Spring Tour Takes Choir to Virginia Churches

A thirty-two voice choir from St. Timothy's Episcopal Church, Signal Mountain, Tenn., sang four services in southern Virginia Episcopal parishes on the weekend of June 23-24.

Saturday, June 23, the choir offered the traditional Anglican service of Evensong (choral Evening Prayer) at 4:00 p.m. at Abingdon Church, White Marsh, followed by a Candlelight Concert at Bruton Parish, Williamsburg, at 8:00 p.m.

Sunday, June 24, the choir was at Christ and St. Luke's Church, Norfolk, for the 10:15 a.m. service of Morning Prayer and Holy Eucharist. Their engagements concluded that evening at 6:00 p.m. with Evensong at Grace Church, Yorktown. Accompanist for the tour was Mrs. Elsa Bakkum, organist at Grace Church.

Last year they sang the Prelude to Evensong at Washington National Cathedral as well as a service at St. James' Church, Leesburg.

Their repertoire includes pieces from all periods of church music, specializing in the baroque and early 20th century periods and including such composers as Gregorio Allegri, Andreas Hammerschmidt, Benjamin Britten, Charles Villiers Stanford, and Maurice Duruflé.

Bert Landman who has served as choirmaster at St. Timothy's since 1997. Landman graduated from Shenandoah College and Conser-vatory of Music in Winchester, Va. with a Bachelor of Music degree in church music and a performance certificate in organ. He then completed a Master of Music degree in church music, with distinction, at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, N. J. Before coming to St. Timothy's, he served Lutheran and Episcopal Churches in Strasburg, Va.; Ocean City, N.J.; Erie, Pa.; Dalton, Ga.; and Chattanooga.