Pilgrim Choir

Music has always played an important role in the life of Pilgrim Church.

The Choir

The Choir of Pilgrim Uniting Church is an integral part of the Pilgrim Congregation.

They sing at the 11:00am service each Sunday, as well as at regular Evensong services and other choral services during the year.

The Choir has also had the opportunity to go on tour to England to share in music around the world.

Come and enjoy the Choir in our beautiful Church, or listen to the Choir, its soloists and Pilgrim’s Organists on the Music at Pilgrim YouTube channel.

This page is regularly updated with new and archive recordings.

Peter Kelsall - Organist and Choir Director

Peter Kelsall is an accomplished musician and educator based in Adelaide. He holds a Bachelor of Music, a Graduate Diploma in Performance (organ), and a Master’s Degree in Music Theory. He has studied piano, organ, church music, and choral conducting with notable mentors, including Zelda Bock, Christa Rumsey, and Carl Crossin.
 
As an organist, Peter has performed extensively, including recitals at prominent Adelaide venues and with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra in major works such as Saint-Saëns’ Organ Symphony and Mahler’s symphonies. He has collaborated with numerous Adelaide choirs and has served as the Organist and Choir Director at Pilgrim Uniting Church since 1995, fostering its strong musical tradition and working alongside internationally renowned organists.
Peter has also led tours with Pilgrim and Christ Church North Adelaide Choirs to English cathedrals, conducting services at iconic locations such as York Minster, Westminster Abbey, and Canterbury Cathedral. A life member and long-time Musical Director of the Adelaide University Choral Society (1997–2023), he has directed diverse repertoire and notable performances, including the Northern Lights concert at the Australian Intervarsity Choral Festival in 2019.
 
In addition to performing, Peter teaches piano, organ, and music theory, and works as an accompanist and tutor at Walford Anglican School.

Organists

Christopher Bridge - Assistant Organist

Christopher Bridge first studied organ with Ashleigh Tobin at the former Flinders Street School of Music in the 1980s, then with Christa Rumsey while completing a Bachelor of Music (Performance) at the Elder Conservatorium of Music. In the early 1990s he won a two-year Swiss Government Scholarship to pursue early music studies at the Schola Cantorum in Basel where he studied organ with Jean-Claude Zehnder.

Val Estrella - Organ Scholar

Val Estrella commenced studies in organ with Peter Kneeshaw in 2017, at St Mary’s Cathedral College in Sydney. Upon relocation to Adelaide, he continued his studies with Mark Joyner, held an organ scholarship at Payneham Road Uniting Church (2019-2022), and was appointed organ scholar at Pilgrim Uniting Church in 2023. Val’s interests lie in French organ repertoire and improvisation, and, outside music, he studies physics at the University of Adelaide.

Organ pipes

The Pilgrim Organs

Learn more about the two Pilgrim organs