We love music here at Trinity—listening, singing, being inspired.

Our church building was designed with sound in mind — and the acoustics lend themselves to good music. Our music ministry includes:

• Adult Choir leads our worship life on Sunday mornings in hymns, liturgy and special anthems.

  • Both professional section leaders and others, the choir inspires us to sing.

  • Rehearsals are on Tuesday evenings at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday mornings at 9:45 a.m. just before the 10:30 a.m. worship service.

  Speak to William Easterling, our director of music, for more information.

• Special musicians in worship: We are always encouraging Trinity Family members and guests to provide music or accompaniment to our music life.

  • Harpists, tympanists, trumpeters, guitarists, vocalists and others are encouraged to help us “make a joyful noise to the Lord.”

  Speak to William Easterling, our director of music, to participate.

• Adult Handbell Choir provides a musical selection at least once a month usually during the sharing of Holy Communion. Additionally handbell choir ringers provide special music, such as peals, at the beginning of worship on occasion.

  • Rehearsals are on Sunday afternoons @ 12:45 p.m.

  • Handbells are bells with clappers that can move in one direction only, thus giving ringers better control. They were invented in the early 1700’s in England to be used by tower ringers (ringing huge church steeple bells) to rehearse ringing patterns without disturbing the neighbors. Handbells were first brought to the United States in the 1830’s by the Peake Family Ringers and in 1840 by P.T. Barnum. In 1923 the first handbell choir was formed in the USA.

  Speak with Richard Walker, our handbell director, for more information.

• Sunday School Choir is held once a month.

  • In place of the Children’s Sermon, the kids present a song they have learned in their class.

• Children’s Handbell choir:

  • Some elementary age children are members of this group that provides a beautiful musical selection during worship once a month.

  • Rehearsals are on Sundays @ 12:15 p.m. in the Balcony.

  Speak with handbell director Richard Walker for more information

• Concerts are held periodically in our beautiful worship space (sanctuary) by various artists and groups including pianists, organists, the International Musical Saw Festival, and vocalists.

  Speak to William Easterling, our director of music, for more information.

• The Astoria Choir is an all-volunteer adult musical group that calls Trinity Lutheran Church home. They both rehearse and perform here.

  • Auditions are held twice a year to be a part of the group.

  • The choir performs works of world class choral music, including master works of both sacred and secular, sometimes acapella or with orchestra, piano or organ.

  • Rehearsals are on Monday evenings at 7:00 p.m. in fall, winter and spring. 

  Go to www.astoriachoir.org for more information.

• Our Piano is a Steinway Piano that dates back to the 1920s.

  • used for services, anthems, concerts, recitals.

• E.M. Skinner Pipe Organ, 1927 Opus 614:

  • 5 Divisions, 3 Manuals and Pedal
    29 stops, 26 ranks, 1616 pipes
    (20 chimes moved to new independent rack)

  • The Skinner Organ at Trinity was completed in 1927 and numbered Opus 614. It has five divisions or separate organs, 29 stops and 26 different sets or ranks of pipes. The over 1600 pipes, made of clear pine, zinc, tin and lead are played from the three-manual and pedal console in the west transept, which is connected to the pipe chambers with Skinner’s flawless electro-pneumatic key action. Though Mr. Skinner’s earliest influences (1905) were completely American, European developments, especially by the British firm of Willis, were to be incorporated into his later mature instruments.

  • A reed voicer from the Willis firm named Donald Harrison was already in Skinner’s Boston factory at the time Opus 614 was built. Harrison soon became Mr. Skinner’s new president and tonal director. Opus 614’s original Great Gamba, Swell III Mixture, and Choir Chimney Flute are early Harrison influences, possibly the earliest!

  • In 1967 M.P. Moeller rebuilt the electro-pneumatic key action and recast minor changes to the stop list. Not all of the instrument was rebuilt in 1967. A complete restoration of sections of the instrument began in the early 1980’s. This historic organ is irreplaceable — an organ of comparable size and quality would cost over $700,000. We endeavor to preserve Trinity’s and Long Island City’s musical legacy of almost 80 years, knowing it will continue to the glory of God for generations to follow.

  • CHOIR DIVISON (enclosed, 5 ranks, 4 stops, 280 pipes)

    8′ Dulciana (removed)
    8′ Gamba (previously on Great)     61 pipes
    8′ Chimney Flute (1-18 wood)     73 pipes
    4′ Flute (25-73 harmonic)     73 pipes
    8′ Clarinet     73 pipes
    tremolo

    Couplers:

    Choir to Choir 16′, 4′
    Choir to Great 16′, 8′
    Choir to Pedal 8′
    5 division pistons (buttons below keyboard)

    ECHO DIVISION (gallery, enclosed, played from Great keyboard, expression pedal shared with Choir, 3 ranks, 3 stops, 171 pipes)

    8′ Flute Celeste     49 pipes
    8′ Flute Angelica     61 pipes
    8′ Vox Humana     61 pipes
    (original gone, new to organ and gift of Randolph Gilberti)
    tremolo

    GREAT DIVISION (6 ranks, 6 stops, 366 pipes)

    16′ Bourdon (man. scale)     61 pipes
    8′ Clarabella (1-12 stopped)     61 pipes
    8′ Diapason     61 pipes
    (1-12 original, 13-61 new to organ and gift of Randolph Gilberti)
    4′ Octave     61 pipes
    2′ Superoctave (Moeller, ’67)     61 pipes
    8′ Tuba     61 pipes

    Couplers:

    Great to Great 4′ (includes Echo)
    Great to Pedal 8′ (includes Echo, reversible pedal spoon)
    5 division pistons (includes Echo, buttons below keyboard)

    SWELL DIVISION (enclosed, 11 ranks, 9 stops, 755 pipes)

    16′ Bourdon     73 pipes
    8′ Salicional     73 pipes
    8′ Voix Celeste     73 pipes
    8′ Gedeckt     73 pipes
    8′ Diapason     73 pipes
    4′ Flute     73 pipes
    III Mixture     183 pipes
    8′ Cornopean     73 pipes
    8′ Corno d’Amore     73 pipes
    tremolo

    Couplers:

    Swell to Swell 16′, 4′
    Swell to Choir 8′
    Swell to Great 16′, 8′, 4′
    Swell to Pedal 8′, 4′
    5 division pistons (buttons below keyboard)

    PEDAL DIVISION (1 rank, 7 stops, 44 pipes)

    16′ Bourdon (Great)
    8′ Gedeckt (Great)
    16′ Major Diapason & 8′ Octave 44 pipes
    16′ Echo Bourdon (Swell)
    8′ Still Gedeckt (Swell)
    5 division pistons (pedal toe studs)

    Crescendo Pedal
    Sforzando (reversible pedal spoon)
    Combination action:
    Pedal to Great on all keyboard pistons, ON/OFF
    Echo/Great Keyboard ON/OFF