A History of the Choir School

Founded in 1919 and located in the heart of New York City, Saint Thomas Choir School is the only church-affiliated boarding choir school in the U.S. Its mission — established by Saint Thomas Church — marries three great traditions: music, education and Christian community.

Serving a select group of boys in the 3rd through 8th grades, Saint Thomas Choir School plays a unique and formative role in the life of each boy. The school also makes a singular contribution to the Episcopal Church and to the society and culture of our time.

The 35 to 40 boys who each year attend Saint Thomas Choir School not only live, study and work together as part of a community of learning, they also sing together as professional members of the world-class choir of Saint Thomas Church.

As such, the boys of the Choir School are key players and participants in a rich and living tradition — a tradition of education, sacred music and Christian worship that traces it roots far back through the centuries. The boys of Saint Thomas Choir School, in short, are both beneficiaries of and contributors to one of the great streams of Western culture and learning.

   Under the guidance of the school’s teachers, leaders and staff, the boys are gifted partipants in this "great stream” and receive an education like no other. Certainly the study, practice and performance of sacred music sets the Choir School education apart from practically every other school of any kind. But by the same token, the school’s solid academic instruction and caring community life offer the boys and their families the ultimate assurance and guarantee of a deep and well-rounded education.

   Each boy who graduates from Saint Thomas Choir School is
   thoroughly prepared academically and socially to take full 
   advantage of what the future offers. As one alumnus wrote: