St. James Choirs
St. James has five choirs under the direction of our Associate Director of Music, Mary Katherine Kilgore: Adult Choir, Coventry Choir, Canterbury Choir, Whitby Choir, and the Handbell Choir.

​Our Director of Music Ministries, Helen VanAbbema Rogers conducts the Men's Compline Choir.
Adult Choir
Sings for the 9 am Sunday Service
REHEARSALS:
Wednesdays 6:45 -8

Coventry Choir
All Youth Grades 7-12
Rehearses Sundays at 10:15 am
in the Choir Room on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month. 
Sings on the 1st and 3rd Sundays at the 11:00  am service.

Canterbury Choir
Children Grades 3-5
Rehearses Wednesdays at 3:30-4:15
Sings the 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month at the 11:00 am service. 
The Whitby Choir
Children Grades Kindergarten - 2nd 
Rehearses Mondays 3:30pm - 4:15 pm.
Sings in worship throughout the year, specific dates will be set. 
​Handbell Choir
The Handbell Choir is for anyone high school age through adult.
Reading music isn't required but is helpful.  If you can cast a fishing ole, you can ring a handbell! 
Rehearsal date and time TBD. 
Contact Mary Katherine if you are interested in ringing handbells. 
Men's Compline Choir
Rehearses on specific Wednesdays after the Adult Choir rehearsal. 
This choir leads the Compline service the Third Sunday of each month.

Helen V.A. Rodgers
Director of Music Ministries

Helen Van Abbema Rodgers is the Director of Music Ministries, a program that includes St. James' adult choir, the handbell choir, and two children’s choirs. In addition, she administers the St. James Concert Series each year. 

In 1994, Helen coordinated the project to move the 1896, 14 rank Hook and Hastings organ to the Chapel of St. James’ from the church’s previous location. In 1996, she negotiated the purchase of a 1968, 63 rank Schlicker, Heissler organ from a church in Lincoln, Nebraska. In January of 1998, she played the Inaugural Concert on this organ to a capacity audience. 
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Helen has held two terms as Dean of the Mobile Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. She has studied at Calvin College, the University of Georgia, and Westminster Choir College. In the Summer of 2002, while on sabbatical, she studied with Marie-Louise Langlais at St. Clotilde in Paris and Naji Hakim at La Trinité, Paris. She also played in concerts at Holy Trinity, Sloane Square, London and Saint-Roch, Paris. In the summer of 2005, she played organs in East Germany. The highlights of this trip were to play Franz Liszt’s favorite organ in Merseburg and two stunning, carefully restored instruments that Bach played, in particular the Hildebrandt organ in Naumberg.
MARY KATHERINE KILGORE
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF MUSIC & MUSIC DIRECTOR OF ST. JAMES SHOOL

A native of Forsyth, Georgia, Mary Katherine received her Bachelor of Music degree in Organ Performance from Valdosta State University with post graduate studies in voice, opera, and choral conducting at Clayton College and State University in Morrow, Georgia, and the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.  


Mary Katherine, a talented and accomplished musician, taught piano and voice privately for over 20 years, and has judged numerous piano, vocal, and choral competitions.  She also served on the Board of Directors for the Alabama Chapter of the American Choral Director’s Association between 2014 and 2019.
or this fall.
y Katherine has been a resident of Fairhope since 2005.  She and her husband Rodney have one daughter, Emily, who will be a high school seniMary Katherine is no stranger to Fairhope, having served as Director of Music for both Fairhope United Methodist and Trinity Presbyterian churches.  She has spent the past two years teaching chorus full time at St. Michael Catholic High School.  Prior to moving to the Eastern Shore, she served as Director of Music at Vernon United Methodist Church in Vernon, Alabama and St. Mark United Methodist Church in Northport, Alabama.

In addition to being an outstanding musician and teacher, she excels as a conductor and will begin her 10th season as the Artistic Director of the Eastern Shore Choral Society this fall.  The ESCS is a non-auditioned community chorus made up of individuals with varying degrees of musical skill from high school age to the young at heart.  In recent years, the ESCS has been invited to sing with other choruses, such as the Mobile Symphony Orchestra. They also performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City. 

Mary Katherine is excited to return to full time music ministry.  She serves alongside Helen Rodgers at the church, and is teaching music to the students at the St. James Episcopal School. Mary Katherine has been a resident of Fairhope since 2005.  She and her husband Rodney have one daughter, Emily, who will be a high school senior this Fall.