Music at Saint John's
Music in the liturgy
Music has always been an integral part of the celebration of the Eucharist at St. John’s. Having a monastic history, St. John’s was a forerunner in the use of plainsong in worship in the Episcopal Church. Throughout the years, the music on Bowdoin Street has been led by a series of distinguished musicians with a commitment to music as a vital part of worship for the congregation. Notable among these is Everett Titcomb, who served for fifty years at St. John’s, beginning in 1910. The choir’s repertoire includes many of Titcomb’s works, as well as anthems and motets from medieval to 21st-century composers of church music. At a typical Sunday Eucharist at Saint John’s, the congregation sings three or four hymns, a psalm, and other service music.
Choir
At each Sunday Eucharist from mid-September through Trinity Sunday, St. John’s choir, known as the Schola Cantorum, leads the congregational singing and sings an anthem or motet at the Offertory and during Communion. Four professional singers serve as section leaders for St. John’s Schola Cantorum. Volunteers and section leaders currently rehearse each Sunday morning at 8:45 and at other times as announced. Additional volunteers are most welcome. A desire to commit to regular rehearsals is required. Please contact the Organist and Director of Music to arrange an audition.
Click here to learn about the choir's repertoire for the coming weeks.
Other Music at St. John’s
Each week at 5:30 pm, Saint John’s hosts local musicians as performers on its Wednesday evening concert series. In its first two seasons, this series became increasingly popular as an “after office hours” destination in the Beacon Hill neighborhood. It is also fast becoming known as a friendly location among artists who enjoy performing in a fine acoustic. Admission is free, but listeners are encouraged to make a contribution to the artist as a gesutre of thanks at each concert.
In addition, several performing ensembles have begun to recognize St. John’s as an excellent place to hold concerts. Schola Cantorum of Boston, Convergence, Boston Metro Opera, and Longfellow Opera Company held ticketed performances at St. John’s during the past three seasons. If interested in exploring St. John’s as a concert, rehearsal, and/or recording venue, contact the Organist and Director of Music.
Organist and Director of Music
Since mid-2007, the music program at St. John’s has been led by Jeffrey Mills. Mr. Mills studied organ and church music at Indiana University and has held positions of musical leaderhsip in parishes in Illinois and Massachusetts. His primary teachers were Marianne Webb, Oswald Ragatz, Robert Rayfield, and John L. Hooker. Upon moving to Boston, Mr. Mills sang in the choir at All Saints, Ashmont, under the direction of Herbert Peterson, a student of Everett Titcomb, and later sang in the Schola Cantorum at St. John’s during the tenure of William Porter. Much of Mr. Mills’s work has been as an interim organist and choir director in parishes undergoing periods of transition. He strives to develop a strong music program at St. John’s and to expand its musical outreach as a concert venue and as a place of spiritual and practical support for musicians and artists of all types.
