Interview With A Choir Member

Note: This article appeared in the October "The Messenger." It appears here with Margaret's permission.

Nearly everybody at St. Mark’s knows and loves Margaret W. who has been singing in the choir since some time in the 1950’s. Margaret’s oldest son sang in a boy’s choir under the direction of Hugh Alderman. She found herself sitting next to Mr. Alderman once when it came time to sing a hymn and, from that time on she says, he was “on my case to join the choir.”

Finally, there was a Sunday when there were only a couple of sopranos in the choir and Margaret decided they needed help. . .and she’s been in the choir ever since.

Margaret is a native of Jacksonville and received musical training under Andre Thomas and Robert Shaw when she lived in Tallahassee. Singing with Robert Shaw required four rigorous auditions and she fondly remembers annual concerts featuring requiems by the old masters. She also studied applied voice at Jacksonville University.

Margaret’s husband, Arthur G., died in 1971. Since their sons were both in college, Margaret stopped her studies and worked hard to help them finish theirs. She admits she should have returned to college, but never did.

Margaret, now in her eighties, has considered dropping out of the choir, but people in the congregation (and those sitting next to her in the choir loft!) have told her how much they would miss her - so she keeps on singing. I know we would miss Margaret’s contribution terribly if she stopped singing with us. An excellent reader who is always right on pitch, she is one of our leaders – and she’s just a fun person to be around!

When I asked Margaret if I could do an article about our conversation for The Messenger, she said yes, but added, “I wasn’t ever anything special. I just worked and did what I was called to do.”

That sounds pretty special to me.