The St. Agnes Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys was founded in 1960 at the request of the 1st Bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, the late Most Reverend Walter Kellenberg. Entrance into the choir is by audition/interview only. The Choir has a training group of probationers and advanced singers (sopranos and altos) who rehearse twice a week. The tenor and bass singers are made up of voluntary trained choral singers from the Parish and experienced high school boys from the soprano and alto sections (changed voices) who rehearse 2 time a week. The Choir regularly sings for the 11:00 AM Sunday Mass in the Cathedral, as well as special services, concerts, and other events.
The Choir has performed at the Kennedy Center under the direction of the late Leonard Bernstein, the White House, the National Shrine in Washington D.C. and cathedrals in six states and four European countries, including the Cathedral in Cologne, Germany. During a 1988 tour of Italy, the choir was featured at an international congress of church musicians and was honored with a Papal audience. Other recent choir trips include Roanoke and Williamsburg Virginia and Boston, Massachusetts.
The Choir, under the direction of Michael Bower, has sung at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center, The White House, St. Thomas Church on Fifth Avenue, The New York State Capital in Albany, Shea/Citifield Stadium for the New York Mets, Yankee Stadium for the New York Yankees, and CNN’s Larry King Live Show.