|
|
Ben Outen
Executive Director
 Ben Outen, Founder and Executive Director of The Choir School at St. Peter’s serves as Organist and Choirmaster of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. Here he founded The Boys Choir at St. Peter’s in 1993, The Girls Choir at St. Peter’s in 1998, and The MasterSingers at St. Peter’s in 2003. Previously he served as Music Director of the First Presbyterian Church, Belmont, North Carolina; Music Director of the Charlotte Choir Boys; and Organ Scholar at Trinity Church on the Green, New Haven, Connecticut. Mr. Outen holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music from Furman University and a Master’s Degree in Music from Yale University. He has served on the staffs of the Montreat Music Conference and the Royal School of Church Music Winston Salem, Raleigh, Carolinas, and St. Louis Courses. He has participated in workshops with Sir David Willcocks, Phillip Brunelle, Lionel Rogg, James Jordan, and Alex Theimer. Mr. Outen’s background includes work on the stage and in the pit with local community and professional theater and opera companies.
Kay Johnson
Managing Director
 Kay Johnson, Managing Director of The Choir School at St. Peter’s, is an alumni parent of two boys and a girl who have graduated from The Choir School. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from North Carolina State University and a Masters in Business Administration from WVCOGS, now a component of Marshall University. Having helped found the choir in 1993 and worked with the choir since its beginning, Mrs. Johnson has been responsible for marketing, fund raising, tour arrangements, program scheduling, volunteer and office management.
Aaron Goen
Assistant Director
 Aaron Goen, Assistant Director and Accompanist of The Choir School at St. Peter’s, joined us in 2009. He also serves as Assistant Organist and Choirmaster at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Charlotte, North Carolina, Mr. Goen holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music from Vanderbilt University and a Master’s Degree in Music from Indiana University. After graduating college, he has directed a number of children’s choirs for both parishes and schools, most recently serving as Assistant Organist and Choirmaster for the Choirs of Men, Boys and Girls at Old St. Paul’s Church in Baltimore, MD. An active recitalist, he has performed in the San Diego, Los Angeles, Washington DC metro and Baltimore areas as well as at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, NJ.
Elsie Erneston
Development Director
 Ms. Erneston is the Choir School’s first Development Director. She joined the staff in 2010. Ms. Erneston comes to The Choir School following a long career in television advertising sales in Charlotte, which included time with WBTV, Petry Media Corporation and most recently as V.P., Group Sales Manager for Eagle Television. Ms. Erneston has performed with several groups in the Charlotte area, including the Oratorio Singers, the Oratorio Chamber Singers, and Christ Episcopal Church. A member of St. Peter’s, she currently sings with the St. Peter’s Evensong Choir and with Renaissance. She holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Appalachian State University, and is happy to have “returned to her roots” in her new position with The Choir School.
Christopher Brown
Director of the Boys and Girls Town Choirs
 Mr. Brown is the director of the Boys and Girls Town Choirs and he organizes and teaches two levels of The Choir School’s music theory “ribbon” program. Mr. Brown received his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Glenville State College (WV) and his Master’s Degree in Trumpet Performance from Eastern Kentucky University. Mr. Brown is a Nationally Board Certified Teacher in early childhood music and teaches general music at Sharon Elementary School. He is a seasoned trumpet player with performances with the Charlotte Concert Band, Legacy Brass, Clarion Brass, and other musical groups, as well as solo appearances. Mr. Brown chaired the CMS Elementary Honors Chorus in 2009 and 2010 and was awarded the Harris Teeter Teacher of Excellence Award in 2010.
|
