The choir was established by St. Thomas’s Church in New York City with the Choir School being founded in 1919. The choir school normally has between 35-40 boys each year who become known as professional singers and take academic and choral studies and is just one of four residential church schools left in the world.
The all male choir of men and boys from the choir school appear in five church services per week, make regular concert performances and have made several recordings.
They have regularly made international tours through Europe and have appeared at the Vatican, King’s College Cambridge and Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. They have also made appearances with artists such as Jessye Norman and Placido Domingo and various national orchestras as well as giving the later televised world-premiere of Requiem by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Alongside their normal recording repertoire they have appeared with Carly Simon on her song “Let the River Run”. The conductor John Scott, who was a renowned master of choristers and organist, was with them from 2004 until his death. Daniel Hyde took over from him and was there from 2016 to 2019 and from 2019 its been led by the organist and composer Jeremy Filsell.
Cecil Alexander and Henry Gauntlett Recordings
Once in Royal David’s City
Pro Organo 7200 (CD: Christmas on Fifth Avenue
Director – John Scott
Organ – Jeremy S. Bruns
Arranged – Sir David Willcocks
Sources:
- http://www.choirschool.org/pages/about/history.php
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Thomas_Episcopal_Church,_New_York#Choir_of_Men_and_Boys
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Scott_(organist)