Join the Church of the Transfiguration for a full weekend of music, art, and history celebrating our long tradition of diversity and inclusion! Since it was built in 1848, the historic Church of the Transfiguration (Episcopal) has been providing a beautiful, safe, welcoming space to visitors from all denominations and from around the world. This year marks 177 years of diversity and inclusion… from serving as a stop on the Underground Railroad to being the first NYC church to do funerals for actors.

Come hear these and other stories from “The Little Church Around the Corner" during OHNY Weekend tours. Hear wonderful musical performances on our Fiske organ or the Bosendorfer piano (including a family-oriented concert). Enjoy the historic archives of the Episcopal Actors' Guild, which has supported the arts and artists in New York City for a century. Learn about church textiles, enjoy the art gallery, and more!

Saturday Activities:

• 10:30am Guided Tour: History and Art. Celebrate the Church’s 177 years of diversity and inclusion. Hear about the Underground Railroad, the Draft Riots of the Civil War, the “Sweet Low, Sweet Chariot” stained glass window, the church’s special relationship with the theatre community, and more. Learn how Transfiguration came to be the church that has married more couples than any other church in America (including the first gay marriage in the Episcopal Church).
• 11am Interactive Presentation: Vestments and Fabric. Vestments are more than just beautiful robes worn by clergy! The colors, patterns, and fabrics all come together to tell a story. Join us for a lively Q&A with former fashion industry professional Steve Leavitt, now owner of Transfiguration Vestments, a Manhattan shop that makes, repairs, and restores vestments, altar covers, and other church textiles.
• 11:45am Family Concert and Activities. Join Dr. Claudia Dumschat, Director of Music, for a performance of best-loved organ pieces on our magnificent Fisk organ, with special activities for children. If your child has taken a serious interest in singing, our children’s choirs offer excellent musical education and many performance opportunities. Information on auditions will be available after the concert.
• 12-2pm Art Gallery Reception hosted by the Windchime Collective. Come enjoy a snack, peruse original works of art, and learn more about our performing arts rehearsal space, Houghton Hall Arts Community (houghtonhallarts.org). For this activity, please enter around the corner at 22 East 30th Street, or ask one of the volunteers to show you the shortcut through the back hall.
• 1pm Guided Tour: Inclusive History (optional visit to Underground Railroad Site). Celebrate the Church’s 177 years of diversity and inclusion (see Saturday 10:30 a.m. tour for full description). This tour will include an optional small group visit to the basement of the rectory, believed to have been a stop on the Underground Railroad. This tour is unfortunately not wheelchair accessible. Children 10+ are welcome.
• 1:30-3:30pm Theatre Archives Open. The Episcopal Actors’ Guild invites you to take a peek inside the archives featuring memorabilia from George Holland, Joseph Jefferson, and Edwin Booth, as well as an exhibit of materials highlighting women of the theater past. To access this activity, enter through the door in the garden marked Guild Hall. The archives display is on the second floor, and a stairlift is available upon request.
• 3pm Piano Concert by world-renowned artist Matei Varga playing our sumptuous Bosendorfer grand piano (once owned by William F. Buckley!). He will perform several classical works and share his insights on the various pieces. Don’t miss this opportunity to see a former child prodigy, now world-class musician playing beloved pieces on a prized instrument.
• 4pm Guided Tour: Theatrical Connections. Tour by Eric Stamm, Archives chair of the Episcopal Actors Guild. Learn about the church’s history through a theatrical lens. View stained glass windows and plaques of actors and hear stories of how the Episcopal Actors' Guild and "The Little Church Around the Corner" have opened their doors to the theatre community (and everyone else) since 1847.

Sunday Activities:

• 12:30pm Guided Tour in Spanish/Visita guiada en español celebrando los 177 años de diversidad e inclusión de la Iglesia.
• 1pm Guided Tour: History and Art, celebrating the Church’s 177 years of diversity and inclusion (see Saturday 10:30 a.m. tour for full description).
• 2pm Concert in Celebration of Women and Broadway. Come celebrate Freedom with the Episcopal Actors’ Guild and its annual “Celebration of Song,” with the music of Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, Joan Baez, and songs from Broadway musicals including Les Misérables and 1492.

Family Friendly:

• 11:45am Family Concert and Activities. Join Dr. Claudia Dumschat, Director of Music, for a performance of best-loved organ pieces on our magnificent Fisk organ, with special activities for children. If your child has taken a serious interest in singing, our children’s choirs offer excellent musical education and many performance opportunities. Information on auditions will be available after the concert.

The church building is largely accessible. Guided building tours include an optional stop in the basement which is only accessible by stairs. The Theatre Archives display in the Guild Hall is on the second floor; a chair lift is available.

Service dogs are welcome.

Printed guides are available in several languages, a tour in Spanish is offered, and Spanish-speaking staff will be on-site.