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Pictured left to right: Terri Williams, St. Paul's, Mobile; Ann Wilkinson, St. James, Eufala; Peggy Lyden, St. Paul's, Mobile; Katherine and Christopher Powell, Christ Church Cathedral, Mobile
The Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast was represented at the 67th Sewanee Church Music Conference held at the University of the South from July 10th through 16th. Sewanee is a premier music conference within The Episcopal Church, and it draws musicians from parishes across the nation and beyond. Conferees enjoy a week of study, performance, liturgy, lectures, concerts, and fellowship with renowned clinicians. The 2017 clinicians included Peter Richard Conte, Grand Court Organist for the Wanamaker organ and organist/choirmaster at St. Clement's Episcopal Church in Philidelphia, Todd Wilson, professor of organ at the Cleveland Institute and organist/choirmaster at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Cleveland, and the Reverend Barbara Cawthorne Crafton, a beloved author and theologian. Special performances included a concert of early English church music by the Highland Consort of Birmingham, Alabama, and the annual Gerre Hancock organ concert featuring Todd Wilson and Peter Conte. Highlights for the conference choir included a service of Choral Evensong on Friday evening and the Holy Eucharist on Sunday morning. You may hear recordings of both services online by going to the conference website, www.sewaneeconf.com, and clicking on "2017 Media." The week was a time of rest and renewal for those who attended, and we returned to our homes inspired for the new church year and music season.