Ben Riggs

Director of Worship & Program Ministries

Ben Riggs is the Director of Worship & Program Ministries at Christ Church. In addition to directing the CCUM Chancel Choir, Ben oversees the Children's Education program, worship planning & coordination, and promotional materials (monthly newsletter, website, & blog). Before coming to Christ Church in 2003, Ben was the full-time Director of Music at Denver's Wellshire Presbyterian Church.

Ben is also the Artistic Director of the Denver Gay Men's Chorus (DGMC). Committed to its mission of building community through music, DGMC performs three major concerts each year and appears at dozens of free outreach events throughout the Denver-metro area. Ben was recently appointed Executive Artistic Director of Rocky Mountain Arts Association, the organization that oversees DGMC, Out Loud: The Colorado Springs Men's Chorus, and Mosaic Youth Chorus (a chorus for LGBTQ youth and their Straight allies).

From 2002-2007, Ben served as an adjunct faculty member at the Iliff School of Theology, where he directed the Iliff Choir, assisted in planning community worship, and co-taught the Ritual & Worship class.

Ben is an active performer in the Denver musical community. He sings regularly with the St. Martin's Chamber Choir, Denver's only fully-professional chorus. From 2003-2006, Ben was the principal accompanist for the Denver Women's Chorus, a GALA chorus; and from 2006-2007, he was a conductor with the Rocky Mountain Children's Choir, where he directed the changing-voice boys choir.

In 2006, Ben founded the Congress Park Choral Union, a volunteer summer-only community chorus. CPCU included more than 70 singers during its inaugural season; the chorus presented a sold-out Debut Concert at Christ Church on August 6, 2006.

Ben holds a Bachelor of Music in piano from Wheaton College Conservatory of Music, and a Master of Music in choral conducting from the University of Colorado. At present, Ben is completing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Literature and Performance, also at the University of Colorado.

Photo by Alana Rothstein