Sounds at St. Philip's offers three Choral Evensongs in 2024-2025

Sounds at St. Philip’s will offer three Choral Evensongs in the 2024-2025 season, beginning on Friday, September 20 at 5:00 pm with a celebration of the Feast of St. Hildegard of Bingen. This beautiful musical liturgy offers a peaceful and inspiring hour of music and contemplation for everyone.


The September 20 Choral Evensong will include works and writings by Hildegard, the saint and mystic who lived from 1098-1179.


Four guests from Asheville Baroque (AB) will come together as a Palladian ensemble, with Gail Ann Schroeder, viola da gamba, Gregory Hamilton, theorbo, and Christof Richter and Daniela Pierson, violins. Together with choir and organ, they will offer hymns, psalms and anthems composed by some of music’s most notable melodists. Featured are Hildegard of Bingen, Claudio Monteverdi, and modern artists Kathryn Rose and Gwyneth Walker.


Read more about our guest artists below


Two more Choral Evensongs will be offered this season. On Sunday, February 16 jazz artists Blue Ghost Quartet will join us for the Feast of St. Absalom Jones, the first black priest ordained in the Episcopal Church. And on Friday, May 2 our Evensong will celebrate our patron saint, Philip, with new music and a special dedication by composer Jesse Kaiser.


All of these events are free and open to the public. Offerings are welcome and will support the music program at St. Philip’s.


Meet our Guest Artists for September 20

Gail Ann Schroeder

Gail is Artistic Director of Asheville Baroque. She studied viola da gamba at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels with Wieland Kuijken, obtaining her First Prize and Higher Diploma, with distinction. She subsequently taught viola da gamba, pedagogy and directed the viol consort at the Brussels Conservatory from 1988 to 2002.

Gail has had an extensive career as soloist and as chamber musician, concertizing and recording with numerous ensembles and performing in many European festivals. Since returning to the USA in 2006, she has been in demand as a teacher and ensemble coach at workshops for the Viola da Gamba Society of America, the Amherst Early Music Festival, Madison Early Music Festival, Music on the Mountain, Retreat to Advance and Mountain Collegium, where she is assistant director and head of the viol program. In December 2022 she performed with the Reel Sisters for the Sounds at St. Philip's program titled "Reel Baroque."

Gregory Hamilton

Gregory is well known as a composer, organist, conductor, lutenist and theorbo player. He attended Baldwin-Wallace University (B.MUS) The Royal College of Music, London, (M.Mus, A.R.C.M.) and the University of Michigan, (MA Musicology), (DMA, Sacred Music) where he was a scholarship student of Dr. Marilyn Mason. In early music, continuo and lute, he was a student of Nigel North and Jacob Lindberg at the RCM and Guildhall (London).

Gregory is currently Director of Sacred Music at St. Joseph Parish in Macon, GA, and performs with early music ensembles throughout the USA.

Christof Richter and Daniela Pierson


Christof obtained both a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in violin performance from the Peabody Institute where he studied with Charles Libove. After further studies at the Konservatorium der Stadt Wien, he participated in the Taos Chamber Music Festival, the New England Bach Festival, and the Institut für Musik und Kirche in Bressanone, Italy. He performed regularly with the Kennedy Center Opera Orchestra, the Pennsylvania Ballet Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Opera Lafayette, and the Delaware and Harrisburg Symphonies. Christof regularly returns to his native Colombia for chamber music performances and to run the Early Music Festival of Barichara.


Daniela was principal violist of Tempesta di Mare for over ten years and has performed on violin and viola with many early music ensembles including New Trinity Baroque, Early Music New York, Harmonious Blacksmith, Clarion Music Society, New York Collegium, La Rocinante, and Washington Cathedral Baroque Orchestra. She has appeared at the Magnolia Baroque and Newburyport Festivals, Festival Internacional de Música Barroca de Barichara, and as a guest artist with Chatham Baroque. Daniela loves sharing music with others through teaching as well as performing. She directed a youth orchestra for twelve years and maintains a teaching studio of young violinists both online and in person.


When Daniela and Christof aren’t performing and teaching, they are planting fruit trees, feeding their ducks, and rebuilding an old cabin in the beautiful hills of East Tennessee.

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