MUSIC AT GRACE & ST. PETER'S
“If we consider and ask ourselves What sort of music we should wish to hear on entering a church we would surely, in describing our ideal, say first of all that it must be something different from what is heard elsewhere; that it should be a sacred music , devoted to its purpose, a music whose peace would still passion, whose dignity should strengthen our faith, whose unquestioned beauty should find a home in our hearts, to cheer us in life and death; a music worthy of the fair temples in which we meet and of the holy words of our liturgy; a music whose expression of the mystery of things unseen never allowed any trifling motive to ruffle the sanctity of its reserve. What power for good such a music would have!”
– Robert Bridges (1844-1930), Poet Laureate of Great Britain
MUSIC LISTS
Click on the links below to see PDF versions of the most recent music lists for the Choir of Grace & St. Peter's
Past Music Lists
Easter III–Corpus Christi 2021
THE CHOIR
Music is an integral part of the liturgical life of Grace and St. Peter’s as one of the primary ways in which we worship, love, and serve our Lord Jesus Christ. The Grace and St. Peter’s Choir has long been revered as one of the finest in Baltimore. Comprised of eight professional singers, their repertoire spans six centuries and features a diversity of composers reflective of the diversity found in sacred music from Biblical time to present day. They are also committed to the expansion of that repertoire through the performance of new sacred music, particularly pieces by Baltimore-based composers. The Grace and St. Peter’s Choir sings more than fifty choral services between October and June and can be heard weekly at Solemn High Mass and on first and third Sundays at Choral Evensong.
THE ORGAN
The first known organ installed in Grace Church was built in 1856 by the Anglo-American firm E & E. G. Hook of Boston. This instrument was large for its time with three manuals (keyboards), pedals, and 35 ranks of pipes. This organ was replaced in 1888 by the Roosevelt firm, which was based in New York City but had a branch office in Baltimore. Both instruments were installed in the since-removed rear gallery of the church. In 1892, the chancel was enlarged, and the Roosevelt organ was moved to the front of the church on the decani side (the current location of the Lady Chapel). A third organ was built in 1922 by Austin Organs of Hartford, Connecticut. This new instrument was nearly twice the size of the two previous organs and incorporated many pipes from the 1888 Roosevelt organ. It was at this time that the organ was moved to the cantoris side of the chancel where it remains today. In commemoration of the organ’s centennial, Grace and St. Peter’s contracted the Austin Organ Company to complete a mechanical and tonal restoration of Op. 1074. This work, completed in 2023, included a complete restoration of the organ’s internal mechanisms, tonal revisions in line with instruments of its vintage, and a new state-of-the-art console. Op. 1074 was re-dedicated in a service of Choral Evensong on October 15, 2023, which was followed by a dedicatory recital by Dr. David Hurd.
Parishioners Jim and Kathy Forcum left a great legacy in support of music at Grace & St. Peter’s. Their generosity made-possible the Centennial Organ Restoration Project, revitalizing the mechanical and tonal integrity of our 1922 Austin pipe organ (Op. 1074). Generous donations to the Forcum Fund are needed to guarantee the maintenance of the organ, to commission new pieces of sacred music, and to pay guest musicians for various services throughout the year. Please visit the donate page and write 'Forcum Fund' in the comment box. All donations are tax deductible.
JORDAN PRESCOTT, DMA, AAGO ORGANIST & CHOIRMASTER
Hailed as an “organ star” (The Baltimore Sun) whose playing “encompass[es] the church in a wild wind” (The Washington Post), JORDAN PRESCOTT has distinguished himself as an organist, conductor, and scholar with a sensitive, versatile, and striking artistry. A highly-sought-after performer, Jordan enjoys an active recital career in such esteemed venues as the Piccolo Spoleto Festival (Charleston), the Church of St. Mary the Virgin and St. Thomas Fifth Avenue (New York City), the Cathedral of St. Philip (Atlanta), Grace Cathedral (San Francisco), and the West Point Military Academy Cadet Chapel. He is also regularly featured at regional and national conventions of the American Guild of Organists and the Organ Historical Society. An avid ensemble player, Jordan has appeared under the batons of Marin Alsop, Nicholas McGegan, and Joseph Young.
Jordan sits on the Music Theory faculty at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University where he earned the Doctor of Musical Arts. As Organist-Choirmaster at Grace and St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Dr. Prescott leads more than 70 choral services per year and serves as the Founder and Curator of the Grace and St. Peter’s Choral Series which promotes new sacred music by living composers. Respected for his creativity and engaging presence, he is frequently engaged as a choral clinician and repertoire consultant. Previous posts include appointments at the University of Maryland – Baltimore County and Duke University Chapel.
A recipient of the Dean’s Doctoral Fellowship, Jordan’s dissertation “’Improving rather than inventing:’ Two Case Studies on Herbert Howells’ Synthesis of Continental Modernity in Late Style” cemented his place among the world’s leading Howells scholars. Dr. Prescott’s research has been published in both The American Organist and The Tracker magazines and has garnered invitations to present guest lectures at East Carolina University and the Shenandoah Church Music Institute. Recognized for his broad expertise and balanced perspective, Jordan is often engaged as a critic for The American Organist.
Prescott is an Associate of the American Guild of Organist and currently serves as Sub-Dean and Certification Coordinator of the Baltimore Chapter. As Co-Chair of the ‘Year of the Young Organist,’ he was instrumental in launching the Guild’s organ scholar program and bolstering the education portfolio of the Guild. In addition to this work, Jordan has served on the National Nominating Committee and the Committee on Young Organists.
Winner of the 16th International Organ Competition at West Chester University, Jordan was named one of The Diapason magazine’s ’20 Under 30’ most influential young artists in 2019 and was a finalist at the inaugural National Competition in Service Playing in Washington, D.C. in 2022. Prescott’s organ teachers have included John Walker, Andrew Scanlon, and Christopher Jacobson. He studied choral conducting with Andrew Crane and James Franklin and had additional organ tutelage in Paris with Marie-Louise Langlais.