Our History

The All Saints Choir of Men and Boys have been instruments of God for 113 years. The Choir grew from the dream of Rev. John Yates Downman, rector of the parish from 1888 to 1930. When the church was planning to move to its long-time location on Franklin Street, he made sure the design included space for such a choir, and Mr. W.O. Wilkinson, a former member of Lincoln Cathedral in England, trained the first forty boys, starting in 1899, before the actual move in1901.

The Choir has had the great good fortune to have had four choirmasters of long service: Ernest H. Cosby (1901-1935), Charles W. Craig, Jr. (1935-1952), Charles P. Cooke, Jr. (1952-1989), and Andrew C. Koebler, Jr. (1989-present). The cornerstones of the program from the inception under Mr. Cosby were reverence, discipline, and music, and succeeding choirmasters have maintained that triple focus.

The Choir have performed locally, nationally, and internationally, in addition to their leading of worship at All Saints. Local performance venues over the years have included Maymont, the Byrd Theater, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, as well as numerous churches of various denominations. The Choir has travelled as far afield as Columbia, South Carolina, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and Haddonfield, New Jersey; they have also sung in the National Cathedral in Washington DC. The first overseas trip was made in 1991 to England, and the Choir has made five singing trips there since, the most recent in November, 2010.

The repertoire of the Choir is wide and varied, with the music of the English Church a central feature. Music includes works by English composers from Thomas Tallis and William Byrd, through Henry Purcell and Maurice Greene, to modern masters like Herbert Howells and Ralph Vaughan Williams. Music from other religious traditions range from medieval chant to contemporary spirituals.

A beloved tradition the Choir maintains is the beautiful service of Nine Lessons and Carols, usually performed the Sunday evening before Christmas. This service has often been broadcast on Richmond’s public radio station, WCVE, and has proved a holiday favorite in the area. The Choir generally sings two evensongs and a spring concert each year.

All Saints Church has supported and fostered the traditional music of our faith by hosting a number of excellent English and American choirs, including those of Winchester, Wells, Norwich, and Durham Cathedrals from England, and of St. Thomas in New York.

(Jerry Hedges, Tenor Section)