Victoria Harden has been named director of music at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Little Rock, Arkansas, where she has served as interim director since January. Harden began studying piano at age 8 and organ at the age of 14, taking lessons from Fletcher Trotter at First United Methodist Church, Camden, Arkansas. Two years later she began her organ studies at Henderson State University with Robert Ellis and received her bachelor of music degree in 1972. Harden then attended North Texas State University and Memphis State University to earn a master of music in organ performance and a master of arts in musicology. During these years she served as organist-choirmaster at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Camden; Westminster Presbyterian Church, Hot Springs; and associate organist at St. Michael’s and All Angels Episcopal Church, Dallas. Organ positions in Memphis included Barth House Episcopal Chaplaincy, Christ Church Episcopal, and guest organist at St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral.
After moving to New York City in 1977, Harden played at St. Peter’s Church, St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church, and held the organist-choirmaster position at Bedford Park Presbyterian Church. While pursuing a doctoral pedagogy degree at Columbia University Teacher’s College, Harden was one of 35 professional choir members at St. Bartholomew’s Church, where she met and married her husband, Shelton. Upon returning to Arkansas in the 1990s, Harden taught at Southern Arkansas University, Southern Arkansas University Technical Branch, and in 2001 became the music faculty at South Arkansas Community College. During these years she served as organist-choirmaster of First Presbyterian Church and St. John’s Episcopal Church, Camden. For information: www.trinitylittlerock.org.
