Community Chorus

Based in New York City, NY

St. George's Choral Society was founded on February 12, 1817 as the "Society of St. George's Church for the Cultivation of Sacred Music." While it was never the only choir at St. George's, the Choral Society supported the Church's regular music ministry by performing longer and larger choral compositions that did not fit in with standard Sunday services.

St. George's Church moved from Lower Manhattan to Stuyvesant Square in 1846, and made headlines throughout the 1800s for its innovative approach to worship. The Choral Society experienced two historic firsts: it was the first Episcopalian parish to allow female choir members, and the first white congregation to hire a black soloist.

The Choral Society lapsed during the war years of the 1940s and was re-founded in 1950 by Charles Kemmer. For more than 30 years, the choir performed at least four annual concerts of religious music. After membership dropped in the 1980s, the Choral Society was reimagined as a community chorus combining voices of all faiths to sing both sacred and secular music. The Choral Society incorporated as an independent organization in 2009. Today, we hold two concerts and a summer festival every season.

Founded - 1817.  

Contact St. George's Choral Society