Music is a high priority at St. George's Church. Not only do we have a sanctuary with amazing acoustics, we also have a world-class Casavant organ and the choir to do it justice.
We are a popular venue for concerts like the Kiwanis Festival, University of Guelph Choir, Guelph Youth Singers, and the Guelph Chamber Choir.
MUSIC DIRECTOR AND ORGANIST
Jeff is a native of Waterloo where he studied organ, viola and composition at Wilfrid Laurier University. His music has been commissioned by choirs across North America, Europe and New Zealand and performed and broadcast around the world. He sings professionally with the Elora Singers and the Canadian Chamber Choir. Jeff is the co-head of the music department at Rockway Mennonite Collegiate in Kitchener where he directs the string program and senior choir. He is also organist and choir director at St. George's Anglican Church in Guelph where he directs a very active music program.
The wonderful Anglican choral tradition remains alive at St. George's with a 20+ voice choir. You will hear the choir each Sunday at the 10:30 service and especially at special services including Evensong. This is made possible in part to the choral scholars program, which gives local university and high school students an honorarium for their participation.
1926
Originally installed in 1926 as a part of a major bequest to St. George's from the Cutten family, this instrument with its four manuals includes a substantial antiphonal division at the back of the church that provides important support for congregational singing as well as dramatic and effective variety for organ repertoire.
1970
In the 1970s the organ received additional pipework resulting in a considerable brightening of the tonal resources, and a wall between the chancel and nave was opened to allow the Swell division to speak directly into the nave.
1992
In 1992, further renovations improved the tonal layout and provided solid-state action for the console.
2016
In 2016, the organ underwent a major cleaning and significant renovation: the completion of the solid-state conversion of the console and the addition of some remarkably effective digital stops. It is one of the most noteworthy instruments in South-Western Ontario.
Our Carillon
Our bell tower houses the 36 bells of the carillon,and the carillon, along with a practice carillon. It is played most Sundays and in honour of special events. Guest carilloneurs come from as far away as California to play our carillon, one of the top in the country.
The carillon, originally a gift from the Cutten estate in 1926, is one of only 9 working carillons in Canada, and it is one of the most recently-renovated carillons in North America. Our carillon is attracting considerable attention since the renovation and expansion in 2006 by the Meeks-Watson firm of Ohio. The tower is home to 36 carillon bells, and the tolling bell which alone weighs nearly 4000 lbs.
Several regular carillonneurs provide carillon bell music for regular services, weddings and funerals by request and civic and social occasions by prior arrangement with the church office. Guest carillonneurs have played from as far away as California.
56 stairs above ground level, the carillonneurs play the carillon by striking baton-like keys which are connected to 36 bells in a 3-octave natural bell carillon. Visitors are generally welcome in the tower. Small children are not usually able to manage the stairs, and anyone contemplating a visit should be aware of the physical demands of the staircase.
Also in the Bell Tower is the mechanism for the clock, which strikes every 1/4 hour and plays Westminster Chimes on the hour.