The Rev. John W. Sewell, Rector of Saint John's Episcopal Church, and David Work, Board President of The Memphis BoyChoir, Inc. (MBC) are pleased to announce 

Mr. Brandon Dumas

as Organist & Choirmaster of Saint John's and Artistic Director of MBC, Inc. following an international search process that began when Dr. Geoffrey Harris Ward left to join the faculty at The University of the South in Sewanee after 10 years at Saint John's.

 

Saint John's musical programs are built on a reputation for a high standard of excellence and continually enrich the lives of the congregation, the city of Memphis, the Mid-South, and beyond. At the very heart of this work lies The Memphis BoyChoir, founded at Saint John's in 1988 alongside the semi-professional adult Memphis ChamberChoir by then Organist/Choirmaster John Ayer. In 2010, Dr. Geoffrey H. Ward established the Memphis GirlChoir, expanding the program's reach to include elementary-aged boys and girls from public and private schools across Memphis and Shelby County. 

 

The Rev. John W. Sewell: "Brandon Dumas will lead us deeper into the 21st Century, while continuing our rich English Cathedral Choir tradition. I am confident that he will add his unique musical DNA to a remarkable three decade legacy."

 

Brandon grew up in a similar men and boys choir program in Albany, NY, and he has a drive to develop and promote this time-honored "cathedral tradition," as the manifold benefits to choristers, churches, and the community become more critically important in an era of larger decline within the church.

 

Brandon: "Saint John's church is doing something which is not only counter-cultural as an after-school activity for children, but as a ministry in the church. I am thrilled to be given the chance to work with the talented clergy and staff, the board members, and all the musicians who comprise this robust program. I am especially grateful for the considerable hard work of Dr. Brian Campbell as interim director and that he will be working alongside me moving forward, which will help to ensure the smoothest of transitions into this season."

 

Prior to this appointment, Mr. Dumas served at St. James Cathedral in Chicago, IL, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Richmond, VA, and Cathedral of the Incarnation in Garden City, NY, each of which offer choral programs renowned in the Episcopal Church. He also led the Virginia Girls Choir and several other children's choirs. He completed degree studies in music at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ and in the UK, both at the Royal Academy of Music and the University of London and immersed himself in the English choral tradition as singer, conductor, and organist.

 

Mr. Dumas has made it to Memphis, and his first church service will be Sunday, Sept. 11; the choir season schedule begins the following day. Parents of children in the BoyChoir and GirlChoir will have opportunities to meet Mr. Dumas that week, and auditions for new choristers will be held as well. 

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You may get a lucky chance to see him this week, so make sure to say hello! We're very glad to welcome him to our church family. If you'd like to learn more about his background or where he's been before, send me an email and I will connect you.