Our musicians
Volunteer singers
Joan and Eddie Bass have enjoyed being in the St. Mary’s choir since 2019. Joan was a piano performance major at UNC-Greensboro; after a career teaching in the Guilford County elementary and middle public schools, she served as president of the County Association of Educators. More recently she was president of The North Carolina Retired School Personnel.
Eddie is a graduate of UNC-CH. He retired from the faculty of the UNCG School of Music in 2003, having taught Music theory, musicology, and having led the composition program. He was principal trumpet of the Greensboro Symphony from 1968 to 1986 and a charter member of the Market Street Brass.
Joan and Eddie live at Pennybyrn, where they are active on resident committees and enthusiastic members of Pennybyrn’s Senior Games team. They are proud parents of three daughters and four grandchildren.
Steve and Deb Bingham are seasoned choristers, having sung together in church choirs since marriage. Having been Episcopalian only the last seven years, their resume includes singing at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Asheboro; First Lutheran Church, Greensboro; and Holy Comforter, Belmont. Lured in 2018 by its rich music program, the Binghams now call St. Mary’s home.
Steve earned two degrees in Music Education from UNC-Greensboro and later the EdD in Educational Leadership. Following a decade as high school band director, Steve’s career path includes school administration and higher education, most recently as Professor of Leadership Studies at HPU. Beyond singing, Steve enjoys playing orchestral double bass and musical theatre.
Deb’s career includes computer programming, marketing, and event planning. Deb later earned a degree in Human Development and Family Studies with public-school teacher certification. Deb’s first role was as soprano in the Charlotte Choral Society in annual performance of Handel’s Messiah and with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra in Orff’s Carmina Burana.
Ginger and Ed Caress’s joint choral experiences began in the Christ Episcopal Church choir in Rochester N.Y., where we were graduate students at the University of Rochester. Ginger had participated in choirs in high school and college. Ed, on the other hand, had no choral experience prior to this, although he played the baritone horn and piano. After we graduated and moved to Cambridge Mass., we did not have the opportunity to sing together until we arrived in Northern Virginia. Once there, we found an Episcopal church with an excellent music program and sang in the choir there for many years. As time went on, we also had the opportunity to sing in an a capella group called the Alban Chorale. This group sang in various locations in Virginia and took several European tours where we sang in various churches. Among the highlights of the tours was to sing a service at Canterbury Cathedral. Upon moving to River Landing, we again found an Episcopal church with an outstanding music program, so here we are now.
Leah Franklin is the mother of four sons, an educator at The Piedmont School and a Master Instructor of Shaolin Meihua Qigong. She loves to be outdoors working in her garden or just sitting amongst the flowers and trees. She enjoys painting, singing, practicing qigong, and hiking in nature with her husband and children. Since moving to High Point and joining the choir at St. Mary’s, Leah has found great joy in singing under the direction of Dr. Charles Hogan and has taken her singing practice to a new level by studying voice with Ranara Rahimova from St. Mary’s Music Academy.
Bobbie Huggins earned a music education degree at Michigan State University then taught elementary music for 35 years, (Monroe-Woodbury, N.Y., Brighton School District, N.Y., Fairport Central School District, N.Y.) After retiring, she taught a few years at The Hochstein School of Music. During the 1990s she earned her Orff-Schulwerk Levels at the Eastman School of Music. Throughout the years she has sung with many church choirs and choral groups including Youth for Understanding Michigan Choral (toured Europe), Michigan State University, and the Eastman School of Music. Today she volunteers at the Jamestown Public Library and is treasurer for the Friends of the Library. Also she leads a group called the Stitcherdoodles for anyone who enjoys working with a variety of fibers.
Rebecca McAtee has been a member of St. Mary’s Choir since 1986, shortly after she and her husband, Mac relocated to Oak Ridge from Savannah, Georgia. In Savannah, Rebecca was a member of Christ Episcopal Church Choir, where she came to love the music and liturgy of the Anglican tradition so much that she deserted her Presbyterian upbringing and was confirmed in the Episcopal Church.
Rebecca is a graduate of Wesleyan College located in Macon, Georgia where she majored in Music Education with a voice primary. As a student, she participated in the Wesleyan Glee Club and was a member of the Wesleyannes, a smaller ensemble of singers. Although Wesleyan was a Methodist “woman’s college” at the time, her first experience with Episcopal liturgy and worship occurred during her freshman year when the Wesleyan “women” joined the Sewanee “men” in a performance of the Duruflé Réquiem at The University of the South.
After graduating from Wesleyan, Rebecca pursued additional certification in K-8 regular education. She later obtained National Board Certification , and completed a graduate degree in School Administration at UNC-Greensboro. Between her work at Savannah Country Day School as a K-2 teacher and her work in Guilford County Schools as a classroom teacher, Curriculum Facilitator, and Literacy Specialist, her career in education spanned 52 years.
As a member of St. Mary’s, in addition to Choir, Rebecca has volunteered with Bible School and Boy Scouts, and served on the Vestry and the Worship and Service Committee. She, along with Rob Brock and Evie Cottam, worked with the Clergy to establish the 9:00 AM Informal Worship Service, where she shared the responsibility of selecting music, played guitar and helped to lead congregational singing.
Rebecca and her husband Mac have two sons, Sam and Robert, a daughter-in-law, Caroline, and three grandchildren: Bailey, Carter, and Nathan.
Rebecca is now fully retired, and she is still lives in Oak Ridge with Mac, his collection of NC pottery, his bonsai collection, and two dogs. In addition to St. Mary’s Choir, she enjoys gardening, cooking (sometimes), needlework, and participating in the Winston Salem Symphony Chorus.
Christopher E. Ralph is a 1996 graduate of UNC School of the Arts with major in voice under James Allbritten, special study in music composition under Lawrence Dillon, Michael Rothkopf, and Kenneth Frazelle and choral music conducting also under James Allbritten. Further vocal study at Indiana University under James King, 1998-1999. Amateur pianist, recorder player and trumpet player, among other, various instruments. Also a 1989 NC Governor’s School vocalist, Christopher has been a Triad area musician and choir director since age 13, starting with the Salem Boys’ Choir, back in 1986. Chris resides in Kernersville with wife, Sara and sons, Joseph, Andrew and Taylor; now happy to have a musical worship home at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in High Point.
Katie Rose has been a devoted member of St. Mary’s since 2021. She lives with her husband, Nathan, and their two children, Kellen and Haven. Their house is full of music and spontaneous singing to one another. Katie grew up singing in church and school choirs, where her love for music first took root. While attending UNC-Greensboro, she was part of the a cappella group Seraphim. Singing remains a deeply spiritual practice for Katie, offering her a profound sense of connection—to God, to others, and to herself.
Laura Simcox is a born choir nerd. In college, she sang with three choirs, one of which toured Europe. She holds BFA and MFA degrees in Theatre Arts, and spent twenty years as a freelance costume designer, with singing sprinkled in. For three seasons she sang with a national touring company of A Christmas Carol, and had church gigs here and there. After settling in High Point with her husband, Laura taught Theatre at GTCC for a few years, and became a mom and a published author. She is a proud member of St. Mary’s Choir.
David Stewart joined the choir in 1982 as a paid staff member. Two years later, he became a member of St. Mary’s. He is grateful to God “that over the past 43 years, I have been able to use my small gift to glorify his name through music.”
Robert Taylor is currently with St. Mary’s Episcopal Church choir in High Point, N.C. He comes with a history of Greek Orthodox Chant, percussionist with two Army Bands, and various jazz, rock and country western bands and ensembles. He has been lead and backup vocals for these groups. He loves the choir setting and classical music, and all genres of music especially jazz, Latin jazz, and Brazilian bossa nova. He loves the St. Mary’s choir and the beautiful inspirational music it produces each Sunday.
