Jonathan Bolena, on his experience in the Choir of Men and Boys, Saint Thomas, NYC
Choir Camp – The Boychoir and Girlchoir Experiences
June 8 – 12, 2026 · $50 per participant
Monday – Friday 9 – 12:30 (2nd – 5th grades)
or 9 – 3 pm (6th – 12th grades)
We are thrilled to expand camp this summer to create new experiences for a broader age range of choristers. During the week, boys* in 2nd grade and up with unchanged voices and girls* 2nd – 12th grades will get a taste of what singing in an all-boys or all-girls choir is like. As a whole, girls and boys learn differently and while girls and boys may sound very similar, the entire ethos in same gender choirs is very different. While our regular choirs at Trinity are mixed gender, we are excited to be able to offer a concentrated same gender experience, filled with all the usual favorite parts of our regular Choir Camp —crafts, games, great music! Camp is open to all children who love to sing AND all our current Junior and Senior Choristers.
Senior Choristers (middle school and up) will also receive individual vocal coaching and small group ensemble singing, and prepare Choral Evensong for the public. The expansion of camp is, in part , to give more young people the opportunity to try out our program and to work on learning the music we will sing during the next Choral Residency in the UK in July 2028.
Girls will be taught by Trinity’s Director of Music, Virginia Bolena, and her amazing team of volunteer choral musicians and teachers. The Boychoir Experience will be taught by Jonathan Bolena, a former chorister and Organ Scholar at Saint Thomas Church, NYC, and Wallace Hornady, the former Assistant Director of the American Boychoir.
The boychoir tradition dates to the Middle Ages when boys were trained to sing in the great abbeys and cathedrals of Europe. All-male choirs have virtually disappeared except in select institutions such as Westminster Abbey, King’s College, Cambridge, and Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue in New York City. Boys only have a few years to tap into their bell-like treble voices before their voice changes; the Boychoir Experience at Trinity Episcopal Church offers boys a window into this ancient tradition and an opportunity to experience singing alongside male peers during this special period in their lives. Clinicians Jonathan Bolena, a former chorister and Organ Scholar at Saint Thomas Church, and Wallace Hornady, the former Assistant Director of the American Boychoir, are excited to present this course and bring the joy of music to your boys.
*We recognize that issues of gender can be complicated. All children are welcome to participate in the group that best aligns with their gender identity.