New Head Appointed for St Thomas Choir School NY

Christopher Seeley has been appointed the 14th Head of St Thomas Choir School in New York from Summer 2021. He succeeds The Rev Charles Wallace, a regular CSA Conference attendee, who has returned to work in a parish. Christopher has been Assistant Head and Director of Academics at Church Farm School in Pennsylvania since 2013.

The School was founded in 1919 in the heart of New York City. Like Westminster Abbey Choir School, all its pupils are choristers and boarders. Mr Seeley is a well-known figure in the US independent school world and is a member of the Executive Committee of The Association of Boarding Schools.

“I am thrilled to be joining the Saint Thomas community and for the opportunity to lead the remarkable Choir School,” he writes. “My unwavering belief in the transformational experience that a boarding school offers, coupled with my confidence in the benefits of living, learning, and growing in the Episcopal tradition, makes this an exciting new chapter for me and for my family.

The Choir School is widely known for its distinctive music and academic programs, and I am eager to build upon that historical strength, and to work in these early days of our next hundred years with members of the community as we envisage a bold future for the school.”

All of our students sing as treble choristers in the renowned Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys. We combine one of the most varied and demanding musical programs in the world with a robust academic curriculum, interscholastic sports, and fine arts education all within a familial community just steps from Central Park, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and The Museum of Modern Art.

Tuition is affordable, and admission is need-blind. We are pleased to be able to meet 100% of our students’ financial need. Any boy who likes music is encouraged to apply.

Students arrive on Thursday after lunch and are immersed in the Choir School’s schedule through Saturday morning. During this time, they join rehearsals, participate in sports, sleep in the dormitories, attend classes with their peers, and take academic testing. On Saturday morning the visiting boys go to the choir rehearsal and then sing a final vocal audition for the Director of Music.  They may also play an instrumental song if they are studying an instrument as well.