A very special Choral Evensong was presented on Sunday, January 5th, at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Middleburg. It served the dual purpose of recognizing Wendy Oesterling's 24-year music ministry at Emmanuel as well as a "Thank You!" from Wendy to the people of Emmanuel and the Middleburg community for supporting and enabling the ministry.

Wendy's music ministry at Emmanuel has included two components. The first is the role of Music Director, as organist and choir director, leading music in worship for Sunday services, Easter, Christmas, baptism, memorial services, and other liturgical services praising God and sharing God's love through music. Emmanuel Church has become a spiritual home for many singers and listeners alike, many of whom have been drawn to the church by the church's music ministry.

The second component has been the 21-year outreach ministry of the Piedmont Singers. Wendy founded the Piedmont Singers in 1999 when the then Rector at Emmanuel, Marc Andrus, decided he would like Emmanuel's choir to sing Handel's Messiah as a sacred concert to end the annual Christmas in Middleburg celebration. He came to Wendy with his vision. Emmanuel at that time only had a very small choir and Handel's Messiah would have been a reach. Wendy suggested she open the opportunity to church singers across the region who might love a chance to sing Handel's wonderful oratorio. Thus the Piedmont Singers was founded and 21 years of closing concerts for Christmas in Middleburg celebration followed. The ministry of the Piedmont Singers now moves forward to another era as Wendy has been invited to continue the Piedmont Singers' outreach ministry at Grace Episcopal Church in The Plains, where they look forward to greeting you for many seasons to come.

During the Piedmont Singers' 21 seasons, the choir has garnered the reputation for presenting the finest in sacred choral music from many periods and genres for Christmas and during Holy Week. The choir has drawn singers from 40+ churches from our region over the years, has sung 80+ musical presentations with more than 750 pieces of music. The Piedmont Singers' outreach has spread the ministry throughout Virginia as well as to the National Cathedral in Washington DC. The choir's reach has extended across the Atlantic through invitations to serve as "choir-in-residence" at Wells Cathedral, Canterbury Cathedral, St. Patrick's Cathedral (Dublin), York Minster Cathedral, and Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, singing Choral Evensong every day for a week as well as Sunday services, and becoming part of the life of each cathedral.

On January 5th, 62 Piedmont Singers celebrated Wendy's ministry with an Evensong that showcased music written specifically for the Piedmont Singers to perform at the Cathedral residencies. The contributing composers, including James Laster, Kathy Bowers, and Georgiann Toole were in attendance -- all traveling from out of state, even as far away as Colorado. The church was filled to capacity and overflowed into the Parish Hall with people who love and appreciate Wendy and provide support for the continuing Piedmont Singers' ministry. The Evensong was live streamed into the Parish Hall and projected on a big screen.

The Evensong service opened with a musical canon which is embedded in a new anthem titled Soli Deo Gloria and composed by Georgiann Toole. The inspiration for this glorious anthem stems from Wendy's favorite saying to the singers, "We sing soli Deo Gloria – to the glory of God alone." The piece was commissioned by the Piedmont Singers specifically for this Evensong in honor of Wendy's music ministry and was sung as the closing anthem. Everyone who has ever heard or sung with one of Wendy's choirs or attended a service has been blessed by Wendy's planning of the perfect music to sing to the glory of God.

The Piedmont Singers now begins its 22nd season under Wendy's direction as a musical outreach ministry at Grace Episcopal Church in The Plains. An evening service is planned for early May featuring Haydn's Little Organ Mass with Dr. Jason Farris, music director of Grace Church, at the organ. The Piedmont Singers, Wendy, and the people of Grace Church will welcome you warmly to their continuing ministry of music presented soli Deo gloria.