Saint Paul's Choir School
Let my voice be filled with God's praise.
About SPCS
Since 1963, Saint Paul’s Choir School has formed and educated boys in the rich musical tradition of the Roman Catholic Church. Embracing the great cathedral school heritage, we unite a rigorous academic and musical curriculum with deep Catholic faith and moral formation—preparing each student to grow, lead, and flourish in a dynamic and changing world.
We invite you to explore our website as you consider the opportunity to offer your son a transformative education— one that helps him discover and nurture his God-given gifts through the rewarding experience of Choir School life.
Leadership
Father William T. Kelly
S.T.D., Pastor
Patrick Moran
BA, MAT
Head of School
Brandon Straub
Director of Music
school administration
Dianne Flaherty
Administrative Associate,
Parent Liason
John Izzo
Saint Paul's Catholic Community Campaign Director
Nara Lee
Associate
Director of Music
Vicki Frusciante
BA, MAT
Director of Admissions
Academic Faculty
Jack Walker​
Latin
Mike Malone
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Math
Amalia Brown
BA, Writing
MAT Elementary Education
Joseph Nemec
BA Liberal Arts
School Counselor,
Physical Education
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Catherine Barilleaux
BA
English Language Arts​​
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Samantha McNeill
Life and Earth Science​
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Emily Carney
Humanities
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Dritan Arantasi
Physics and Chemistry​
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Grace Healey
Grade 3 & 4​
Music Faculty
Sarah Bellott
Voice
Wee Kiat Chia
Voice
Elizabeth Basconi, MM
Piano, Music Theory
Winnie Ip
Piano
Yerim Kang
Piano
Hire the Choir!
The Choir of Saint Paul’s is available to elevate your wedding, funeral, corporate Christmas party, or fundraising concert with the beauty and excellence of sacred music. As one of the few specialist choirs of boys and men outside New York, the Choir offers a truly unique and memorable musical experience for your liturgy or event.
Our Director of Music, Brandon Straub, will personally guide you through the many available musical selections to best suit your occasion. You may request:
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The Boys’ Choir (with Director and Organist), or
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The Full Choir of Boys and Men (with Director and Organist)
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Please note that bookings are subject to availability and are generally limited to times outside of the academic year, under exceptional circumstances. Pricing available upon request.​
To inquire or book the Choir, please contact:
Brandon Straub, Director of Music
📧 bstraub@saintpaulschoirschool.us
📞 617-868-8658​
About the school
Saint Paul’s Choir School (SPCS) is a private Catholic school for boys in Grades 3 through 8, located in the heart of Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1963 by Dr. Theodore Marier, Saint Paul’s Choir School is part of Saint Paul’s Parish, led by Father William Kelly—an alumnus of SPCS. It remains the only all-boys Catholic choir school in the United States.​
Saint Paul’s Choir School is dedicated to providing rigorous academic training alongside an extensive and unique education in music and liturgy. We welcome musically talented and academically qualified boys, ages 9–14, for full-time study in grades 3 through 8.
Students commute from across the Greater Boston area, joining a close-knit community where faith, scholarship, and music come together to form young men of character and purpose.
Our graduates are in high demand.
Saint Paul’s Choir School students are known for their discipline, academic excellence, and character—qualities that make them highly sought after by the area’s top secondary schools.
SPCS graduates have gone on to attend prestigious institutions such as: Roxbury Latin School, St. Sebastian’s, Boston College High School, Xaverian Brothers High School, Catholic Memorial, and Belmont Hill.
Recent alumni have also been accepted to: Beaver Country Day, Boston University Academy, Middlesex, Deerfield Academy, Noble and Greenough, Boston Latin School, Milton Academy, Arlington Catholic, and Phillips Academy Andover.
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Excellence Recognized
Nearly each year, several Saint Paul’s Choir School eighth graders are honored as “Scholars of the School” at Boston College High School—a distinction awarded to students who score in the top 5% of all entrance exam candidates.
In addition, our students have been recipients of the prestigious Ignatian Scholarship—a four-year, full-tuition award—demonstrating both the strength of our academic program and the caliber of our graduates.
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Music Program
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At the Heart of Saint Paul’s: The Choir of Boys and Men
The renowned Choir of Boys and Men is the beating heart of Saint Paul’s Choir School. By singing daily liturgical music, our students gain fluency in reading music and develop the skills to sing with both precision and confidence. Along the way, they explore the rich history and context of the music they perform—ranging from timeless Gregorian chant, a cornerstone of the sung Mass, to contemporary works commissioned specifically for our choir. Through this deep engagement, the boys grow as musicians, scholars, and stewards of a sacred tradition.
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Excellence in Music Education
A rigorous and comprehensive music theory curriculum is delivered using the internationally acclaimed ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music) materials. Each student receives individual piano or organ instruction, also following the ABRSM syllabus, which reinforces and connects all elements of the music program. As the boys progress and their voices mature, they transition into a specialized Choral Studies course, which includes training in conducting, composition, and choir leadership. Organ study is also available to qualified students demonstrating both interest and aptitude.
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Academic Program
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Academics and Music: A Unique Integration
Uniquely integrated with rigorous music study, Saint Paul’s Choir School offers a diverse and challenging academic curriculum. In the early grades, students build a strong foundation, while the upper grades provide an accelerated program rich with opportunities for enrichment. The positive impact of music study on academic achievement is clear throughout the school. Small class sizes and high motivation among both students and teachers make for a lively, energetic, and creative learning environment.​
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Mission and Purpose
Mission Statement
Saint Paul’s Choir School is a school for boys in grades 3 through 8 and is a vital part of Saint Paul’s Parish in Harvard Square. Guided by the teachings of the Catholic Church, we work in partnership with committed parents and inspirational teachers to form the faith, character, and intellectual and musical abilities of our young men. Our goals are to help students pursue their highest God-given potential, prepare them for the strongest secondary schools and beyond, and equip them to become virtuous leaders who serve God and the world.
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Values​
Saint Paul’s Choir School, the only Catholic boys’ choir school in the United States, identifies and accepts boys from the greater Boston area who are musically talented and academically qualified. In the context of a Catholic environment, students are offered intensive musical training, a rigorous academic program, and a solid moral, spiritual formation.
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The school seeks to develop the diverse musical talents of each boy so that he may use his musical gifts for the greater glory of God, enriching the liturgical services at Saint Paul Church and serving the community at large by the performance of master works of choral literature.
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Through challenging academic offerings, the school aspires to give each student a strong foundation in basic skills and provide multiple opportunities for enrichment, so that Choir School graduates may continue their formation in secondary schools recognized for their academic excellence.
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Caring, dedicated teachers who model Christian values, strive in a small and personal school community to foster the moral, ethical, and spiritual growth of each student in order to define his relationship to God, encourage a genuine understanding and respect of others, and develop a strong sense of commitment and service to both individuals and communities.
History
Saint Paul’s Choir School was founded in 1963 by Dr. Theodore Marier, an internationally acclaimed scholar of Gregorian chant. Dr. Marier’s vision in founding the school was to revive the centuries-old boy choir tradition in service of Catholic liturgy in the United States. In so doing, he founded a school that combines the three great foundations of Catholic faith, music and education.
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His successor, Mr. John Dunn, an educator, choral director, and organist, continued the tradition. Mr. Dunn became the school’s second music director when Dr. Marier retired in 1986 and, as of 1998, he combined the role with that of headmaster. For a time, the school was known as the Boston Archdiocesan Choir School.
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Following his retirement in 2010, Mr. Dunn was succeeded as Music Director and Choirmaster by Mr. John Robinson.
Mr. Robinson’s entire professional career has been in work with English boys’ choirs, most notably those of St. John’s College Cambridge and Canterbury Cathedral.
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The school reached a significant milestone in 2013, with the celebration of its 50th anniversary led by Bishop Peter Uglietto, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Boston, and one of the first students at the Choir School. As part of the celebration of this significant anniversary, the school took the name of Saint Paul’s Choir School once again.
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In 2014, the school launched its first international CD recording, Christmas in Harvard Square. In 2015, Father William Kelly, an alumnus of the school, was named the Pastor at Saint Paul Parish. In 2017, the Choir School released the chart-topping album Ave Maria.
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In celebration of its 60th year, the school released Gabriel Faure: Requiem and Other Masterworks. Saint Paul's Choir School also toured Italy, singing at Santa Maria Maggiore and San Carlo al Corso in Rome, Saint Peter's Basilica and at the General Audience for the Pope in Vatican City, and San Marco in Venice.
The school has had a tremendous history. We believe the future is even brighter!
Catholic Faith Formation at the Choir School
An education at the Choir School is enhanced and strengthened through formation and study of the Roman Catholic faith. The desire for each student choir boy is that he grows in his knowledge and love of God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – so that he may recognize both the importance of God in his life and his God-given talents so as to place those talents at the service of the Church and the community in which he lives.
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In recognition of the importance of prayer in order to grow in relationship with God, Holy Mass is celebrated each school day. It is the hope that through the singing of the Mass and understanding the rich musical tradition of the Church, each choirboy will appreciate at a deeper level the power of God in his life and thus respond as faith-filled individuals.
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The Choir School is dedicated to providing theological education at each grade level in keeping with the guidelines for the education of young people in the Catholic faith. Our students study and pray with the Scriptures and our commitment to theological rigor and scholarship is emphasized by our use of the Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church (YouCat, 2011 and DoCat 2016) with supplemental resources from the Catholic Education Resource Center and the Thomistic Institute (Aquinas 101). This education is complemented by additional programs that encourage the living of a virtuous life and by the integration of social outreach projects and other activities that enhance the classroom experience so as to promote faithful living at all moments of life.
Advisory Board
Saint Paul’s Choir School is part of Saint Paul Parish in Harvard Square, which is a parish of the Archdiocese of Boston. Like all parishes, Saint Paul’s is led by a pastor, Father Bill Kelly (a graduate of SPCS!) who has ultimate responsibility to shepherd the entire community, which includes the parish, the Harvard Catholic Center, and St. Paul’s Choir School.
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The SPCS President/Headmaster is delegated authority by the Pastor of St. Paul’s parish to run the school.
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Assisting the Pastor in his governance responsibilities and the President/Headmaster in his leadership responsibilities, the school has an advisory board appointed by the Pastor. Members of the Advisory Board come from a variety of professions but share in the desire to advance the mission of SPCS.
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Although the Advisory Board has no fiduciary responsibility or authority, it functions as a working board, taking on special projects to ensure the school’s growth and viability.
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Officers
Mr. Paul Haley, Chair
Managing Director, Barclays Capital
Parent of Alumnus
Weymouth, MA
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Mr. Geoffrey Why, Vice-Chair
Counsel, Verrill Dana, LLP
SPCS Past Guild President
Parent of Alumni
Watertown, Massachusetts
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Mrs. Susan Carr, Clerk
Logistics and Documentation Specialist, BOSTON AGREX, LLC.
SPCS Past Guild President
Parent of Alumnus
Quincy, Massachusetts
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Board Members
​Mrs. Sylvia Fernandez-del-Castillo
Parent of Alumnus
Newton, Massachusetts
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Dr. Thomas Haferd
Parent of Alumnus
Former Head of School
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Ms. Jen Kordell
SPCS Past Guild President
Parent of Alumnus
Newton, MA
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Mrs. Maureen Lapus
Parent of Alumnus
Needham, Massachusetts
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Michael McCarthy
Washington D.C.
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Mr. Tim McGuirk
Alumnus
New York, NY
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Mr. Sam O'Neill
Emmanuel College, President's Office
Cambridge, Massachusetts
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Mr. Allen Pierce
Alumnus
Cambridge, MA
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Mr. Paul Riley
COO, Snow Joe
New York
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Dr. Anthony Schemmer
Composer
Brookline, Massachusetts
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Mr. Scott Wahle
Broadcasting/Communications Consultant
Hingham, Massachusetts
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Mr. Steven Andaloro
SPCS Past Guild President
Parent of Alumni
Arlington, Massachusetts