The music ministry at the Cathedral seeks to fill every heart with the sound of God's peace and joy. Through the finest music of several centuries the musicians of the Cathedral provide an ever expanding vocabulary to proclaim God's eternal message.

Careful preparation and rehearsals by the choral musicians of the Cathedral support our commitment to offer our fullest and most enriching praise to God in the highest. The repertoire of the Cathedral choirs ranges from Gregorian chant and masses of Palestrina to works commissioned by the Cathedral from the leading composers of today. The music of composers such as Bach, Britten, Faure, Mozart, Palestrina, Purcell, Tallis and Tavener are characteristic of the high quality of music offered each week in the Cathedral.

Director of Cathedral Music & Cathedral Organist		Assistant Organist- Choir Director

Choral Evensong is sung on the first Sunday of the month at 4:00 PM throughout the program year, and is preceded by a 25 minute organ recital beginning at 3:30pm, given by a member of the local Albuquerque Guild of Organists chapter. Choral Eucharists are sung at the 11:00 AM service on the first Sunday of each month and at many of the Principal Feasts celebrated at the Cathedral.

The Cathedral is very fortunate to possess one of the finest organs in the Southwest, built by the Kansas based  company of Reuter. Each Sunday the organ is heard not only in congregational singing and accompanying choral works but also in major works of the organ repertoire, played the Cathedral organists. The Sunday preludes and postludes played on the organ are drawn on the vast repertoire of the organ literature. Works of Buxtehude, Bach, Couperin, Dupré, Franck, Mendelssohn, Messiaen, and Vierne are heard on regular basis.

Through Friends of Cathedral Music the Cathedral also commissions new choral works written for the Cathedral Choir as part of the Cathedral Commissions program. The commisioning scheme began in 2006 with a new work by the American composer, Stephen Paulus. In 2007 new works were commissioned from two composers Judith Bingham and David Arcus. The 2008 commission went to New York based composer Anthony Piccolo and the 2009 commission to two composers Tarik O'Regan and David Briggs. in the 2010-2011 season, the commission was awarded to Canadian composer, Andrew Ager. He wrote a setting of the Te Deum text for choir and organ, in addition to writing a solo organ work based on the gregorian chant of the Te Deum. The 2012 commissioned composer was Philip Moore, former Organist & Master of Music at York Minster. We are pleased to announce the 2012-2013 commissioned composer, Nicholas White, Director of Chapel Music & Organist for the prestigious St. Paul's School in Concord, NH. Mr. White's world premiere performance will take place on Sunday, April 28th, 2013 at the 11am service.

The role of the music ministry in the outreach of the Cathedral is considerable. An annual concert series allows parishioners as well as those who cannot attend on a Sunday morning the opportunity to attend superb musical events throughout the year. Although all events have a suggested donation, all are welcome to attend concerts at the Cathedral sponsored by Friends of Cathedral Music. Advance tickets are available for purchase through this new website at www.fcmabq.org.

 

 
Cathedral Choir  2010 England Tour

The Cathedral Choir and Choristers
Saint Thomas Fifth Avenue, New York City 2012