Music
Music at Christ Church Cathedral
Music is at the heart of Christ Church Cathedral’s worship, with two choirs and one of Australia’s finest organs supporting our weekly liturgies. The Cathedral’s music tradition can be traced back almost 200 years – the first record of music at the Cathedral dating back to 1835 when a finger and barrel organ was in use. Today, the Cathedral is a leader in the musical life of the city, being an important venue for concerts and home to the Christ Church Camerata, in addition to liturgical music in the tradition of Anglican cathedrals.
The main events in the musical life of the Cathedral are two services each Sunday – Choral Eucharist at 10am, and Evensong at 6pm. In addition, the choirs sing at all the major Feast Days of the Cathedral, as well as occasional weddings, concerts and other events. The choir also makes recordings and tours, with past tours including services at York Minster, Southwark Cathedral and live broadcasts on BBC radio.
The Cathedral’s Director of Music is David Banney, and the Organist-in-Residence is David Drury, both of whom bring many years of experience, nationally and internationally, to the liturgical life of the church. The choir’s repertoire spans 15 centuries and encompasses a wide variety of styles, embracing and encouraging new music.
The Cathedral offers music education through the St Nicholas Choir, choral and organ scholarship programs as well as the Newcastle Cathedral College of Music.
Listen
Organ Classics from Christ Church Cathedral (Peter Guy, organ)
https://open.spotify.com/album/5N8Oic0Q63ReputfErTxjp?si=IVkvFBzxQcWEchQYWXgQ1A
Serenade for Strings (Christ Church Camerata)
https://open.spotify.com/album/3C8ID1XXWCw7ujgnbXZX7B?si=F4dp3sfKSwySTAB7baulSQ
Kyrie from Celtic Mass (Christ Church Cathedral Choir, Chris Duncan (violin), Catherine Strutt (piano)