Music at PAUMC has always been a strong part of our worship and has a variety of facets, including a choir that sings music from a variety of repertoires, a wonderfully-restored three-manual Schantz pipe organ, and a number of special musical events spread throughout the year.
A History of our Organ
Information courtesy of the New York City Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.
The organ at Park Avenue UMC has recently been completely refurbished by the trustees, and has received high praise from all who have played it and heard it. Below is a brief history.
Adult Choir
The choir, consisting of seven professional soloists and seven to ten talented and devoted volunteers, is the real centerpiece of our liturgical music. The choir sings at 11 am worship from “Homecoming Sunday,” which is generally the second or third Sunday of September, until the second Sunday of June. Our repertoire draws heavily on classical liturgical music by Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Faure and Durufle, reflecting a long tradition at the church that owes a great deal to the impressive stewardship over many decades of the late Lyndon Woodside, former director of the Oratorio Society of New York. In addition, we also sing English cathedral music and African-American spirituals.
Read more: Adult ChoirChildren's Choir
Our children’s choir debut performance was on Palm Sunday (April 1st) of 2012, in which they sang, “All Creatures of Our God and King.” Conducted by Bradley Brookshire and Derin Oge, the children continue to bless us with their singing on certain Sundays throughout the year.
This free program is open to children ages 5-13 and meets in Clarke Hall at 10:30 on Sunday mornings to practice.
Participants will:
*Learn choral singing from professional musicians
* Have monthly performance opportunities during worship
*Gain the experience of being part of a group.
Contact Liz Sweeney, our Director of Programs for Children and Families with any questions.
