philip smith

Trumpet

Philip Smith is in his 31st year as Principal Trumpet of the New York Philharmonic. A graduate of The Juilliard School, his first appointment was to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He appears regularly as soloist, recitalist and clinician around the world, as well as being a featured soloist with the NYP in over 75 performances. You can find out more about him at his website, principaltrumpet.com.

Photo credit: © Chris Lee. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

sheila smith

Soprano

Sheila Smith studied voice at the University of Hartford's, The Hartt School, as well as coaching in Sienna, Italy. Having sung with the Connecticut Opera Company and the Coachlight Dinner Theater, she performs regularly with her husband and their gospel group, Resounding Praise. She is Choir Director of the Hawthorne Gospel Church in New Jersey, and speaks regularly on the topic of Prayer Ministry. She has been active in leading church youth choirs in Chicago, Illinois and in New Jersey, and has been guest vocal instructor at the Salvation Army Advanced Institutes in Georgia, California, Texas, and New Jersey. She has served as music teacher and choir director in the Eastern Christian School system, choral director for the Montclair Salvation Army Church Senior and Youth Choirs, and the Senior Choir of the Covenant Christian Reformed Church in North Haledon, NJ. Both Philip and Sheila have performed in Australia, the Bahamas, Canada, and England as well as throughout the United States.

randall wm. burghart

Conductor

Randall Wm. Burghart served as Associate Conductor of the Evangelical Choral Society since fall 1995, becoming its Music Director in 2009. He has also been an Assistant Professor of Music at Cornerstone University, where he conducted the University Chorale and the vocal chamber ensemble, Credo. In addition, Burghart has been the music director for numerous theatrical productions. His production of "The Greatest Song: in Critique of Solomon", an oratorio presentation of The Song of Solomon, was heralded by its creator, Calvin Seerveld, as the finest presentation of the work in its 40-year history. A 1995 Cornerstone graduate, Burghart studied composition with Dr. Richard N. Stewart and received his master's degree in choral conducting from Michigan State University, where he studied with Charles K. Smith.

Photo credit: © Ryan Prins.