Music at St. Mary's

The Choir of St. Mary of the Hills

The Choir is comprised of 20-24 singers under the direction of James Bumgardner. The choir enjoys making beautiful music not only for normal Sunday services at the church, but also at any opportunity available. It has given concerts of liturgical music at nearby Appalachian State University and other local venues. Further afield, the choir has sung across North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Washington DC, New York, and in several cathedrals in England.  The choir of St Mary's has been in residence at Durham Cathedral, England and at the Church of St Mary the Virgin, New York City; the ensemble also enjoys the honor of having represented North Carolina at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC for the first North Carolina Day there. 

The choir maintains the highest possible standards of performance. To this end, it has studied with some of the world’s best choral directors in New York City and at several of the famous chapel choirs of Cambridge, including King’s, St John's, and Clare Colleges.

Recordings

The Choir of St. Mary's has made a number of recordings in recent years. If you'd like to purchase a copy, contact the Church Office. Proceeds from CD sales benefit the choirs Study in England Fund.

The Revels of Winter (1997) • CD • $15	O Sapientia (2004) • CD• $15

Audition Opportunities

The Choir of St. Mary of the Hills currently is in need of tenors and basses, but singers of all types are always invited to audition with the Director. Please contact James Bumgardner.

The Choir in Residence at Clare College, Cambridge, March 2004

2006 Study in England

For an entire week in August 2006, St Mary's choir traveled to England to function as Durham Cathedral's regular cathedral choir for a full week, singing daily services and high mass on Sunday in the fantastic millennium-old cathedral. The choir has a passion to experience more and more music from the Anglican tradition, and to make that music with the greatest skill, insight, and depth of feeling that could be mustered.

Madrigal Feast

Residents of the High Country have a great opportunity to get the holiday season off to a great start at the winter Madrigal Feast at St. Mary of the Hills. This December event combines superb food and drink with a mixture of madrigals and carols for a full evening's dining and entertainment. Madrigals, carols, and other entertainments from the 16th century are sung (and jested) between courses during the 5-course meal, with an added concert after dessert. The meal is prepared by one of the best commercial chefs in the area, and there is a non-meat, non-dairy option for vegetarians. Contact the Church Office for more information, schedule and ticket information.

Choral Evensong

From February through October, The Choir sings Choral Evensong on the fourth Sunday of the month at 5 pm. We also invite you to enjoy this Anglican tradition by listening to the BBC weekly broadcast of Choral Evensong via the Internet.

2010 Evensong Schedule:

• April 25, 5 pm
• May 23, 5 pm
• June 27, 5 pm
• July 25, 5 pm
• August 22, 5 pm
• September 26, 5 pm