Every year we offer a Concert Series for the community. Concerts take place between October or November and March or April on the Second Sunday of the month at 2pm. The calendar (linked to at the top) has the most current information on the series. If you are a professional performer and would like to be considered for one of our concerts, please contact us using the link at the top of this page.
If you sing or play and instrument and would like to participate in our service, please contact us.
Piano lessons are available at the church. Use the contact form for more information.
A short video from a concert presented by our organist/pianist and music director.
Altar Guild
Our Altar Guild is, among other things, responsible for maintaining all the elements that one sees up front at the altar, from the elements for Communion to the candles, cloths (in the right color) and the flowers. During the service we have altar boys and girls that assist as needed. We also have an officiant who helps keep the service on track and leads the prayers of the people as well as assisting during the service.
Music Ministry
Our music ministry uses a variety of musical styles, from Anglican and Gregorian chant to European hymnody, American Gospel music, spirituals and contemporary praise and worship music. While we do lean toward the traditional side of things, there is a definite variety each week.
Depending on what is appropriate for any given piece of music, our music director will accompany the congregation on organ or piano as well as provide pre-service music and solo organ or piano music during the service. Many of the solo selections and hymn accompaniments he plays were written or arranged by him.
We frequently have guest musicians show up and play or sing. These have ranged from Baroque style recorders, a bass flute (when’s the last time you heard one of those?), flute, vocalists and more.
We sponsor an annual concert series. Recent programs have ranged from music from films and TV played on piano, theater organ Christmas selections, Organ-Voice-Brass, shape-note singing, rare period instruments, folk groups and Brass ensembles.
Music in a typical church service
Our services lean toward the traditional. However, the music consists of a wide variety of styles. We usually sing 5 hymns and usually all verses.
Currently we use the Episcopal Hymnal published in 1982 for hymn singing. There are also several short pieces called Service Music that the congregation sings, usually as a response to some other element of the service. These range in style from Renaissance to contemporary. They include the Gloria, Sanctus, and Doxology.
Our organist plays solo instrumental music, either on organ or piano, before the service starts, during communion and as a postlude while people leave.
We frequently have guest artists who sing vocal solos or play instrumental solos at different parts of the service. We are always looking for people to sing or play in church services as well as perform at one of our concert series events. Please contact us and we’ll get you scheduled as soon as we can
Organ and Piano
The organ is a Viscount Cantorum Duo. This replaced a Viscount Prestige organ installed in 2013. The current organ was installed in 2024.
The building is too small to house a pipe organ that would meet the church’s need so the organ has to be an electronic organ. We have an antiphonal speaker setup with speakers in the back (where the organ is) and the front (hidden under the arches). We also have a sub-woofer that very faithfully reproduces the low rumble often associated with pipe organs.
In addition to very traditional organ sounds, we can also produce a variety of orchestral sounds – flutes, strings, brass, percussion, etc – and frequently do. The organ can also be recorded in a way similar to how old player pianos worked. This allows James to record himself and play along on the piano. And because the ‘recording’ is not an audio recording, he can speed up or slow down the ‘recording’ as needed. We also have outdoor speakers that allow us to use it when we have special services or parts of services outside.
The Piano is a small Kawai grand piano purchased in November 2007. It replaced a tall, true upright piano that was build in 1903. That piano now resides in Ryan Hall. The piano is used most every Sunday along with the organ during worship services. James frequently uses it during the week to teach many students from the community, including as far away as Gainesville, Ocala and Lake City. Before the pandemic of 2020, during the Fall Festival we hooked it up (via microphones) (as well as the organ) to the outdoor speakers so we can provide entertainment to the thousands of visitors that line Cholokka Blvd.
About our Music Director
You can read more about James Gilbert, our organist/pianist/Music Director at his website. He has a number of albums available and teaches piano lessons at the church: Read more about James here.