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Shadyside Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh, appoints Mark A. Anderson as director of music ministry

October 19, 2011
THE DIAPASON

Shadyside Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, announces the appointment of Mark A. Anderson as director of music ministry.



His duties include directing the Shadyside Chancel Choir, playing the organ at weekly and holiday worship services, and serving as director of “Music in a Great Space” concert series. Anderson previously served as organist/choirmaster at the Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill (Philadelphia) for fifteen years, in addition to prior church positions in New York, Kentucky, Texas, and California.



The first director of the Pennsylvania Girlchoir of Philadelphia, Anderson also is the founder and past director of the San Marino National Organ Competition, the San Marino Music and Arts program, and the Westminster Choir College Middle School Vocal Camp. He was for several years the director of the Westminster Choir College Summer Organ Week for High School Students and is a past dean of the Philadelphia AGO chapter.



Anderson has won awards for his choral compositions and hymns, including the AGO/Concordia University Composition Award for a hymn written in conjunction with Cynthia A. Jarvis, in honor of the dedication of the new Mander organ at the Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill. His music is published by Augsburg Fortress Press.



Anderson studied at Westminster Choir College, Indiana University, and the Eastman School of Music. His primary teachers have been David Craighead and Donald McDonald (organ), Joseph Flummerfelt and Robert Porco (conducting), and Elisabeth Wright (harpsichord). He has taught at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, Centre College of Kentucky in Danville, and Austin Theological Seminary, in Austin, Texas.



An active recitalist, Anderson has presented recitals and masterclasses throughout the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Germany, Iceland, and Japan. Performances, both live and recorded, have been broadcast on the BBC, NPR, and Icelandic State Radio.