Music

Music at First Baptist Greenville is a thriving ministry with an incredible level of talent.

Gifted musicians work with Children’s Choirs for those 3 years old through elementary school. Many students in our youth group not only sing in the choir, but play a variety of instruments. We are fortunate to maintain a strong relationship with Furman University. Furman students sing in the Sanctuary Choir and have additional leadership opportunities through the Herring church music internship and Herring choral scholar program. The Sanctuary Choir is the primary choir for our worship services and usually prepares from four to six music services each year. 

The Sanctuary Choir has had the honor of performing for national and regional conferences of the American Choral Directors Association. They have sung for Furman Church Music Conferences with guest conductors, Mack Wilberg, Andre Thomas and John Ferguson. In 2016, they hosted a residence with composer Morten Lauridsen and had the opportunity to work with him on his Lux Aeterna with chamber orchestra.

They have also traveled to sing in the Riverside Church in New York City, Duke Chapel in Durham, NC, and been invited to the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. They have sung major choral and orchestral works including: Handel’s Messiah, Faure Requiem, Brahms Requiem, Rutter Gloria and Magnificat, Pinkham Christmas Cantata, and Mendelssohn’s Elijah. The Sanctuary Choir is an energetic, dedicated group of people who sing everything from Handel and Mendelssohn to Latin American sambas and jazz. If you want to be part of a community of faith where music is a vital part of our services and youth and children’s ministries, join us in worship and discover the gifts that music can offer us all in our spiritual journeys.

Fred DeFoor

Interim Minister of Music and Worship

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Interim Minister of Music and Worship Fred DeFoor, a native of Greenville, is a third-generation graduate of Furman University (BM in Church Music ’77) and of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (MCM ’81). He served churches in Georgia and North Carolina, then returned to South Carolina as Minister of Music at St. Andrews Baptist Church, Columbia, before retiring in 2021 after 34 years.

Fred has experience directing and teaching choirs for children, youth, adults, senior adults, handbells, and instruments in both local church and state settings. Active in the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of South Carolina, he serves as chair of the General Assembly Team, which First Baptist will host in 2025.

Fred is married to Cindy (Furman ’78), a retired teacher of preschoolers with special needs. They relocated to Simpsonville last year and joined the First Baptist Greenville Sanctuary Choir and the church in May. Fred shares, “I have known Vivian Hamilton since our undergraduate days at Furman and have been blessed by her ministry and friendship. It’s my privilege to follow her and my joy to serve my church as Interim Minister of Music and Worship!”

Kimberly Coates

Music and Worship Ministry Assistant

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Kimberly Coates has served as the Music and Worship Ministry Assistant at First Baptist Greenville since 2008. Kimberly works closely with Vivian Hamilton with regard to the Sanctuary Choir and worship services. She has the privilege to work on many aspects of the worship services from planning to implementation. She also enjoys working with Amy Joye and the leaders of the Children’s Choirs , providing whatever support she can. Getting to know members of the choirs and their families is a joy and makes a large church seem smaller. Kimberly is also responsible for the church newsletter, trying to keep the church informed on events within the church as well as those within our community and affiliates. A graduate of Mars Hill College, Kimberly has a math degree but continued music study, singing with Dr. William Thomas in the Mars Hill College Choir. Kimberly and her husband, Lee, have three grown children: Brittany, Jordan (Gracie) and Sara Kathryn; and two granddaughters, Cece and Olivia.

Charles Tompkins

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An active church musician throughout his career, Charles Tompkins returns to First Baptist as Organist in 2023, previously serving in the that role from 1997 to 2016. He has also served other churches in our area and as consultant for a number of outstanding organs, including Furman’s Hartness Organ, a 42-stop instrument by C.B. Fisk organ builders (Opus 121).

Charles Tompkins is recognized as one of America’s most outstanding organ teachers and concert organists. He is the Distinguished University Organist at Furman University, where he recently retired from full-time teaching. He continues to serve as Organ Accompanist for the Furman Singers and Chamber Choir and as Director of Furman’s Hartness Organ Recital Series.

A graduate of the Eastman School of Music (University of Rochester) and the University of Michigan, Tompkins is an active recitalist, performing at prestigious venues in both the United States and abroad every year. Recent international engagements have included recitals at Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris and St. Paul’s Cathedral, London. He has performed at national and regional conventions of the American Guild of Organists, the Association of Anglican Musicians, the Music Teachers National Association, and the College Music Society. His performances have also been broadcast nationally on American Public Media’s PIPEDREAMS radio program.

Youth

 Vocare

Vocare is the vocal ensemble of youth in grades 6-12. They rehearse on Sundays following worship services. Amy Joye, Music Associate, is their director.

Amy Joye

Music Associate

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Originally from Woodruff, SC, Amy grew up as a member of Woodruff First Baptist Church where her mother was Minister of Music and father was Choir Director. She graduated from Furman University in 1995 with the Bachelor of Music degree in Church Music. She also attended Converse College and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, studying vocal performance and music education. Amy has taught preschool and elementary music in Kentucky and North Carolina and has led workshops for children’s choir directors in Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Missouri. Amy has served as the Children’s Choir Director at Highland Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky, as the Music Associate for Children at Myers Park Baptist Church in Charlotte, NC, and as the Children’s Choir Coordinator at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Greenville, SC.
Upon moving back to Greenville in 2008, Amy joined First Baptist Greenville and became active in the Music Ministry here, serving as Junior Choir Director and singing in the Sanctuary Choir. She is a children’s choir curriculum author and has had music and materials published by Lifeway and Growing in Grace. She also created her own preschool church choir curriculum Sing, Play, Rejoice in God!
Amy is also an accomplished singer and performs with the Greenville Chorale, the Herring Chamber Ensemble and the South Carolina Bach Choir. Amy is the proud mother of Will Bailey, who is also an active musician and church member at First Baptist Greenville.

Children

Music for Children at First Baptist Greenville is an opportunity for our children to experience God’s love as they sing hymns and other songs of our faith, play instruments, and develop musical skills. In choir, our children will learn to praise God and lead others in worship, while building a strong musical foundation, so they can continue to participate in worship through music for the rest of their lives.

Children from 4 years old through 5th grade can participate in our Children’s Music Program throughout the school year:

Sundays: The K4 & K5 Choir meets in B420 on Sundays at 9:00am and then participates in Sunday School. Ellen Wilson is the director of this choir.

Wednesdays: The 1st-5th Grade Choir meets as a part of our Children@First Wednesday Evening Program. They meet in B423 from 5:45-6:10pm and then participate in Co-Creator Block activities until 7:00pm. Amy Joye, Music Associate, assisted by Joanne Smith and Will Livingston, directs this choir.

Bell Tower Ringers

Julie Treu has a long history of playing and directing handbells.

She joined First Baptist in 2016, coming from a local church where she directed five handbell choirs for 18 years. Here at FBG, she assisted with resurrecting the handbell ministry and was both the administrator and a ringer for the first few years until taking over as director in 2019. She also has participated in local handbell ensemble groups such as Carolina Bronze to make sure her “hands keep ringing!”

The Bell Tower Ringers ensemble handbell choir was born in the spring of 2016 and consists of 13-14 ringers, most of whom have many years of ringing experience, but some are without any but have a willingness to learn! New ringers are always welcome to join the sub list, with the anticipation of being first to be asked to permanently join the choir when positions open up. Rehearsals are on Sunday evenings, and the Bell Tower Ringers provide music for Sunday morning worship services throughout the year. Rehearsals are suspended during the summer months.

Music@First

Friday,February 9, 7:30pm
St. Olaf College Choir in Concert – ticketed event (Sanctuary)

Sunday, February 18, 3:00pm
Organist Charles Tompkins will present a recital in celebration of the 40th anniversary of our Casavant organ. (Sanctuary).

Sunday, April 21, 10:30am
Music for the Soul: FBG’s Sanctuary Choir will present a service of music. (Sanctuary)

Sunday, April 28, 3:00pm
Greenville Chorale Concert (Sanctuary) – ticketed event

Sunday, May 19, 3:00pm
Crown Mountain Trio (Sanctuary) – free concert

Sunday, July 28, 10:30am
Furman Singers Alumni Choir present service of music. (Sanctuary)

Sunday, December 110:30am
First Sunday of Advent Hanging of the Green Service (Sanctuary)

Sunday, December 810:30am
Second Sunday of Advent Songs of Advent: On the Way to Bethlehem Music Service (Sanctuary)

Sunday, December 153:00pm
Ringing in the Holidays Christmas Concert with Bell Tower Ringers (Sanctuary)

Sunday, December 226:30pm
Service of Lessons and Carols (Sanctuary)

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