Sunday Morning Worship
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Sunday
January 19, 2025
11:00 AM ET
Preacher: Rev. Mark A. Thompson
Sunday Morning Worship
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Sunday
January 19, 2025
11:00 AM ET
Preacher: Rev. Mark A. Thompson
For over 90 years, the music program has drawn people from around the world to The Riverside Church. From our choirs, to our carillon and four organs, to our renowned musicians, guests are certain to hear music that enlivens and nourishes the soul.
Sakura Park is the best place to enjoy Sunday Afternoon Carillon Recitals.
Read MoreThe members of The Riverside Choir serenade you in their annual Benefit! Nestled in between the ...
Read MoreThis annual series features some of the world’s most outstanding organists performing on Riverside’s famed Aeolian-Skinner ...
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The Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial Carillon was a gift to The Riverside Church by the late John D. Rockefeller, Jr., in memory of his mother. It contains 74 bronze bells ranging in weight from the 20 ton (18 metric) Bourdon (hour bell) to the smallest treble bell of 10 pounds (4.5 kg). The Bourdon is the second largest and heaviest carillon bell ever cast. The total weight of all the bells is over 100 tons (91 metric).
When installed at The Park Avenue Baptist Church in 1925 by Gillett & Johnston Foundry of England, it was already the world’s largest carillon, with 53 bells and a bourdon of ten tons. When it moved here, with the congregation, in 1930, it was enlarged by Gillett & Johnston to become the first carillon to surpass five musical octaves; it is the only carillon to have achieved a bourdon pitch of C, a full octave below the normal range for a carillon. In 1956, the upper range of bells was replaced by the Van Bergen Foundry of the Netherlands.
The Carillon can be heard played every Sunday at 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 3:00 p.m., and on other special occasions.
Riverside Carillonneurs:
Kamiel Lefévere (1930-1960)
James R. Lawson (1960-1989)
Joseph Clair Davis (1990-1998)
Dionisio Lind (1999-2019)
Charles Semowich (2019-2024)
Lynnli Wang (2024-present)
The Riverside Church organ is one of the largest pipe organs in the world. Designed in 1948 by Virgil Fox, then organist of the Riverside Church, it was built by the Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company of Boston, and dedicated in 1955 in concert with the New York Philharmonic conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos. The organ was subsequently redesigned by succeeding organist Fred Swann and enlarged over a 30-year period by Curator of Organs Anthony Bufano, to become the magnificent instrument we know today. It currently comprises 149 stops, 207 ranks, and more than 12,000 pipes spread over ten divisions divided between the Chancel and Gallery. The main Chancel console is five-manuals, with a secondary four-manual console in the Gallery. For more detailed information about the Riverside Church organs please visit the New York City Chapter Organ Project.
Riverside Organists:
Dr. Harold Vincent Milligan (1930-1940)
Frederick Kinsley (1940-1946)
Virgil Fox (1946-1965)
Frederick Swann (1966-1982)
Dr. John C. Walker (1983-1992)
Dr. Timothy Smith (1992-2008)
Christopher Johnson (2009-2021)
Christopher Creaghan (2021-2023)
Friends of Music at Riverside was established in 1984 to ensure the continuation of distinguished musical presentations at The Riverside Church. Contributors are acknowledged on concert programs and are invited to attend artist receptions scheduled throughout the season. Contributions are tax deductible.
You are invited to become a Friend by mailing a contribution to:
Friends of Music, Music Office
The Riverside Church
490 Riverside Drive
New York, NY 10027
Please ensure that your donation is made payable to “The Riverside Church” and indicate “Friends of Music” in the memo line. Your support is greatly appreciated.
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