“Music is the language of the spirit. It opens the secret of life bringing peace, abolishing strife.”

– Kahlil Gibran

At Calvary we believe that fostering the arts is central to the mission of the church. Throughout history, one of the most positive roles the wider church has played in society has been as a haven for art and music and for artists of all kinds. In a neighborhood with few public spaces, Calvary is honored to serve as a gallery and performance venue for our community. From the beautiful artwork created in and for our space, to the wide number of musical offerings at Calvary, we strive to create a forum where meaningful connections are made. 

Our choirs and soloists, guest musicians, established ensembles who make use of our facilities, our landmark instruments, and the visual and acoustic beauty of our spaces, all combine to make Calvary an important nexus for the arts and spirituality in San Francisco.

Choral Music at Calvary

Choral music and congregational singing are at the heart of Calvary’s worship culture. For over a century Calvary has been known in San Francisco and beyond for having choral music of the finest quality and that tradition continues today.

Our choirs include:

The Chancel Choir, a 40-voice ensemble featured in the majority of Calvary’s weekly Sunday 10am worship services. Regular rehearsals are on Thursday evenings and Sunday mornings prior to worship.

An expanded Chancel Choir, 50-100 voices, also presents several choir and orchestra concerts each year, and concert rehearsals take place on selected Sundays after worship.

While we strive for musical excellence, no audition is necessary and we are always eager to welcome new members to the Chancel choir, the concert choir, or both.

The Chapel Choir is an auditioned chamber choir, made up primarily of members drawn from the larger Chancel Choir. The Chapel Choir gives singers with advanced sight-reading and musical skills an opportunity to explore more demanding and diverse repertoire, and music specifically appropriate to a smaller ensemble. The Chapel Choir also participates in additional concerts and smaller services held in our beautiful mid-century Kit Stewart Chapel. 

Children & Youth Choirs. We are rebuilding our music programs for young people after a pandemic hiatus. This fall, children will have the opportunity to sing in the annual “Charlie Brown Christmas Service” on December. See the weekly announcements or the bulletin for details!

We’d love to have you join us in the choir loft!

Organs & Pianos at Calvary

Our facilities are blessed with many fine instruments, the legacy of faithful donors past and present.

Pipe Organs

Calvary's worship services have been led by a very interesting collection of pipe organs since the Gold Rush. Containing 6,155 pipes, the current Sanctuary Organ dates from 1928 (Aeolian), with significant revisions/expansions in 1936 (Aeolian-Skinner) and 1970 (Swain & Kates). The Kit Stuart Chapel contains a small pipe organ built in 1962 by Swain & Kates.

Pianos

Calvary's music program is greatly enhanced by its pianos. The two most prominent are the Bösendorfer Imperial concert grand in the sanctuary (made in Vienna in 1977), and in the Chapel is an exquisite 7' Steingraeber und Söhne piano (Bayreuth, Germany), purchased new in 2020. Calvin Hall contains a 1919 Steinway B and there are several other pianos located throughout the facility, as well as a Neupert harpsichord.

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