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Lexington Choir Has Special Connection to England
June 13, 2025 at 6:20 AM EDT
A constant sound of cicadas fills the air in a forest surrounding a retreat center and camp on top of a hill in Lee County. The chatter of children can also be heard on a windy trail.
Choristers, as they’re known, are excited about the start of their first week of summer camp at Cathedral Domain. It’s 800 acres owned by the Episcopal Diocese of Lexington.
Sixteen members of the boys’ and girls’ choir of Christ Church Cathedral in Lexington are spending the next four days doing typical camp things like hiking, swimming, and rock climbing. But this group, mostly ages eight to eighteen, is also rehearsing the music they’ll sing at churches and public concerts.
Kathleen Balling is the music assistant at Christ Church Cathedral and is at camp with the children. “With this camp, they love coming up here. They love the mountain. And so, it's a chance we look through music that's coming up for the next year. Kind of give them a little taste of it, but also let them be kids, you know, and be together as a community in a fun way, going hiking, going swimming. Basically, having a giant sleepover and just enjoying each other's company. Because they do work really hard throughout the year.”
At Christ Church Cathedral choir is a big commitment of time. The boys and girls practice and sing at church six to ten hours a week. Their music director, Erich Balling, Kathleen’s husband, says the church choir is one of only four in the United States that follows the Royal School of Church Music.
“So, I would say the first thing is how we utilize children's voices, boys and girls. And what I mean by that is, in most church choirs, soprano women will cover the top part or parts. In our choir, it is children covering that soprano line, boys and girls, and then we have a dedicated team of altos, tenors, and basses that sing with them during the academic year. So, for these kids, it's essentially a nine-to-10-month proposition. They rehearse together twice a week.”
Erich says the children learn to sing from their heads, which is different from other children’s choirs. “We train them to sing more from their head voice than from their chest, and so that produces a lot of overtones and also a great deal of volume in the higher range, mid to higher range. What we're after there is a clarity of sound, and as I say, a lot of overtones, because when you have that, it's almost like a spinning effect in their tone.”
Kathleen describes the choristers as semi-professionals who are paid by the church. “If you're a new person, you get like 50 cents a time you would come to a rehearsal. For the high school students, it is more like a part-time job. They might get $100 in a month, or something like that. It just depends on how many calls we have, because they are dedicated to being here, and it is a lot. We want to honor their work.”
Chorister Stephen Mann is 13 years old. “I knew it was going to be hard, but personally, I think it's a really fun experience. It's a great learning experience, because you have to be prepared, and there are challenges to it, yes, but if you're committed to it and you're ready for it, it's really an amazing experience.”
17-year-old Abby Baston appreciates the religious education that comes from the choir work. “What I enjoy most about the music is that it connects me to my faith more, because, since it's sacred music, and we're singing a lot about God, it teaches me about the Bible and also helps connect me to my own faith.”
Of course, the children are not the only ones devoting time to the choir. Parents like Eric Sutherland say he’s seen a lot of growth in his son Stephen Mann. “He's been in the choir for years, and it has been life-changing for our family in many ways. Spiritually, we've kind of found a home that we feel very comfortable in to explore our spiritual needs, and he's getting a world-class choral education that also is bolstering his faith at the same time. He's kind of getting a deeper dive through the songs, kind of learning what the Scriptures mean on a deeper level than he probably would if he was just sitting in the pews.”
One of the big rewards from being a chorister is a two-week trip to England every three years. Erich says, “Our choirs have sung at Canterbury, St Paul's, York Minster, all the major cathedrals in England.” The link to the Royal School of Church Music is an important component of Christ Church Cathedral in Lexington. Erich explains, “Our cathedral supports this 100%, and it also has been in existence for so many decades. It's really a part of our DNA. It's part of how we function in our liturgical light, the way we worship, the music we sing, and we've been very lucky for that.”
To hear the boys’ and girls’ choir from Christ Church Cathedral sing, see the video below.
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace - Malcolm Boyle.mp4
**Public Media funding is under threat. You can help! Join WEKU's 1850 campaign for the future! 1,850 new supporters, each giving $10 monthly to keep WEKU strong. Donate today!
Choristers, as they’re known, are excited about the start of their first week of summer camp at Cathedral Domain. It’s 800 acres owned by the Episcopal Diocese of Lexington.
Sixteen members of the boys’ and girls’ choir of Christ Church Cathedral in Lexington are spending the next four days doing typical camp things like hiking, swimming, and rock climbing. But this group, mostly ages eight to eighteen, is also rehearsing the music they’ll sing at churches and public concerts.
Kathleen Balling is the music assistant at Christ Church Cathedral and is at camp with the children. “With this camp, they love coming up here. They love the mountain. And so, it's a chance we look through music that's coming up for the next year. Kind of give them a little taste of it, but also let them be kids, you know, and be together as a community in a fun way, going hiking, going swimming. Basically, having a giant sleepover and just enjoying each other's company. Because they do work really hard throughout the year.”
At Christ Church Cathedral choir is a big commitment of time. The boys and girls practice and sing at church six to ten hours a week. Their music director, Erich Balling, Kathleen’s husband, says the church choir is one of only four in the United States that follows the Royal School of Church Music.
“So, I would say the first thing is how we utilize children's voices, boys and girls. And what I mean by that is, in most church choirs, soprano women will cover the top part or parts. In our choir, it is children covering that soprano line, boys and girls, and then we have a dedicated team of altos, tenors, and basses that sing with them during the academic year. So, for these kids, it's essentially a nine-to-10-month proposition. They rehearse together twice a week.”
Erich says the children learn to sing from their heads, which is different from other children’s choirs. “We train them to sing more from their head voice than from their chest, and so that produces a lot of overtones and also a great deal of volume in the higher range, mid to higher range. What we're after there is a clarity of sound, and as I say, a lot of overtones, because when you have that, it's almost like a spinning effect in their tone.”
Kathleen describes the choristers as semi-professionals who are paid by the church. “If you're a new person, you get like 50 cents a time you would come to a rehearsal. For the high school students, it is more like a part-time job. They might get $100 in a month, or something like that. It just depends on how many calls we have, because they are dedicated to being here, and it is a lot. We want to honor their work.”
Chorister Stephen Mann is 13 years old. “I knew it was going to be hard, but personally, I think it's a really fun experience. It's a great learning experience, because you have to be prepared, and there are challenges to it, yes, but if you're committed to it and you're ready for it, it's really an amazing experience.”
17-year-old Abby Baston appreciates the religious education that comes from the choir work. “What I enjoy most about the music is that it connects me to my faith more, because, since it's sacred music, and we're singing a lot about God, it teaches me about the Bible and also helps connect me to my own faith.”
Of course, the children are not the only ones devoting time to the choir. Parents like Eric Sutherland say he’s seen a lot of growth in his son Stephen Mann. “He's been in the choir for years, and it has been life-changing for our family in many ways. Spiritually, we've kind of found a home that we feel very comfortable in to explore our spiritual needs, and he's getting a world-class choral education that also is bolstering his faith at the same time. He's kind of getting a deeper dive through the songs, kind of learning what the Scriptures mean on a deeper level than he probably would if he was just sitting in the pews.”
One of the big rewards from being a chorister is a two-week trip to England every three years. Erich says, “Our choirs have sung at Canterbury, St Paul's, York Minster, all the major cathedrals in England.” The link to the Royal School of Church Music is an important component of Christ Church Cathedral in Lexington. Erich explains, “Our cathedral supports this 100%, and it also has been in existence for so many decades. It's really a part of our DNA. It's part of how we function in our liturgical light, the way we worship, the music we sing, and we've been very lucky for that.”
To hear the boys’ and girls’ choir from Christ Church Cathedral sing, see the video below.
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace - Malcolm Boyle.mp4
**Public Media funding is under threat. You can help! Join WEKU's 1850 campaign for the future! 1,850 new supporters, each giving $10 monthly to keep WEKU strong. Donate today!