Music at the Cathedral
—Psalm 100
We are proud of our musical heritage here at the Cathedral, and are blessed by the fine quality of our choir, which sings from Labour Day through to Canada Day Weekend. The weekly musical offering of the choir and the organist are at the core of the kind of worship for which we are known, and we continue to be committed to the finest musical offerings we can muster.
If you are interested in participating in Cathedral music, please get in touch with Brad Barbeau, director of music.
We are pleased to welcome the return of our Summer Concert Series, offering a selection of free outdoor performances on the cathedral lawn in the heart of downtown Kingston!
This year’s series features a diverse lineup of talented musicians, including Indigenous artist David Finkle, Hayden Leduc from Napanee's Harmony Lounge & Music Club, and local favourites such as (August 9) John MacFarlane & Sonya Zaback and the (August 16) LaSalle Causeway Swing Band.
The outdoor concerts are free and open to all! Attendees are encouraged to bring a lawn chair and enjoy live music in a relaxed, outdoor setting.
The Cathedral will be open for FREE sightseeing from 10am-4pm on concert days.
Choral Evensong is held on the first and third Wednesdays of the month at 7pm. This service is designed to allow for reflection and calm and is held midweek in the evening to provide a break to our busy lives.
One of the treasures of the Anglican tradition, evensong is a service of sung evening prayer. It is the only Cathedral service led almost entirely by the choir. The interspersing of music—spanning from the Renaissance to our time—between familiar passages of scripture and ancient prayers, creates a contemplative mood. Lasting about 40 minutes, the service is a wonderful way to end the day.
Choral Evensong is on hiatus, returning on 17 September.
Music has been a part of St George's life from the founding of the parish in 1792. For much of the past 80 years, the Cathedral Choirs have been amongst the best known in Kingston and far beyond. In 1954, St George's choir was the first choir from North America to ever sing daily services in Westminster Abbey. Further trips to England in 1965 and 1979 firmly established the choir as a leader in English Cathedral Music in Canada.
We welcome applications from experienced amateur singers at any point in the year. Fluent sight-reading skills are helpful. Interested singers are invited to use the form at the bottom of this page to arrange an informal audition time with Brad Barbeau, Director of Music.
Regular rehearsals are Friday at 5:30 and the choir sings for both Choral Eucharist on Sunday and Evensong on Wednesdays (twice monthly).
Several works have been premiered by the Cathedral Choir, including Send Out Your Light by Mark Sirett in 2025.
Relaunched in Fall 2024, the Chorister Program at St. George’s (Anglican) Cathedral offers children in Grades 1–8 a rich, formative opportunity to grow through professional music training — at no cost to families.
The program has been designed to provide a thorough music education to the choristers. While the joy of singing together is the focus, choristers learn sight singing, music theory, and history, and Friday rehearsals include an hour of singing alongside the (adult) Cathedral Choir. Learning about teamwork, commitment, and most importantly, building self confidence are also benefits of the programme.
Do you know a child who loves to sing? Get in touch with Director of Music Brad Barbeau (music@stgeorgescathedral.ca) to learn how they can be a part of the program. The program is particularly designed for children in Grades 1-8.
How much does it cost? Nothing! - this is a gift from the Cathedral to the community.
What happens if we need to miss a rehearsal or service? We understand that families have many committments and while we enourage attendance at all events, recognize that it is not always possible.
Music Notes
Dr. Phil Rogers, a long-time bass in the Cathedral Choir, offers insights into the history behind the music we sing and hear in worship. Dr. Rogers is a Professor Emeritus at Queen's University in the Department of English Literature and Creative Writing.
Since 2020, the Cathedral's music program has been ably led by Director of Music, Brad Barbeau. Under his leadership, the Chorister Program has been relaunched, a new tradition of outdoor summer concerts has come alive, and various collaborations with artistic organizations from Canada and beyond have been established. If you are interested in participating in Cathedral music, Brad would love to hear from you.
Brad Barbeau
Brad Barbeau studied organ performance at Queen’s University under Patricia Wright at Metropolitan United Church in Toronto. He has also studied with Edward Norman at St George’s and Keith Rasmussen at Bridge Street United Church in Belleville. For three years he was an assistant with the Cantabile Choirs of Kingston and studied conducting with Mark Sirett. Mr. Barbeau spent eight years as Assistant Organist at St George’s and acted as Interim Director of Music in 2009-2010 and again from 2020-2022 after which he was named permanent Director of Music. He has performed with the Cantabile Choirs of Kingston and the Kingston Symphony.
In 2009, he founded a new children’s choir at the Cathedral restoring a part of the choral tradition that had been missing for a number of years. After leaving St George's in 2010, he moved to St Paul's Anglican Church, Sydenham where a thriving music program was built. During this period it became a yearly tradition to offer a special Good Friday community choral concert at St Paul's which was often combined with another performance at a different location to make the performance as accessible to as many as possible.
Brad is also Associate Dean of Applied Science and Computing at St Lawrence College where he is responsible for leading an academic team of over 100 faculty members across 15 program areas to prepare students for careers in the modern world. Not content to limit his interactions to just one sphere of life, Brad has also served a term as a municipal councillor in the Township of South Frontenac where he sat on the Corporate Services Committee, Committee of Adjustment, and the Heritage Committee.
In the late 1920's the Woodstock Organ Company provided St. George's Cathedral with a three manual organ on which today's instrument is based.
Dr. George Maybee initiated a massive rebuilding project, completed in 1963. Thirty-two new ranks were installed along with a new console closely resembling that of Westminster Abbey. The British firm of Hill, Norman and Beard was chosen to complete the work.
In the mid 1980's the organ was again rebuilt. A solid-state electronic console replaced the previous electro-pneumatic console.
The most recent renovation was completed in 2012 by Sylvain Brisson and Alain Gagnon, including a new console, and restoration and expansion of all divisions.
In 2023, news came about that St. James Cathedral in Toronto was planning to replace its aged but beautiful J.W. Walker & Sons (1979) organ console. The console was most likely to be scrapped. This provided a wonderful opportunity for the St. George's Cathedral organ to be paired with a console best-suited to its specification. The fourth manual would provide the ability to eliminate difficult to use 'floating' divisions, and allow the player full access to the instrument while playing.
In August 2023, several Cathedral musicians made the trip to Toronto to recieve the console. It has since been restored and electrified, and has been in use ever since. The three-manual console installed during the 2012 restoration has been sold to an Ontario-based organ building firm.
Choral Evensong with Caelis Academy Ensemble
The Cathedral has some of the finest accoustics in the city. Located in the heart of Kingston's downtown, this accessible space may be perfect for your next event! A number of secular groups use the Cathedral as a performance space. As part of the Cathedral's outreach to the Kingston community, we are pleased to make our spaces available for Queen's University music students to rehearse and perform. If you are interested in taking advantage of this, please get in touch with the Cathedral office (office(@)stgeorgescathedral.ca).
