Music
Music at St. John’s
Hymns, spirituals, gospel, jazz and contemporary worship, led by jazz pianist Sterling Cozza and sung by volunteers and professionals together.
Hear the choir
Sunday, out loud.
Palm Sunday on St Johns Place: palms, music, and the whole church walking in together.
Watch Palm Sunday at St. John’s on Instagram
Our choir
Every week, many traditions
Who we are
The St. John’s Choir is a blend of dedicated volunteers and professional section leaders who come together to make music every week.
When we sing
The full choir sings from September through May. Our summer choir keeps singing from June through August.
What we sing
The great hymns of the church, African American spirituals, gospel, jazz, and contemporary worship songs, with choral classics through the year.
This season
What we’ve been singing
- Nov
8Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning
Traditional spiritual, arranged by André Thomas - Nov
8Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart
Henry Smith · sung by Mariah Lyttle - Nov
1Great Is Your Mercy
Donnie McClurkin · for All Saints’ Sunday - Oct
25Why We Sing
Kirk Franklin - Oct
25Be Thou My Vision
Traditional Irish hymn · Sterling Cozza, piano - Oct
18The Blessing
Elevation Worship
Music Director
Sterling Cozza
Sterling is a jazz pianist, composer and arranger who plays New York’s great rooms, including Dizzy’s Club at Lincoln Center and Smalls Jazz Club. His first album as a leader, Two Steps Forward, One Step Back, came out in September 2026. He trained at the Eastman School of Music (piano performance and music education) and the Manhattan School of Music (master’s in jazz piano), studying with Bill Dobbins, Gary Versace and Ted Rosenthal.
He started out playing piano in church as a kid in Sacramento, and he still believes music is one of the best ways to bring people together. On Sundays you’ll hear all of it: a hymn played like it matters, a spiritual with real swing.
Email SterlingInterested in singing?
Join the choir
If you love to sing, we’d love to hear from you. Some of our volunteers read music and some learn by ear; what matters is that you can carry a tune and want to sing. Come to a Sunday rehearsal at 9:00 AM, or email Sterling first.
Rehearsals