Music at Old First
Worship the Lord with gladness, come into God's presence with singing.
- Psalm 100:2
O Come let us sing to Lord. Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
- Psalm 95:1Sing to the Lord a new song, for God has done marvelous things
- Psalm 98:1
Music is a vital and lively element of worship at Old First. We love to sing and draw from the rich heritage of classical music, written yesterday and today, as well as songs, spirituals and anthems from around the globe and across the Christian era.
Our Choir
The choir sings at the 11:00 a.m. Sunday worship service and for special services throughout the church year.
If you are interested in visiting or joining the choir, please contact Larry Marietta at (415) 776-5552 or Larry@oldfirst.org.
Music Director - Larry Marietta
Larry H. Marietta has had a long and distinguished career as a professional musician in the San Francisco Bay Area and previously in Pennsylvania. He has over forty-five years of church experience, as an organist and director of music. He has also conducted multiple community choral groups, currently as conductor of San Francisco City Chorus since 1997 and of Bella Musica since 2014. He has taught voice, as well as lectured at colleges and universities. Larry has also performed as accompanist for many distinguished professional singers and under several renowned conductors. Larry received his Bachelor of Music in Organ Performance from West Virginia University and his Master of Fine Arts in Conducting at Carnegie Mellon University.
The Organ
In the mid-1990s Old First engaged noted organ historian and consultant Barbara Owen to report on the condition of the1910 Hutchings organ. She observed that there was enough of the Hutchings left to form the nucleus of a new organ. Then, with Old First member (and Assistant Organist) George Becker as consultant, a new organ was planned, about half incorporating the distinguished George Hutchings older pipework of that remained, the other half new pipework to increase the flexibility, color, and range of the organ. This extensive rebuild (complete with two 32-foot stops) of the organ was entrusted to Visscher Associates of Felton, California. The magnificent organ that graces Old First today is Visscher's Op. VI. Its stoplist can be seen here.