(Looking for the pictures and videos of the American Boychoir and Chorus Angelicus at Trinity? Click here!)

MUSIC AT TRINITY LIME ROCK

For members of Trinity Church, music has always been of great importance. We chant the Psalms and the Service Music during the Liturgy, and our Vicar sings the Preface and Sursum Corda of the Eucharistic prayers at the 10:30 Holy Eucharist. Here is our choir chanting a psalm during a Holy Eucharist in 2005:

On Feast Days we often celebrate with a Choral Eucharist or Choral Evensong. Want to see the kind of music we do? Take a look at our 2008 Holy Week program.

We are energetic singers of our favorite hymns and frequently learn newer hymns as well. A typical 10:30 a.m. Eucharist on Sunday has the usual processional and recessional hymns, a gradual hymn, an offertory hymn (or choir anthem or soloist), and two or three Communion hymns -- as well as the Sanctus, the Fraction Anthem, the appointed Psalm, and (depending upon the season) a Gloria, a Kyrie Eleison, a Gospel Hallelujah and other Service Music.

We use the current Episcopal Hymnal, the supplemental hymnal of more contemporary worship music known as Wonder, Love and Praise, music from other religious traditions, and music composed for us by our Organist and Choirmaster, Christine Gevert.

Visitors to our Parish sometimes ask "Do you always sing this much?" Our customary answer to that question is "No, sometimes we sing even more!"

Furthermore, our Organist, Christine Gevert often provides us with improvisations on the recessional hymn for a Postlude -- here are her variations on "All My Hope" recorded at the conclusion of a Holy Eucharist in 2005:

and yes, applause IS appropriate!

And no matter how recently we've had a concert or other special musical event at Trinity, there is never long to wait until the next one!

At Trinity we take pride in having the finest church music of any denomination in our area.

Musical Visitors at Trinity--

Not only do we have the pleasure of music made by Trinity Lime Rock's choir every week of the year, often we have the treat of extraordinary music brought to us by visitors to our parish.

The Choir of Trinity Church, Wall Street

We count ourselves very fortunate that the superb professional choir of Trinity Church, Wall Street makes a regular visit with us each Autumn. 2007 marked the sixth consecutive year that "Big Trinity" has visited us, and we look forward to welcoming them again in October 2008. They will be here for the 10:30 AM Holy Eucharist on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend this year. We invite you to come hear this extraordinary ensemble!

2007 highlights: We greatly enjoyed the two anthems the Trinity Wall Street Choir sang for us, the organ preludes, and the harmonies of the "Wall Street Wailers" at coffee hour. As always, the glorious sound of a building that utterly vibrated when they joined us in the hymns and service music is a feeling that we remember and treasure all year until their next visit renews our memories. And, of course, we always enjoy the opportunity to socialize with all of them, to meet the new members and recall past visits with the veterans, and for them to bring us up to date on news from their own organization during coffee hour.

We also make sure that we take an "official" picture of the group when they are here. to open a page containing all of those pictures since their first visit to us. It also contains links to more pictures from each of those memorable visits.

Or, see photos contributed by the Trinity Wall Street Choir of their 2003 visit to us!

You can also see a video of this wonderful choir, performing at their own House, Trinity Church, Wall Street:

The Berkshire Choral Festival

is a wonderful friend to have right here in our own area! On July 27, 2003, a contingent from the Choral Festival, under the direction of Fredericka Petit-Homme, visited us at Trinity Lime Rock and honored us with a magnificent performance of our Offertory Anthem: "Lift up Thine Eyes", from Mendelssohn's Elijah.

Here are two photographs from that marvelous performance! Click on either one to see a larger view.

A Trinity chorister's view of some of the members of the visiting group in performance. (Trinity choristers are in the foreground)

Some of our visitors from the Berkshire Choral Festival with our own Christine Gevert, front row left, in Walker Hall, following the service. Miss Petit-Homme is front row right.

Do you wonder why only a contingent of their chorus visited us? Well, the entire chorus at the Berkshire Choral Festival numbers more than 225 voices!! We're a small church!! They wouldn't all fit!!

(You should know that the contingent from the Berkshire Choral Festival also enjoyed our hospitality sufficiently that they have returned to us every year since their initial visit to us. At Trinity, we love good music and we make sure that our visitors know how much they are appreciated!)

The choirs of neighboring churches of several denominations have sung with us

These have included, in recent years, the Choir of the Congregational Church of Salisbury, the First Presbyterian Church of Millerton, and delegations from the Choir of St. John's Church in Salisbury. Click here to see photographs of the preparations for our ecumenical choral Evensong for Shrove Tuesday 2007.

Trinity Lime Rock choir outside

Here, our choir and acolytes walk outside

to the back of the church in preparation for

procession on a crisp Winter morning.

Crescendo! was founded at Trinity and is resident here

Trinity is proud to have been the incubator for, as well as being the ongoing host of a noted music organization with a reputation that extends far beyond our immediate area: Crescendo!

Directed by our own Christine Gevert, Crescendo! rehearses and performs at Trinity regularly. Many of our own choristers are also participants in Crescendo! More information about Crescendo is available at their website, www.crescendoberkshires.org.

Trinity's own Choir--

Trinity's choir only occasionally number more than a dozen singers -- but we work really hard at making music, and we have never been known to decline a musical challenge! Take a peek at the music we performed during Holy Week 2008 for an example.

The choir sings at the 10:30 Holy Eucharist on Sundays all year 'round, unlike many churches where the choir takes the summer off. We have many visitors in the summer, so feel that we ought to at least welcome them with a choir!

Here's our choir in performance at a Holy Eucharist in 2005.

The choir particularly shines at special services throughout the year. Both Christmas and Easter seasons usually include special performances of our choir, and for these the choir's size swells to include those who cannot make a commitment to sing all year long. In these seasons, people from other denominations often come to us for the experience of singing with us.

(click on the photo to see a larger image)

We also occasionally visit elsewhere -- when an existing choir needs augmentation for a special occasion (as when a friend of the choir was installed as Pastor of a nearby Congregational Church); or when visiting a parish with no choir of their own (as in our visits when our sanctuary was being renovated).

About Participating--

If you like to sing, please speak with our Organist/Choirmaster, Christine Gevert. The easiest way to reach her is to call her at the church office, extension 405, or via e-mail at lesinegales@yahoo.com about becoming a member of the choir. And please do take a peek at some pictures of our choristers!

There is always room for one more in the Choir at Trinity Lime Rock, and extensive previous experience is not necessary -- but a desire to learn and stretch your musical capabilities definitely is. We don't just practice, we LEARN. Singing for Christine is a memorable experience (and your webmaster can personally attest to it!).

If you cannot make the time commitment to sing every Sunday, consider joining with our choir for a season -- perhaps during Lent, or during the Summer, or preparing the wonderful choral music for Easter or Christmas!

Trinity Lime Rock's Organist and Choir Director is Christine Gevert.

Christine was born in Germany and has lived and worked in Chile. She records for the Carpe Diem (Berlin) label, playing both organ and harpsichord. If you would like to hear a sample of Christine providing organ continuo on a Carpe Diem early music recording, please access the Carpe Diem catalog (please be patient while the recordings download).

Christine has performed and directed church music on three continents for churches of three denominations (Anglican, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic). She has developed additional depth as a church musician in other denominations as well as through teaching early music and choral singing. To read more about her background, please Read more about Christine's background.

As an organ recitalist, Christine has been featured in many concerts and has made a number of recordings as well. Her most recent recordings were made as a member of the Early Music duo, Les Inègales. To learn more about this ensemble, and hear some of their work recorded on the Carpe Diem label.

Christine really enjoys working with both our adults and our children here at Trinity -- and of course continuing to explore our organ!! On most Sundays she improvises on the recessional hymn for a postlude -- Trinity is one of very few churches where most parishioners (and virtually the entire choir) routinely sit and listen to the postlude.

And, of course, Christine also directs Crescendo!, the musical organization Trinity is proud to have nurtured, as well as the popular area barbershop chorus known as the Housatonics.

Concerts at Trinity:

We have frequent concerts and special musical events at Trinity Lime Rock. You'll see them announced in the local media as well as on our home page. Please come!

Our Organ--

You may have heard that Trinity Lime Rock has a remarkable organ.

Well, it's not so new anymore -- we've now had it for around six years, but we're still very proud of it, and the story of how we came to have it is an interesting one.

Read the story of how we came to get our new organ, to see pictures of our new organ as it looks at Trinity Lime Rock and to peruse the the manufacturer's specifications.

Here are Judy Brown and some some of the members of her Organ Fact-Finding Committee discussing the committee's work......which led to a great new organ in record time!!

At Trinity, our kids sing too!!

See pictures of both adult and young people's choirs entertaining us on Epiphany 2002. This was the second year in a row we had a similar treat. On Twelfth Night 2001, Choral Evensong was led by our choir. After the dinner which followed, the choir, along with members of the Sunday School, entertained members of the congregation with carols and medieval pieces chosen for the Epiphany season. Yes, at Trinity our kids really DO sing!!

Trinity kids really SING!!!!

Trinity kids SING!!!!!

(Yes, Trinity Kids REALLY sing!! This picture was taken at the dress rehearsal for our Sunday School's 2002 Christmas Pageant. See pictures of our Pageants!)

Here's a short video excerpt from our 2007 Christmas Pageant:

No, we're certainly not limited to vocal music!

Here's one of our talented recent Confirmands, Caitlynn Watt, with her saxophone.

Saxophone? Yes! (Think Palm Sunday procession! A great solution for keeping Parishioners and Choir in procession into the Church on key!)

...and here, speaking of Palm Sunday processions, in a picture from the 1970s, is a quartet of Trinity trombones fulfilling the same function. (Click on any of these pictures to see them larger)

Nor are our instrumentalists limited to our young people!

Here is parishioner Ted Somerville at the organ.

Ted recently -- and very graciously -- called on his organ experience of "quite a few years ago" to help us out while Christine took a well-earned vacation with her parents in Chile.