theory, composition and more!
For more information on the Erie Philharmonic Choruses Click Here!