Music at Trinity

Owen Spicer is an organist and accompanist based in Montreal, Quebec. An Associate of the Royal Canadian College of Organists, Owen has won numerous awards and scholarships, including the Godfrey Hewitt Scholarship, the Paul Westermeyer Hymn Playing Award and The Donald and Helen Mackey Memorial Award.  In 2024, Owen was awarded First Prize in the Osbourne Organ Competition run by the Summer Institute of Church Music.

Owen has held positions as Assistant Organist at Christ Church Cathedral Ottawa, Organist at Montreal West United Church and Organ Scholar at Christ Church Cathedral Montreal, First St. Andrew's United Church London (On), and St. Martin's in the Fields London (On). 

As a recitalist, he has performed at many venues in Quebec and Ontario, including Redpath Hall Montreal, St. Andrew's Church Ottawa and St James Cathedral Toronto. Owen has appeared alongside numerous instrumental and choral ensembles around Canada, such as the Caelis Ensemble in Ottawa and the Stratford Symphony Orchestra. 

Owen is a graduate of McGill University with a bachelor's in organ performance, where he studied Organ Hans-Ola Ericsson and Jonathan Oldengarm and Choral Conducting with Jean Sébastian Vallée. He is pursuing a Master's degree at McGill University in the studio of Isabelle Demers. Owen is excited to join the Trinity Anglican Ministry team as Director of Music!

Our Choir Programs

Senior Choir

Our Senior Choir is the backbone of our parish’s musical life, providing music for our main worship service each Sunday morning. This dedicated group of singers leads the congregation in hymns, offers choral anthems that enrich our liturgy, and helps set a prayerful and joyful tone for worship.

The choir rehearses on Thursday evenings from 7–9pm and gathers again on Sunday mornings at 10am before the service. The program runs from September through June, with a well-earned summer break.

Membership is open to anyone with a love of music and a desire to serve God and the church community through song. No professional training is required—just a willingness to commit to regular rehearsals and services.

Beyond Sunday mornings, the Senior Choir also participates in special services throughout the church year, such as Advent, Christmas, Holy Week, and Easter, helping to make these celebrations especially meaningful for our parish and visitors alike.

Jubilate Choir (Ages 7-13)

We are delighted to introduce the Jubilate Choir, a new children’s choir for ages 7–13. The name Jubilate means “rejoice,” and this group is all about lifting young voices in joy, praise, and discovery.

The choir meets on Thursdays from 4:00–5:30pm and offers a rich blend of singing, fellowship, and musical training. Rehearsals are lively and engaging, designed to help children grow in confidence as they learn to use their voices, read music, and sing as part of a team.

The Jubilate Choir is proud to integrate the Royal School of Church Music’s Voice for Life program, a world-renowned curriculum that teaches children vocal technique, music theory, liturgical understanding, and the spiritual dimensions of sacred music. Through this program, choristers not only become better singers but also develop a lifelong appreciation for the gift of music in worship.

The Jubilate Choir may sometimes participate in parish worship services, sometimes on their own and sometimes alongside the Senior Choir. They may also participate in special events and feasts throughout the year—helping our whole community experience the energy and inspiration of children’s voices in worship.

No previous musical training is required—just enthusiasm, commitment, and a willingness to learn. The Jubilate Choir provides a nurturing environment where children can grow musically, spiritually, and personally, all while forming lasting friendships. Membership in the Anglican Church of Canada is not a requirement - all are welcome! There is also no cost to join - education has been a part of our parish identity since our founding over 240 years ago, so we’re just happy to see people participate!

Our church also offers the occasional Choir Camp a couple times a year, and is not restricted to Jubilate Choir members.

Choral Mentorship Program

Do you like to sing? Do you need High School Volunteer Hours?

Our Choral Mentorship Program is an option for high school students wanting to help our Jubilate Choir participants! Choral Mentors help our younger choristers stay on track during rehearsals and services by making sure they have the supplies, support, and guidance they need to succeed. Teamwork and organizational skills are really important, as well as being an example of kindness and inclusivity.

“Voice For Life” by the Royal School of Church Music

RSCM Canada is the national Canadian branch of the Royal School of Church Music, which has its headquarters in England. It supports a world-wide network of 8,500 churches, schools and individuals. We are committed to achieving the best use of good music in worship – whatever the resources, whatever the styles. Through education, training, publications, advice and encouragement, we aim to support church music today and to invest in church music for the future.

RSCM-C is run by a national Board of Directors and has chapters in British Columbia, Eastern Ontario, Niagara-Huron, Toronto and Niagara.

Voice for Life

“Voice for Life” is a music education curriculum developed by the Royal School of Church Music. Students work their way through the levels by participating in the choir program, completing worksheets, and successfully passing tests. A medal and ribbon are presented to the students when they first join, and the colour of the ribbon changes with each level. For more information, reach out to our Music Director, Owen Spicer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to be an ‘official’ anglican?

Nope! Every person is welcome to join our choir program, no matter what church or faith you belong to. Of course, the music we sing is traditional Christian sacred music, and we’re committed to making this a comfortable and welcoming experience for everyone who wants to participate. If you have more questions about the content of the music programs, contact our Music Director, Owen Spicer, and if you have questions about Anglicanism and the Anglican Church, contact our priest, Fr. Adam Brown!

What’s the cost?

Absolutely no cost! Trinity Anglican Church has had education at the core of our identity since The Reverend John Strachan founded what would eventually become CCVS over 200 years ago! Our goals are to provide a music education in a world where it’s harder to find one, make it free so everyone can participate, make it easy for people to get involved and build up our community, and pass the torch to the next generation.

Of course, in order to do what we do we rely completely on the generous support of our donors. Any gift you make to the Trinity Anglican Church Music Program helps to support the educational and musical experience of our choristers. If you’re not able to contribute financially, consider spreading the word or helping at one of our fundraisers!

To donate online, follow the link here, or send a cheque to Trinity Anglican Church with “Music Ministry” in the memo.

are there auditions?

People of all skill levels are welcome to join! An interview and ‘audition’ are simply ways to help us know where your skill level is at, what voice type you are, and so on.

music ministry report to vestry (February 2025)

Since January, the choir at Trinity has maintained a strong presence, ably leading Congregational singing during hymns and the sung mass each week, as well as occasional anthems and the singing of psalms, an essential staple of Anglican Liturgy. I am grateful for two new choir members, Godfrey and Lucie, and the dedicated members who have made me feel most welcome as Director of music here at Trinity. I hope to continue to grow the choir in the coming months. On February 2nd, the church hosted a very well-attended concert showcasing our beautiful sanctuary and the incredible talents of local musicians, the Heartstrings ensemble and soprano Charlotte Corwin. The concert attracted around 200 people to Trinity. I hope we continue these fruitful partnerships for more successful events hosted at the church and look for other opportunities such as these to welcome people into Trinity. I thank the many volunteers and performers who made this event possible, specifically Cynthia Holland, Lucie McCartney and Graham Sheppard. Their hard work and talents made this event a success. 

Respectfully Submitted,

Owen Spicer

Father Adam’s reflection on 2024-2025 (from the rector’s report to vestry 2025)

This year has been a very busy and exciting year for our Music Ministry. As Trinity’s Rector, I discerned that this was going to be a significant part of how we move forward as a church. This will by no means be the only thing, but there are tremendous and diverse opportunities that we can explore through this!

In the second half this past year, Cynthia Holland coordinated one of the most significant fundraisers we have had in recent memory, the funds of which went to repairing our organ and funding our Music Ministry! I am very grateful for Cynthia’s leadership and expertise in this project! 

In the Fall, we welcomed three candidates to be our new Music Director, each being a student at McGill University’s Department of Organ and Church Music. Each of the candidates were highly qualified and talented, and on Epiphany we were so happy to welcome our new Music Director, Owen Spicer! In working with him I am impressed not just by his talent and hard work, but in particular by his friendly and approachable charisma, his ambition and insight, and his overall commitment to developing our music program into a full ministry. We have some exciting and ambitious project in the works for this year, but they are not quite ready to be announced, so stay tuned! 

Just a few weeks ago, now, we held our first Candlemas Concert, and it was a huge success! We brought together talented musicians from across the region and saw nearly 200 people in our church! I know that this event is mentioned in some other reports, as well, but I want to add my voice to the chorus in gratitude for all those who helped out, and in particular Cynthia Holland as the Coordinator.