Choir Director Jerry Campbell
Jerry grew up in a musical family. His father was off performing with a Barbershop Quartet the day he was born, much to his mother’s dismay. Mom and Dad both sang in their Methodist church choir, and when he was 10 they began taking him to choir practice with them.. From then on, he was part of one choir or another until he graduated from seminary at age 27. He has sung in choirs that required a rigorous audition and were composed of highly-trained musicians, but he prefers choirs of volunteers who share a love of music and a passion for fostering joy, justice, and peace.
Music was the bedrock of his life through the turbulent 1960s. As he pursued conscientious objector’s status during the Vietnam War, the music of protest spurred him on. He took inspiration from Pete Seeger and his rendition of “How Can I Keep from Singing.”
While he has never earned his living through music (he was a parish minister, executive director of a homeless shelter, an advancement officer in higher education, and a capital campaign consultant), it is music that has made life worth living. He has always interpreted the world and his work through musical metaphors. He says, “To build harmony from the various melodies of people’s lives, and in doing so, to cultivate joy, justice and peace is what I live for.”