Advent Organ & Choir Offering

Advent Welcomes Three Guest Artists

‘Concert of Choir and Organ Offerings’

Sunday, December 17, 2023 at 4 pm

Virginia Vaalburg, Organ Scholar, returns to the Episcopal Church of the Advent for a second ‘Concert of Choir and Organ Offerings’. Ms. Vaalburg has accompanied the choirs at Advent many times over the twenty-year tenure of Music Director Wilson Somers. She has also been a mentor to Mr. Somers during his writing of his second large work ‘Requiem for 9/11’. She has served as Organist as well as Director at Evangelical Presbyterian, Newark, DE as well as served as Organist/Director at John’s Episcopal, Glen Mills, PA. Ms. Vaalburg also developed and directed for 10 years, A Men’s Chorus at the Sunday Breakfast Mission in Wilmington, DE. Her Homeless Men’s Chorus was always a delight to behold.

John Briggs, Choral Scholar, has taught choral music at the highest level in public schools in southern Delaware and in the Baltimore, Maryland area. Briggs has worked with Stephen Holmes of the Maryland State Boys Choir on several occasions, including having performances of his original choral music performed with frequency. Briggs is also an associate of legendary Maryland music educator, Linda Hall. Briggs sang in the premieres of Somers’ ‘Mass for the Homeless’ and ‘Requiem for 9/11’ at the Grand Opera House, Wilmington with the Delaware Symphony Orchestra in 1997 and 2012 respectively.

Dr. Kevin O’Brien, Organ Scholar, has been director of music at Saint Peter’s Church on Capitol Hill, Washington DC, for twenty years.  O’Brien holds three degrees in Sacred Music from Westminster Choir College (BM, organ) and The Catholic University of America (MM/DMA, choral music).  He has continued his studies in musicology (medieval music and performance practice) at University of Maryland.  He has taught sacred music and conducting at The Catholic University of America alongside his mentor, Leo Nestor.  Lauded as “a mature writer and a very fine story-teller”, O’Brien received the Julius Herford Prize from the American Choral Directors Association for his dissertation which was described as “an exhaustive study… a very thorough history of Roman Catholic church music and composers.”

Freewill Offering : Episcopal Relief and Development