St. George's Choral Society invites amateur and professional musicians to collaborate in the rigorous preparation and presentation of great choral music to inspire and educate our members and community.
Originally formed as a choral school for worshippers at St. George's Episcopal Church in the Stuyvesant Square neighborhood, the choir has operated continuously since its founding in 1817. During WWII, for obvious reasons, few men were available and the group merged with another St. George's choir temporarily. But once the war ended, many singers returned. We are no longer religiously affiliated but have kept our historic name.
We believe in the power of music to:
• Motivate all participants toward artistic growth
• Unify people of diverse cultural backgrounds, ages, occupations and beliefs
We welcome musicians of all levels to join us in a deep exploration of musical ideas and expression of the past and present. Our goal is to perform at the highest level of excellence and to generate a broad range of engagement and outreach activities. St. George’s Choral Society is committed to ensuring access to cultural programming for people with disabilities.
We commit to responsible fiscal and artistic stewardship of our legacy, including functional administrative and governance systems anchored by prudent financial policies to sustain current programs and support incremental growth.
Be a part of our legacy! St. George's Choral Society welcomes voices for all parts, though a brief audition with the director is necessary. If you love singing choral masterpieces with professional leadership, please come join us!
Matthew Lewis, Artistic Director and Conductor
Matthew Lewis maintains an active career as an organist, choral conductor, and educator. As artistic director and conductor of St. George’s Choral Society since 2005, he directs the chorus in major works of the repertoire. With members of SGCS he has appeared with the Paul Taylor American Modern Dance Company and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s for four seasons at Lincoln Center, as organist and choirmaster, for performances of “Beloved Renegade,” featuring the Poulenc Gloria. With the same company he recently appeared as harpsichord soloist for performances of “Book of Beasts.” He is organist and director of music at St. John’s Church (Episcopal) in Larchmont, NY. For 23 years he was organist and director of music at the Church of the Incarnation, where he directed an ensemble of professional singers in a variety of liturgical choral music. Dr. Lewis has served as organist and choir director at Temple Israel in Lawrence, NY, since 1993. He has been a member of the organ faculty of The Juilliard School’s Pre-College Division, also since 1993, and served as adjunct assistant professor of organ at Westminster Choir College for 12 years. He has presented solo organ recitals in the United States, Canada, France and China, and has been a featured artist on WNYC and Pipedreams (NPR). Matthew Lewis completed the doctor of musical arts degree at The Juilliard School as a student of Jon Gillock. He was a recipient of a Fulbright Grant and the Annette Kade Fellowship from the Council of International Education for study in Paris, where he was a student of the organ virtuoso Marie-Madeleine Duruflé. Dr. Lewis studied choral conducting with Robert Page.
Leadership
Matthew Lewis, Artistic Director
Board of Directors
Paul Secor, Chair
Bill Grossman
Lillian Waldman
Officers
Carrie Shirley, President
Phillip Martin, Vice President
Miriam Michel, Secretary
Pat Rasile, Treasurer
