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Cathedral Choristers
The history of the Cathedral Choristers is deeply interwoven in the history of The Cathedral School of St. John the Divine. In 1901, Bishop Henry Codman Potter founded The Choir School of The Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Originally located in Guild Hall (now known as Synod Hall) on the Cathedral Close, the school expanded in 1913 when the present school building was completed. It provided accommodations for 45 resident Choristers, with musical training under the direction of the Master of Choristers and general education supervised by the Headmaster.
Presently, the Chorister program represents a unique partnership between The Cathedral of St. John the Divine and The Cathedral School. Cathedral School students drawn from the fifth through eighth grades join together to practice three times per week. Choristers provide musical leadership for services in the Cathedral on Sundays during the academic year. Choristers sing additional concerts at Christmas and are in high demand for professional engagements.
The Choristers have toured the world for decades. Recent tours have taken them to Japan, Ireland, and Colonial Williamsburg. In 2019, the Choristers traveled to England for residencies at St. Paul's Cathedral and Canterbury Cathedral. Rehearsing, singing for services, and preparing for special events provide a comprehensive music education, enabling the Choristers to learn a large and varied repertoire of sacred music.
Auditions for prospective Choristers are held at the end of fourth grade, and The Cathedral School provides stipends for Choristers in the form of tuition reduction. Interested parents and guardians are encouraged to contact Bryan Zaros, Associate Choirmaster, at bzaros@stjohndivine.org.
Chorister Performances and Alumni Interviews
Music Faculty
Kent Tritle, Director of Cathedral Music & Organist
Kent Tritle is one of America’s leading choral conductors. Called “the brightest star in New York's choral music world” by The New York Times, he is in his sixth season as Director of Cathedral Music and Organist at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City; his tenth season as Music Director of Musica Sacra, the longest continuously performing professional chorus in New York; and his twelfth season as Music Director of the Oratorio Society of New York, the acclaimed 200-voice volunteer chorus.
Kent Tritle is one of America’s leading choral conductors. Called “the brightest star in New York's choral music world” by The New York Times, he is in his sixth season as Director of Cathedral Music and Organist at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City; his tenth season as Music Director of Musica Sacra, the longest continuously performing professional chorus in New York; and his twelfth season as Music Director of the Oratorio Society of New York, the acclaimed 200-voice volunteer chorus.
In addition, Kent is Director of Choral Activities and Chair of the Organ Department at the Manhattan School of Music and is a member of the graduate faculty of The Juilliard School. Also an acclaimed organ virtuoso, Kent Tritle is the organist of the New York Philharmonic and the American Symphony Orchestra.
Bryan Zaros, Associate Choirmaster
Bryan Zaros is a young American conductor recognized for his “strong musical imagination” and “deep sense of musicality and communication.” A native New Yorker, Bryan received a Bachelor of Music in Sacred Music from Westminster Choir College and a Master of Music in Conducting from the University of Michigan. He is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Conducting at the Manhattan School of Music.
Bryan Zaros is a young American conductor recognized for his “strong musical imagination” and “deep sense of musicality and communication.” A native New Yorker, Bryan received a Bachelor of Music in Sacred Music from Westminster Choir College and a Master of Music in Conducting from the University of Michigan. He is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Conducting at the Manhattan School of Music.
Bryan began his professional musical training as a member of the Metropolitan Opera Children’s Chorus and as a boy chorister at The Church of the Transfiguration NYC. At the age of sixteen he was appointed the Assistant Choirmaster at Transfiguration while also serving as the Assistant Choirmaster at St. Bartholomew’s Park Avenue; leading them on their tour of English Cathedrals, conducting services at Salisbury, Portsmouth, Southwark and Canterbury Cathedrals. Recent conducting engagements have included invitations with choirs and orchestras in England, Italy, Switzerland, Canada, Sweden, Argentina, Greece, Slovenia and Romania. Most notably he has conducted concerts at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center and at American Choral Director’s Association Conferences. He is a recipient of several conducting awards including an American Prize award in Conducting.
Most recently, Bryan served as the Director of Choral Activities at Avon Old Farms School, an exclusive all male boarding high school in Avon, Connecticut; as the Conductor of the Archdiocesan Choir and Orchestra at the Cathedral of Saint Joseph in Hartford; and as a conductor of choirs at the University of Hartford. Bryan began his tenure as the Associate Choirmaster at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in August 2016 and made his conducting debut with the Cathedral’s Choirs at Westminster Abbey, London.
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