Christopher Houlihan ’09 On Identity at Trinity & His Upcoming Wedding

Savannah Brooks ’26

Editor-in-Chief

Prior to my interview with John Rose Distinguished College Organist, Director of Chapel Music and Artist-in-Residence at Trinity, Christopher Houlihan ’09,  I was told by a fellow Tripod staff member to be prepared for the “best office on campus.” The distinct beauty of his office was not immediately apparent to me upon entering; it is neatly tucked away in a corner of the chapel which almost seems secret, but it had the same sprawled academic charm as most professors who have been around for years and years. But as I sat down and took in more of the space, I began to understand why the office lives up to Houlihan’s iconic presence on campus. Meticulously-placed accolades and artwork grace the walls in an intentionally cramped fashion, a stained glass window adds a pop of color to the room and, perhaps most wonderful of all, the voices of passersby and the whistles of athletic contests can be faintly heard from that window when it’s open. The office requires a slow understanding of its contents, one that allows you to truly appreciate its importance beyond the crucial figures who have undoubtedly come in and out of its door. 

Houlihan’s office is not unlike himself in this regard. On the surface, he is unbelievably accomplished: he has been an internationally-recognized organist since his time as a student, he directs the Chapel Singers with poise and great skill and he has been met with critical acclaim essentially everywhere he has gone. As far back as 2006, the Tripod noted that “the audience has learned to expect nothing but the best from Houlihan.” But beyond his musical ability and status as an organist, Houlihan is kind, attentive and has collected a large contingent of “Houlifans” ever since his time as a first-year, made up of his friends, classmates, the College president during his time as a student, James Jones, and now, his students in the Chapel Singers and organ program.

In November, Houlihan will be the star of the show in yet another Chapel event. Instead of stepping into his organist shoes, however, he will be the groom, marrying his fiance Matthew Larson in a “fairly traditional Chapel wedding,” as he told the Tripod in an interview. Houlihan has been an out gay man since his time as a student. In a nice twist of fate, he graduated in the same year Trinity’s chapel held its first-ever same-sex wedding when Robert Pingpank ’59 and Richard Nolan ’59 were married in 2009. 

“I certainly didn’t grow up thinking that getting married, let alone married in a Chapel blessed by a priest was a possibility for a variety of reasons,” Houlihan told the Tripod. “I certainly remember Nolan and Pingpank getting married here, and I remember in 2015, when [same-sex marriage] became nationally recognized — that was a particularly poignant moment for me.” 

Houlihan was a student at Trinity in 2008, when Connecticut issued its first same-sex marriage licenses. He was a first-year when the Queer Resource Center opened its doors in 2005. “I certainly knew gay people and had queer friends,” Houlihan said of his time as a student. “But my impression now, at least, is that there are many more openly LGBTQ+ students than there were when I was a student. I don’t know the identities of all my students, but that is the impression I get, especially talking to the ones that have come out to me and let me know. From when I was a student, I think [LGBTQ+ life] has changed a lot.” 

Although Houlihan admits that he “was usually the only openly gay person in the Accidentals,” the College’s all-male a cappella group he sang with during his time as a student, his “closest friends” from the group, along with those who he knew from his time in the Chapel Singers and musical theatre, are still close with him today. In fact, one will be his best man, and one is the father to his ringbearers. 

“I never felt discriminated against as an openly gay student, and I certainly had a lot of supportive allyship from friends,” Houlihan said “But I did not always feel a community of gay students. It felt much more dispersed and a little more under the radar.” Houlihan was also a student in 2006, when the QRC’s efforts to chalk the Long Walk were defaced. “That actually really upset me at the time, and was not a very welcoming feeling. There are always moments that we’re less proud of as a community since then, too, but I have a hard time imagining something like that happening [now]. It wasn’t acceptable then, but it was, for me at least, very shocking.”

Although Houlihan aims to maintain a professional relationship with his students, his identity as an out gay man has given his LGBTQ+ students an especially meaningful experience. “’This is my ninth year teaching at Trinity, and in the first couple of years, I never hid who I am with my students, but I was just casually open about it and didn’t make a big point about being gay,” he said. “But, after one Chapel Singers concert, some students told me privately how much they appreciated that I was an openly gay person and how much that meant to them, just as a role model on campus. I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was surprised because I had never made a point to talk about it. But just quietly being a presence, a supportive presence, meant a lot to them, and I shouldn’t have been surprised because that was the kind of thing that meant a lot to me when I was a student as well. The few professors I knew who were openly gay, and the people who were openly allies, really helped to make the place feel welcoming and like home.”

Building a welcoming environment for LGBTQ+ students has been especially prominent in Houlihan’s work at the Chapel, particularly given that Christian and religious spaces are often perceived as being particularly unfriendly towards LGBTQ+ people. “The Chapel is physically and spiritually the heart of the campus. Knowing that it is a safe space is really important. It sets a tone for the rest of the campus. Even for the students that don’t attend the variety of services or come to concerts here, they know Chapel Singers, for example, who spread that message. The Chapel’s values seep out into the community and have an impact.”

Houlihan’s wedding will feature performances from current and past Chapel Singers as well as an organ postlude. (Don’t worry, he won’t be conducting or playing.) “It still kind of blows my mind that we get to do this in this place that’s so special,” he said about his wedding. “That mostly couldn’t happen while I was a student. Nothing felt quite as right as having it here in Hartford at the Trinity College Chapel.”

Houlihan’s next performance at Trinity will be a concert on March 24, featuring Grammy-award winning flautist Brandon Patrick George as a part of the Twilight Tuesdays series at the Chapel.