About Us
The Saint Andrew Music Society was founded by Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church in 1965. Now in its 62nd season, an annual series of Sunday afternoon Music on Madison concerts is presented from October through May featuring keyboard, chamber, vocal and choral music.
Our resident 40-voice choral society, The Saint Andrew Chorale, is comprised of members Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church and the wider community with a professional octet of singers at its core performing sacred choral works ranging from the 16th to the 21st centuries with the professional Saint Andrew Orchestra and talented guest instrumentalists.
Well regarded for its favorable acoustics and warm atmosphere, Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church’s sanctuary is a fixture in the presentation of excellent music on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
Leadership
Dr. Andrew Henderson
Director of Music & Organist
Andrew Henderson serves as the Artistic Director of the Saint Andrew Music Society’s Music on Madison series and principal conductor of the Saint Andrew Chorale. Dr. Henderson has served as Director of Music & Organist at Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church since 2005, where he oversees an extensive liturgical music program. He also serves as the organ instructor at Teacher’s College, Columbia University, and as the Executive Director and principal accompanist of the New York City Children’s Chorus.
Dr. Henderson, a native of Thorold, Ontario, holds degrees in music from Cambridge University, where he was Organ Scholar at Clare College, Yale University, and he was awarded the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from The Juilliard School. Recent performance engagements include Voices of Ascension, Musica Sacra, The Oratorio Society of New York, the New York Philharmonic, the American Symphony Orchestra, and solo recitals in England, Poland, Canada, and throughout the USA. For fourteen years he served as Associate Organist at Temple Emanu-El, he taught courses in organ literature at Westminster Choir College, and for ten years served on the organ faculty of the Manhattan School of Music. His performances have been featured on the radio programs Pipedreams and With Heart and Voice, and he has been featured as a recitalist and workshop leader at national and regional gatherings of the Presbyterian Association of Musicians, the Fellowship of United Methodists in Worship and Music Arts, the Royal Canadian College of Organists, and the American Guild of Organists.
Mary Wannamaker Huffis the Associate Director of Music at Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church and the Artistic Director of the New York City Children’s Chorus. She assists in the management of the Music on Madison series and as associate conductor of the Saint Andrew Chorale. Her choirs have appeared on the stages of Carnegie Hall, Broadway, Lincoln Center, and Radio City Music Hall, as well as the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine and Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, and all major TV networks. Fanfare Magazine reviewed, “the musicianship and technical ability of these young singers is impressive...” One of her chorister’s solo performances of Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms was hailed as one of New York Magazine’s “Top Ten Classical Events in NYC.”
Ms. Huff has recorded three albums on MSR Classics, Christmas in New York, Simple Gifts: American and British Arts Songs of the 20th Century, and Angel: Sacred Anthems for Treble Voices. In her role as Associate Director of Music, Ms. Huff conducts and plays the organ in liturgies and concerts with the MAPC liturgical children’s and semi-professional church choirs, the Saint Andrew Chorale and Orchestra, and manages the Music on Madison concert series. She holds degrees from Furman and Yale Universities and continued her post-graduate studies at Westminster Choir College. Ms. Huff has two musical, adult children and a noble beagle, Chili.
Mary W. Huff
Associate Director of Music
The Saint Andrew Music Society History
The Roots of the Chorale
During the tenure of Dr. Seth Bingham, Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church (MAPC) beloved Organist & Choirmaster from 1913 to 1951, an Oratorio Choir was formed to present monthly large-scale choral works during Sunday evening services.
Following the appointment of Dr. George Markey as Organist & Choirmaster in 1961—and inspired by the installation of the church’s new Casavant organ—the music program expanded to include regular organ recitals, guest instrumentalists, and orchestras accompanying major works performed by the Oratorio Choir, which had grown to 70 voices.
The church’s Music Committee soon envisioned something even greater: transforming the Oratorio Choir into a public choral society and moving its performances from evening worship services to Sunday afternoon concerts.
The Saint Andrew Music Society Is Born
In the spring of 1965, the Music Committee spearheaded the creation of a new program: the Saint Andrew Music Society.
The name was chosen “because St. Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland and Presbyterianism. He was the disciple who brought others to Christ. By means of this society we hope to extend the worship of our church through music.”
With its creation, MAPC’s growing music program was transformed into a Sunday afternoon concert series that, in the words of its founders, would “testify to the performance of a rich musical heritage within a richly blessed church.”
An Ambitious First Season
The Society’s inaugural season was remarkably active: four major concerts by the Saint Andrew Chorale, four performances by MAPC’s professional octet—the Saint Andrew Cantata Singers—two young artist chamber music concerts, and six organ recitals.
The new venture quickly found an enthusiastic audience. Some 116 members of the church became the first supporting “members” of the Saint Andrew Music Society.
The Chorale’s first concert, on November 21, 1965, featured Bach’s Magnificat and Seth Bingham’s Concerto for Organ and Brass. MAPC’s Church News reported that the performance drew “the largest audience that any of our musical events have attracted in years,” demonstrating that the music program was ready to “invite city-wide attention to our major works.”
A Growing New York Music Tradition
The Saint Andrew Music Society continued to thrive under Dr. John Weaver, MAPC’s Director of Music & Organist from 1970 to 2005. Following the donation of a new Steinway “B” grand piano in 1972, a regular series of keyboard and chamber music concerts was established.
In 2005, Dr. Andrew Henderson became MAPC’s Director of Music and continued to expand the Society’s varied instrumental and vocal programming through the Music on Madison series.
The series carries forward the vision of the Society’s founders and Dr. Weaver’s desire to provide “a place for groups to perform free of expense, so they can establish themselves as ensembles,” while encouraging talented young artists as they build their concert careers.
Over the years, the series has welcomed outstanding artists including Seymour Lipkin, Michael Parloff, Dame Emma Kirkby, and the Guarneri and Emerson String Quartets.
Nurturing the Next Generation
Recent collaborations with Mannes College, The Juilliard School, and our resident New York City Children’s Chorus continue this tradition by providing opportunities for the remarkable young musicians who make New York City their home.
The Society’s commitment to community also extends to one of its most joyful annual events: the Annual Carol Sing.
A Beloved Holiday Tradition
First held in December 2005, the Annual Carol Sing brings together audience carols, seasonal choral music, and readings in the sanctuary of Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church. It quickly became a beloved Christmas tradition—and an annual sell-out event.
More Than 180 Works—and Counting
Since 1965, the Saint Andrew Chorale and Orchestra have performed more than 180 sacred choral works, spanning music from the 16th through the 21st centuries, as well as instrumental works and compositions for organ and orchestra.
Explore past seasons since 2005, and the Chorale’s complete repertoire since 1965 →
At the time of its founding, the Saint Andrew Chorale was one of numerous choral societies based in New York City churches. Today, it is the only such ensemble to have maintained its roots in its founding church while continuing to be directed and administered as an integral part of MAPC’s music ministry.
A Legacy That Continues
In celebration of the Saint Andrew Music Society’s 50th Season, MAPC established an endowment fund to help sustain the concert series and its work for future generations.
More than six decades after its founding, the Saint Andrew Music Society continues its original mission: enriching the musical life of our congregation while sharing exceptional music with our neighbors and the wider New York City community.
Help Carry the Music Forward
We hope you will join us in sustaining this remarkable musical tradition. Your support helps the Saint Andrew Music Society continue to present exceptional performances, nurture emerging artists, and share great music with our community for generations to come.