“Come and join our choir, everyone is welcome, you will love being here because you’ll be singing music that is so beautiful and uplifting and you will leave feeling better and changed. ”
Suggestions For Supporting Black Owned Businesses
And Charitable Organizations
For the 11/3 service offering, we invite you to support the historical designation of the Prewitt Slave Cemetery. On or around 11/3/25, please send the donation to fccla.org/give and choosing the “deacon’s fund/benevolence” in the drop down menu. After 11/7/25, you can donate directly to the Prewitt Slave Cemetery Association, a 501c3.
Love Has No Labels: Support The Black Community
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Join us at our Upcoming Events
The Cathedral’s annual All Saints Day celebration and commemoration features The Cathedral Choir singing African American Spirituals by Judy Rose, Moses Hogan, Stacey Gibbs, Josephine Poelinitz, Damon Dandridge, John Work, and William Dawson. The music will be led by multiple conductors. As a special part of the morning, everyone present is invited to bring a memento of past loved ones to share on the altar. Their energy brings the spirits of our collected ancestors into the space as we share together in their memory. Objects can be collected at the end of the service.
As a unique part of preparing for this event, The Cathedral Choir has been meeting in facilitated groups to explore the history, cultural significance, ancestry, and meaning of the Spirituals. As an ensemble with diverse backgrounds, we understand that if we are to represent this important music whose legacy includes the oppression of fellow Americans, we have personal and collective work to do to prepare ourselves as vessels.
Every February for the past seven years Angelenos have filled The Cathedral to sing, listen to one another, and recharge for the year ahead. These are people whose lives, work, and art feed on justice, equity, and inclusion. So often their work feels isolating. In the “Fulfilling The Dream” concert they find themselves among friends. One of the main goals of the “Fulfilling The Dream” annual concert is to bring justice-minded singers together from around the city to share their voices on music that has inspired movements. This evening of collaborative singing led by different conductors is a way for whole choirs and individual singers to gather with a large ensemble, celebrate, and meet other singers who want to contribute their voices to bringing justice, equity and inclusivity to Los Angeles. The choir rehearses on Saturday, February 8th from 3:00-5:30 before the concert to sing a few well-known songs.
The Cathedral Choir and Laude sing Handel's "Messiah" Part I with orchestra from Musica Angelica and The Great Organs with Christoph Bull. Handel's masterwork resounds as a hallmark of the Christmas season. We celebrate the glorious tradition of this music, while offering The Cathedral's unique approach. The conductors and soloists of Laude, led by Music Director David Harris, will all be featured. The collective creativity of diverse musicians bringing their energy together to present a unified vision sings to the elaborate coalition of people that make up The Cathedral's community. From the celebration of light in the darkness to the calm humility of new birth, this music brings the essence of Christmas into being.
The performance will occur during the Sunday morning service at The Cathedral. A special Christmas organ concert with Christoph Bull at 10:30 will start the morning. "Messiah" will be nestled into a seasonal celebration led by The Cathedral's welcoming, hopeful messages of unity and love
The Golden Thread Concert Series is a monthly event that expands the ritual and ceremonial elements of a musical concert into a spiritual and artistic experience. This curated series includes a wide diversity of musical expression from the plethora of ethnicities and cultures found in Los Angeles and beyond. See monthly concert dates HERE.
Music at First Church
First Congregational Church of Los Angeles has enjoyed a long history of musical excellence. The Great Organs at First Church, with over 18,000 speaking pipes, is one of the largest pipe organs in the world, brought to life each Sunday by Dr. Christoph Bull. While our worship services are steeped in rich church traditions, as our congregation becomes increasingly diverse, so does our music program -- spanning the European sacred canon, jazz, Americana and gospel, world music, and influential secular artists whose message aligns with First Church’s focus on justice, equity, inclusion and love as a core to spirituality. During the pandemic, we have committed to continuing to grow, connect, and bring messages of peace, joy, and justice to our world. If you would like to join the music program, the Cathedral Choir and Commonwealth Community Chorus have rolling membership, and we have special events throughout the year that are open to anyone to join.
Music Leadership
Organist-in-Residence
Dr. Christoph Bull
Christoph has performed around the world, including the U.S., Europe, Asia and Central America, and recorded for numerous albums, TV shows and movies. Equally versed in classical and popular styles, he especially likes to play organ music, rock music and rocking organ music.
Director of Music & Arts
Dr. David Harris
David (drdavidharrismusic.org) specializes in new music, American music, and the intricacies of communication in choral singing and conducting. He is also the co-director of VoiceScienceWorks (voicescienceworks.org), a composer, a frequent performer around LA, and a regular contributor to voice and choral publications.
Assistant Director
Fahad Siadat
Fahad Siadat is a performer-composer who creates interdisciplinary works, folding words, sound, and movement into ritualistic narratives. His work is described as “hypnotic” (Backstage) and having “a sophisticated harmonic vocabulary” (San Diego Story). His music has been performed in Europe, China, and across the United States. www.fahadsiadat.com
Music Librarian
Tiffany Ho
Tiffany Ho (she/her) (www.tiffanyhosoprano.com) sings with the Verdi Chorus (Fox Singer, www.verdichorus.org), L.A. Master Chorale (auxiliary roster), and various opera companies and music organizations throughout L.A.
Young Voices Club
Younger Kids
Joanna Wallfisch (she/her) is described by Downbeat Magazine as “an exquisite singer songwriter”. This London-born jazz vocalist has lived in LA since 2017, by way of five years in New York where she toured with the likes of Wynton Marsalis, and released five albums of original music. She loves adventure, swimming, and recently became a mother.
Assistant Director
Ianthe Marini
Ianthe Onelia Marini (she/her) (Doctor of Musical Arts): Conductor (The American Prize Winner in Conducting 2019), Actor (WorldWide Talent Management), Singer, Dancer, Director of Choral Activities at the University level, Professional Chorus Master for Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the River Center. www.ianthemarini.org
Social Media & Music Coordinator
Molly Pease
Molly Pease (mollypeasemusic.com) is a versatile, experimental and collaborative vocal artist and composer. She sings in a wide array of settings around LA, and creates works for voices, strings and other combinations. Her most recent musical release is a collaboration with her father called “Inner Astronomy” (innerastronomy.com).
Commonwealth Director
Kids and Teens
Brandon Harris (he/him), vocalist/conductor is a local performer that specializes in the Choral, Opera, Gospel, Jazz and RnB genres.
Cathedral Ringers Director
Grace Sheldon-Williams (she/her) directs the Cathedral Ringers. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Occidental College, where she studied with Thomas Somerville, and the Master of Music degree from USC. She has directed school and church handbell choirs since 1986.
Cathedral Choir
For over a century, the First Church Cathedral Choir has led the congregation in regular Sunday worship and special events. Today’s Cathedral Choir includes professional artists from LA’s robust vocal, theater, and film worlds in addition to avocational singers whose professionalism and insight from their unique careers helps to create the essential core of the Cathedral Choir community. Singers looking to hone and share their developed talents sing alongside those who are newly exploring the vocal arts. Each voice shares in the leadership of the ensemble, coalescing their perspective and life wisdom into a cohesive whole. The Cathedral Choir is a welcoming group, and celebrates the diversity of race, creed, and identity that make up the ever-growing ensemble. Dr. Harris, Music Director, also the co-founder of VoiceScienceWorks (voicescienceworks.org), guides members through explorations of their voices and the music using contemporary research that helps all singers excel individually and as a part of the whole. There are few experiences as uplifting as singing with The Great Organs, and collaborating vocally with Dr. Bull, whose creativity and sensitivity feed the choir every week.
“I am so grateful to have the outlet of singing in a supportive, uplifting atmosphere.”
On any given Sunday, music from the classical choral canon of Bach, Pergolesi, Beach, Brahms, Bernstein, Dawson, and others can be heard intermingled with music from around the world, popular music, and contemporary compositions. The Cathedral Choir, home to several composers, premieres dozens of new works each year. The group actively seeks to promote less-represented demographics whose spiritual message adds richness to the diverseness of worshippers at First Church. Participating in the musical leadership at First Church brings joy, passion, fulfillment, excitement, community, skill development, and fun to each member’s life.
How to join a First Church ensemble
The Cathedral Choir meets on Thursday evenings from 7:00-9:00 and on Sunday mornings at 9:00 for the 11:00 service. Membership is open to all who are interested. There is no formal audition, and potential new members are encouraged to sing in a rehearsal to see if the ensemble is the right fit for you. Past musical experience is a plus and fits in well with the professional-level of the group. Those curious to begin exploring their voices, please email Music Coordinator Molly Pease (mpease@fccla.org) and Dr. Harris (dharris@fccla.org) to get a better scope of the process.
Laude is an auditioned, professional ensemble filled by the discretion of the Music and Arts Director. Those wishing to know more about the opportunity to join Laude can email Dr. Harris at dharris@fccla.org.
The Commonwealth Community Chorus is for those grades 5-12, and currently meets on Sunday afternoons from 12:30-2:00. Those interested in joining who are grades 4-12 should have their parent contact Dr. Harris at dharris@fccla.org to set up a voice interview.
Laude
Members of Laude singing Saunder Choi's "O Love, Light, Joy!" 9/29/24 (click to listen)
The members of Laude represent some of the brightest vocal and choral stars in Los Angeles. Ensemble and business leaders, composers, soloists, film and stage actors, and instrumentalists make up this robust chamber group, lending it noted flexibility and strength. Laude members sing with the Cathedral Choir as section leaders in addition to meeting on their own to present more intimate musical experiences. Each member also frequently presents solo features from the breadth of their professional acumen.
Kids and Teens Music
Music Sundays are a once-a-month program of First Kids First where everyone is invited to sing, dance, and connect through music. Younger voices are led by Joanna Wallfisch in more play-based music experiences called The Young Voices Club. Teens and older kids are led by Brandon Harris in a more focused rehearsal process, and prepare for regular performances throughout the year. We call this endeavor The Commonwealth, a name that refers to the communal act of creating music together. Everyone participates in the Christmas Eve pageant through a staged, music-filled play.
The Great Organs of First Church
The Great Organs of First Church is an instrument appreciated by organ aficionados around the world for its complexity, grandeur, and remarkable sound. Comprised of several organs joined together, it is among the largest church pipe organs in the world, with 18,094 speaking pipes, 328 ranks, 15 divisions, and a total of 278 speaking stops. For more detailed info about The Great Organs, click HERE.
Our Music Partners
First Church is also proud to be home-base for nationally recognized choruses; Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles, Vox Femina of Los Angeles, Southeast Symphony and Top Shelf, and LA Choral Lab. These organizations utilize our space for rehearsals, and perform at least one concert per year in our venue. Members of these groups also participate in our Sunday morning worship from time to time.
