Music Ministry

For over 150 years, beautiful sacred music movingly presented by organ and choir has been central to worship at First and Franklin. During each service of worship, the Sanctuary Choir leads congregational hymn singing and offers two musical anthems drawn from its vast repertoire spanning 500 years of Christian tradition. Reflective of First and Franklin’s culturally diverse community, its voices embrace the musical traditions of Western Europe, America, South Africa, Latin America and others.

Under past directors James Winship Lewis, William French and James Valliant, the merged church continued the tradition begun earlier at The First Presbyterian Church of performing oratorios and other large choral works.  The congregation is blessed by its proximity to the Peabody Conservatory of Music and the Baltimore School for the Arts, for singers and instrumentalists teaching and studying at these schools have long enriched the church’s musical life.  Dr. Jason Kissel, a recent graduate of Peabody, is today the church’s gifted Director of Music and Organist. Under Dr. Kissel’s leadership, First and Franklin’s music ministry has grown to encompass a children’s musical training component and the Music Under the Spire series.