Choristers of the Church of the Heavenly Rest

The Choristers are a group of boys and girls from both the Church of the Heavenly Rest and the community who are in Grades 4 through high school.  They meet together weekly for fellowship and singing utilizing  the Royal School of Church Music Voice for Life program.  They regularly sing in Sunday morning worship services and have performed a number of times with Canterbury Choral Society over the years as part of the Carnegie Hall Mahler 8th Symphony concert.  

The Choristers have performed in such venues as the Metropolitan Museum of Art for “A Charlie Brown Christmas”, the Medieval Hall “Tree Lighting” and in a concert of Britten’s “Ceremony of Carols”, and at Canterbury Cathedral as part of their second tour to England. There is open admission to children of the community to the Choir and children beginning at age 4 are admitted to the St. Cecilia Choir which is a training group for the Choristers program.

The choristers are directed by Mollie Nichols. Mollie Nichols is Director of Music at the Church of the Heavenly Rest in New York City, where she presides over a large and varied sacred music program. She received both Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Piano and Organ Performance from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester where she was a student of Russell Saunders. While at Eastman, she was awarded the coveted Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School for outstanding performance skills.  Other awards include Finalist in the Fort Wayne National Organ Playing Competition and First Place Winner of the Hartford AGO Organ Playing Competition.  She served as Head of the Music Department at the Nightingale Bamford School in New York City and has taught at the Episcopal School, Dalton School, and Fordham University.  Ms. Nichols is active as a teacher, piano accompanist, organ recitalist, and conductor. She has conducted groups at many New York venues including Zankel Hall,  Avery Fisher Hall, Carnegie Hall, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Ms. Nichols is recorded on B&V Recordings, “Great Organs of New York”.