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
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
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
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
Charles Tompkins
Organist
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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
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)
Latest News
Music Ministry
Summer Music Services 2019
The first two Sundays in August will be summer music services when we are hosting the Furman Singers Alumni Choir on August 4 and guest singer-songwriter Pat Terry on August 11. Jim Dant will be the speaker during both of these services. On August 4, alumni from the...
Sanctuary Choir Sing & Sips: Come Mingle!
Summer is here! It’s time to have a little fun… and we want you to join members of the Sanctuary Choir for our summer socials! Each summer, the Sanctuary Choir hosts three “Sing and Sip” Soirées. Because the choir is off from regular rehearsals...
Herring Church Music Intern Awarded
For the past two years, during his junior and senior years at Furman University, Bergsvein Toverud served as the Herring Church Music Intern here at FBG. He also served as a Herring Choral Scholar here during his freshman and sophomore years in college. At...
June 23
10:30AM SANCTUARY | 6:00PM FERNWOOD BAPTIST CHURCH DINING ROOM Ryan Madora, bass guitarist, and her husband, singer-songwriter Craig Haller, will provide music in our morning worship service then travel to Fernwood Baptist in Spartanburg for an evening coffeehouse...
Save the Date for Summer Music Sunday
AUGUST 11 | 10:30AM SANCTUARY (LUNCH CONCERT TO FOLLOW)/ 6:00PM FERNWOOD BAPTIST PAT TERRY Pat Terry will be our guest for Summer Music Sunday, singing during morning worship and giving a lunch concert. Then he will go to Fernwood Baptist for an evening coffeehouse...
The Celebration Singers
TUCKER FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH | TUCKER, GEORGIA Sunday, June 2, at 10:30am the Celebration Singers, a 47-voice youth choir from Tucker First United Methodist Church (UMC) will provide the music for our worship service. The choir of Senior High and Middle School...
Amy Joye
Bonclarken Guest Conductor Amy Joye, director of our Junior Choir and Vocare, has been invited to serve as a guest conductor for the Bonclarken Music Conference this summer. She will serve as junior clinician, working with 4th and 5th-grade singers, and be part of...
Music from the Edge
WINTER MUSIC SUNDAY FEBRUARY 10, 10:30AM NITA STRAUSS Nita Strauss has been named #1 Female Rock Guitarist in the world. She is tour guitarist for Alice Cooper, has just released and toured a solo album Controlled Chaos, is the first woman to have a...