Music Ministry

Hallelujah! Praise God in His Holy temple; praise Him in the firmament of His power.
Praise Him for His mighty acts; praise Him for His excellent greatness. Praise Him with
the blast of the ram's horn; praise him with lyre and harp. Praise him with timbre and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe. Praise Him with resounding cymbals; praise Him with
loud clanging cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Hallelujah.

(Psalm 150)

St. Mark's has historically been a parish in which music has been a valued part of worship life. Ever since the church was founded in 1860 (as an offshoot of First English Lutheran Church) the parish had a distinguished quartet of soloists and the use of prominent organists. Notable organist/choirmasters have included: Miss Hay Morrison (Organist from 1873-1896); Mr. Robert Jones (Organist from 1896-1922); Mr. Johann Eltermann (organist from 1922-1930 and supervisor of the installation of the present Dunbar Memorial Organ); Miss Margaret Paige Ingle (Organist from 1930-1946 and Foundress of the Baltimore Chapter of the American Guild of Organists); and Mr. Clarence Hall (Organist from 1947-1960). Of the many great singers that have graced the St. Mark's Choir over the years certainly the most famous is the great James Morris, star of the Metropolitan Opera, who is considered the greatest Wagnerian Basso of our time. The current Organist/Choirmaster of St. Mark’s Church is Mr. James Harp, who began his tenure on January 4, 1987. Mr. Harp, who is also the Organist for the Baltimore Symphony and the Artistic Administrator/Chorus Master of the Baltimore Opera Company, has done much to establish and maintain a high and lively level of music-making at St. Mark’s, particularly within the highly liturgical framework for which St. Mark’s church is rightly known.

In addition to providing the highest caliber of choral and instrumental music for Sunday Morning Masses, St. Mark’s also sponsors the St. Cecilia Series, a monthly concert series. Concerts take place on the third Sunday of the month from November through May, and feature fine musicians not only from our local region, but internationally recognized artists as well.

The Organ in the Church

The Organ in the All Saint's Chapel

The Schola Cantorum

The Saint Cecilia Society Concert Series