Music & Choirs

The Music Department of the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine under the direction of Bruce Neswick, Director of Cathedral Music & Organist, and Timothy J. Brumfield, Associate Organist & Choirmaster, is a ministry of music to the community and to the world. Being “a house of prayer for all people,” the Cathedral's music reflects the wide diversity found in the surrounding community and the world in which it serves, from high Anglican anthems rich in tradition and history to the earthy tones of the “Forces of Nature” ensemble and the New Age melodies of the Paul Winter Consort. Such diversity has served the cathedral well and continues to provide the spiritual fabric of cathedral life with such events as St. Francis Day which celebrates the love of man to nature whereby all creatures under God's care strive to live harmoniously under heaven's dome, and with traditional high feast day services such as Christmas Eve and Easter, featuring the majestic pageantry for which the Cathedral is so well known.

The Cathedral's rich traditions are built not only upon a colorful and historic Anglican past, but on many customs, institutions and physical attributes of it's own. In addition to being the world's largest cathedral, yet unfinished, “Big John” as it is affectionately known among the locals, has the Cathedral School from which are drawn the Trebles of the Cathedral Choir. This historic school began as a choir school for boys in 1901 in the traditional English School format, which later became integrated as a co-educational school for boys and girls. The Trebles, or Choristers, are students at The Cathedral School, which provides a unique opportunity for these young people in grades 4-8 where they learn not only great music, but have the privilege of singing in one of the world's greatest spaces for making music.

The cathedral's famous 8 second reverberation is also home to one of the world's most renowned instruments, the Great Organ. The Great Organ, built in 1911 by Earnest M. Skinner, and enlarged and rebuilt in 1954 by G. Donald Harrison of The AEolian Skinner Organ Company, brings together in one instrument the very best from two of America's foremost organ-builders. When the Cathedral experienced a devastating fire in the unfinished portion of the North Transept on Dec. 18, 2001, the Great Organ and the other two Skinner organs in the side chapels suffered from heavy smoke damage. All the cathedral organs are now silent and are awaiting full cleaning and restoration. For more information on the Great Organ and how you can support the restoration and cleaning efforts underway, click here.