ABOUT US
The Trinity music program exists to aid God’s people in worship. Trinity’s choirs, collectively and individually, are called to a substantive job requiring a serious commitment, as we work to ennoble worship through the treasures of sacred music.
A typical week sees 25-30 choristers rehearsing twice and singing Wednesday Evensong at 5:45 pm. Wednesdays and Thursdays are rehearsal nights for Choristers and adult choirs. Sundays are a holy blur — from the warm-ups at the 8:00 am rehearsal until the lights in St. Andrew’s Hall are dimmed 11 hours later, after the 6pm Eucharist.
Worship remains, as always, the heart of our lives. The challenge of four different choirs at four Sunday services is invigorating. The day seems to fly by. When our efforts come to fruition, during an anthem or psalm by the choir or a hymn with whole assembly, God’s presence is real. We are in the business of transformation. Our tools are musical and textual, and are from the heart as well as the voice. “When in our worship God is glorified,” then lives are transformed, wounds are healed, zeal is inspired, and Christ is present.
In addition to their regular work at home, the choirs have made several tours abroad, most recently in 2019 for residencies at England’s Wells Cathedral and Salisbury Cathedral. Previous tours include a concert tours to Vienna, Prague, and Budapest in 2004 and to England in 1997 for performances at Westminster Abbey, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Cheltenham, Cirencester, and others. They have sung for former President George H.W. and Mrs. Bush and were recently featured at the 2014 American Guild of Organists Convention for their opening worship service.
The choirs have released several award-winning recordings, including a 1990 recording of Candlelight Carols, which famed jazz pianist/vocalist Diana Krall listed as one of her favorite Christmas Albums and their 2001 Christmas Recording which received critical acclaim from Gramophone Magazine. Their guest conductors have included John Rutter and Sir David Willcocks.
LEADERSHIP
RICHARD WEBSTER Director of Music and Organist
In addition to serving at Trinity, Richard Webster is also the Music Director of Chicago’s Bach Week Festival, an annual spring concert series of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, performed by some of America’s pre-eminent musicians. As a composer, his works are published by six houses, including Advent Press (www.advent-press.com). He completes several commissioned works a year and travels extensively to direct hymn festivals, choral workshops and perform organ recitals. In 2011 he was awarded the honorary Fellowship of the Royal School of Church Music (FRSCM) at Peterborough Cathedral in England.
Richard is Organist and Choirmaster Emeritus of the Parish Church of St. Luke in Evanston, Illinois, where from 1974 to 2003 he led the Choir of Men and Boys, Girls Choir, Adult Schola and St. Luke’s Singers in an active program of worship, concerts, tours and recordings. The restoration of the church’s historic 1922 E. M. Skinner organ was completed in 1998 under his leadership. A native of Nashville, he studied organ with Peter Fyfe, Karel Paukert and Wolfgang Rübsam. As a Fulbright Scholar to England he was Organ Scholar at Chichester Cathedral under the late John Birch. He has performed and recorded as organist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in works from the Saint-Saens Organ Symphony to Ives’ Fourth Symphony.
COLIN LYNCH Associate Director of Music & Organist
First Prize Winner of the Fort Wayne Organ Competition, Colin Lynch has performed throughout the U.S., Europe, Canada, South Africa, Brazil, Argentina, and Cuba at the invitation of Cuban government.
As a devoted church musician, Mr. Lynch has previously held positions at St. Paul’s School in Concord, NH, Christ & Holy Trinity Church in Westport, CT, Marquand Chapel of the Yale Divinity School, the Episcopal Church at Yale, and as Organ Scholar at Fourth Presbyterian Church, Chicago.
Colin Lynch earned an Artist Diploma from Oberlin Conservatory, studying with James David Christie and Olivier Latry. Additionally, he also studied with Douglas Cleveland at Northwestern University and with Thomas Murray at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music where he received the Director’s Prize. His debut solo album, The Organ of Stambaugh Auditorium, is available on the Raven Label.
MARISSA HALL Music Administrator
Marissa Hall earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Sacred Music from The Florida State University and her Master’s Degree in Sacred Music at Boston University. She has studied organ with Michael Corzine, Iain Quinn, and Peter Sykes. Marissa is extremely passionate about all aspects of church music, having held additional positions during her time at Florida State teaching children’s choirs, overseeing publicity for a large music program, and working on the board of the Royal School of Church Music in America (RSCMA). In addition to music administrator at Trinity Church, Marissa serves as associate director of music and organist for Saint Peter’s Episcopal Church in Cambridge, across the river.