In what has become a rite of summer, artists from New York City’s renowned Trinity Wall Street choir will perform a cappella choral works on Tuesday, June 28, at 7:00 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church in the heart of New Orleans at 1329 Jackson Avenue. The concert, a benefit for All Souls Episcopal Mission in the Lower Ninth Ward, will be directed by conductor/composer Julian Wachner, Trinity Wall Street’s Director of Music and the Arts. Admission is free; donations are suggested.

Hailed as “superb” by the New York Times, the Trinity Choir is performing in New Orleans for the third summer in a row. This year’s concert will feature selections from their season in New York, which included Handel’s Messiah and Israel in Egypt; a program of English Sarum Rite composers including Byrd, Tallis, Tomkins, and White; Bach’s St. Matthew Passion; a program of new works by MIT professor Elena Ruehr; and performances of Bach cantatas alongside works of Heinrich Schutz.

In addition to performing, since 2009 Trinity Choir members have run a summer children’s choir camp at All Souls Episcopal Mission. Choir members Molly Quinn and Nacole Palmer conceived the idea, inspired while on a Trinity Wall Street mission and service trip after Hurricane Katrina to rebuild houses in the Lower Ninth Ward. Beginning with 11 students that first summer, the camp has grown to almost 50 children. At the conclusion of their one-week choir camp experience, the children of All Souls will present their own concert on Friday, July 1, at 6:00 p.m. at All Souls Episcopal Mission, 5500 St. Claude Avenue. All Souls was formed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to provide food, water, medical assistance and spiritual counseling to residents of the Lower Ninth Ward. The church is deeply committed to youth education. Its classical music program started with an initial grant of $9,000 from Trinity Wall Street, followed by a $5,000 grant from St. James Episcopal Church in Baton Rouge to purchase instruments.

The Trinity Choir is the premier ensemble of the music and arts program at Trinity Wall Street. The choir leads the liturgical music during Sunday services, performs in concerts throughout the year, and has made world-class recordings for the esteemed NAXOS label. It is a beloved church choir, singing favorite Anglican hymns and historic sacred music, and one of New York City’s most acclaimed professional vocal ensembles. Julian Wachner is the Director of Music and the Arts at Trinity Wall Street, and the principal conductor of the Trinity Choir since 2010.

This article originally published in the June 20, 2011 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.