At First Presbyterian Church, members, friends, and guests enjoy a variety of styles of music for worship, as well as frequent concerts by musicians from the church and community.

The 9:00 am Contemporary Worship Service music is led by the “Rising Sound” Praise Band, featuring piano, guitars, drums, and vocalists. Contemporary praise songs and rearranged hymns offer a special worship experience. As words are projected in the front of the sanctuary, these newer songs become more and more accessible for the congregation’s expression of faith in Christ.

The 11:00 am Traditional Worship Service music is led by the First Presbyterian Chancel Choir under the direction of Alla Keoppel, accompanied by organist Larry Blackburn. The Chancel Choir consists of 20-30 singers and offers choral pieces and arrangements that express the meaning of faith in Jesus Christ, the Christian life, and worship to the Lord. One week you may hear The Heavens Are Telling by Haydn and the next week a spiritual, such as Soon and Very Soon. The Chancel Choir also performs concerts at Christmas and in the spring, featuring both traditional and contemporary choral literature and guest artists. Selected recordings of past performances can be found in the Music playlist of our YouTube channel.

First Presbyterian Church also has an outstanding bell choir, which helps lead worship during certain services and special events. Any who are interested are welcome to participate.

Various groups from the Salt Lake community hold concerts at First Presbyterian throughout the year. Previous concerts have featured the Gabriel Brass, Madeleine Choir School ensembles, the Salt Lake Children’s Choir, the Westminster Chamber Singers, the Choral Arts Society of Utah, and more. Most concerts are free to the public or offered with a reasonable admission fee.

Information on upcoming concerts can be found on our Events page or by contacting the office. Groups wishing to hold a concert at FPC should contact the office for more information.

The first organ at FPCSLC was a three-manual, 45 stop instrument built by the Bennett Organ Company of Rock Island, IL, and had over 2,000 pipes. The organ was dedicated on April 10, 1911 in a concert described as “the social event of the year”, with some 900 people in attendance. The chimes visible above the choir loft were added in 1969 and dedicated in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Bowe.

In 1999, much of the pipework was removed and the organ was replaced with an all-digital Rodgers instrument, equivalent to a 130-rank pipe organ. The organ is used for the Traditional Worship Service on Sundays at 11 am, as well as special events and concerts throughout the year. Previously recorded concerts can be found in the Music playlist on our YouTube channel. For information on upcoming concerts, please visit our Events page or contact the office.

Though the 1911 Bennett instrument has been disassembled, we still have many of the pipes in storage, and are hopeful that they can soon be put back in the organ chamber to create a new, hybrid instrument.

Current stoplist: 1999 Rodgers