Robert Sirota’s new hymn The New Jerusalem was premiered at a service of rededication at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine on November 30. The cathedral celebrated the reopening of the entire length of the cathedral after fire damaged much of the north transept in 2001. A setting of text from the Book of Revelation of St. John the Divine, The New Jerusalem is a hymn for organ, brass, and congregation. The text was adapted by Dr. Sirota’s wife, The Reverend Canon Victoria R. Sirota, Cathedral Pastor and Vicar of the Congregation of St. Saviour at the Cathedral.
The New Jerusalem was performed by Bruce Neswick, director of Cathedral Music; Tim Brumfield, cathedral organist; brass quintet; and the Cathedral Choir of Girls, Boys and Adults. The premiere was the first time that the cathedral’s organ, built in 1911 by Ernest M. Skinner and enlarged and rebuilt in 1954 by G. Donald Harrison of the Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company, was played since the fire in 2001. It was restored by Quimby Pipe Organs, Inc.
February 20, 2009
THE DIAPASON
