The Choir of Men and Boys

The Choir of Men and Boys, the oldest such choir in the country and the only one not affiliated with a school, has appeared and recorded with the New York Philharmonic and sung for such illustrious conductors as Leonard Bernstein and Seiji Ozawa. Boys from the choir for many years participated in performances of The Play of Daniel and The Play of Herod, two medieval music dramas often performed in New York at Christmastide by Pro Musica. At the request of the State Department, The Play of Daniel toured Europe for ten weeks and was filmed for television. 

The style and sound of the choir began in the great cathedrals and collegiate choirs of England, where the uppermost musical line was written specifically for the timbre of boys’ treble voices. Eight professional adult men sing the alto (countertenor), tenor, and bass parts with the boys. The music they sing is from the English and European choral tradition: Bach, Byrd, Stanford, Willan, Haydn, Rorem, among others. The Church of the Transfiguration now also has a Girls Choir, which sings on special occasions with the Boys Choir and the Camerata.

The choir consists of about 16 boys, ages 8-14, auditioned and selected from the New York metropolitan area, with diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds. The boys rehearse several times each week and not only are paid but also receive incremental scholarships through the Anthony J. Mercede Scholarship Fund, based on their years of participation. The full Choir of Men and Boys sings every Sunday morning at the 11:00 A.M. Mass September through May.