Stephen & Susan Talley

Stephen Jeffrey Talley, Minster of Music

Susan Farmer Talley, Associate in Music

Stephen and Susan Talley arrived at Covenant Presbyterian Church on July 2, 2001. From 1991 until their move to Charlotte, Stephen was Director of Music at "The Cathedral of the Rockies," First United Methodist Church in Boise, Idaho, while Susan was Associate Director of Music/Organist at the same church. Previous positions included Director of Music (Stephen) and Organist (Susan) at First Presbyterian Church in Delray Beach, Florida. Their daughter Laurel is studying at Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and is a former member of the Boise Philharmonic.

Faith/Philosophy Statement

"We believe in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: our Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer. We believe in the grace of God, given to all, not earned, for the forgiveness of our sins. We believe we have God-given gifts and talents and are compelled to use them for the betterment of God's world through leading others to Christ.

We believe that the purposes of Music Ministry are four-fold:

• Praise: Music Ministry is a personal and corporate act of praise, offering choristers an avenue of personal expression, while inspiring those who hear.
• Service: Music Ministry offers choristers of all ages the opportunity to serve as worship leaders. They grow in their understanding of teamwork, commitment, and the importance of sharing their gifts.
• Education: Choristers learn scriptures, Christian concepts, and church traditions. They also learn musical concepts and a variety of musical styles.
• Fellowship: Choir members enjoy time together and grow in their faith while sharing good experiences and supporting each other through tough times. People of a wide variety of ages and backgrounds come together with the common purpose of praising their Creator with their talents and voices.

A Music Program which is guided by these purposes is a Ministry, not merely a "performance" or "entertainment" for the church."

Education

Stephen Talley

• 1980 Master of Music in Organ Performance,
  State University of New York at Fredonia
• 1975 Bachelor of Music in Church Music, cum laude,
  Westminster College, New Wilmington, PA

Susan Talley

• 1976 Organ Fellow at the Washington National Cathedral
• 1974-1976 Graduate Study in Organ at the Royal Danish
  Conservatory, Copenhagen, Denmark, on a Marshal
  Foundation Grant
• 1974 Bachelor of Arts in Romance Languages and Literature,
  magna cum laude, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
• 1970-1974 Organ study, Westminster Choir College,
  Princeton, NJ