Music Ministry

Everyone is welcome to join the Parish Choir from youth in high school to any age. They rehearse on Thursday evenings, beginning on August 29th, from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in the Choir Room downstairs. The Parish Choir sings at the 10:30 a.m. worship services, Choral Evensongs, Lessons and Carols, and at other special worship services. The choir is a welcoming and caring community of faith that shares its musical gifts to the glory of God. The Parish Choir is directed by Dr. Elizabeth Melcher Davis, Choirmaster & Organist, and accompanied by Stanley M. Baker, Assistant Choirmaster & Organist.

Check out performances of the Parish Choir on the GHTC Music SoundCloud or GHTC Music YouTube Channel.

The Children’s Choir is for children in pre-K through fifth grade. Children have the opportunity to develop singing skills, grow in fellowship and community, and participate in worship. The Children’s Choir rehearses weekly, beginning on September 8th, from 9:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. in the Children’s Choir Room upstairs. They sing on Children and Youth Sundays and at other worship services such as the Christmas Pageant. The Children’s Choir is directed by Abigail Stinnett and assisted by Stanley M. Baker, Assistant Choirmaster & Organist.

The Youth Instrumental Ensemble is open to all youth in upper elementary, middle, and high school. The ensemble includes strings, brass, woodwinds, piano, and acoustic guitar. The ensemble plays on Children and Youth Sundays at the 10:30 a.m. worship services and at other worship services during the year. They rehearse weekly, beginning on September 8th, after the 10:30 a.m. worship services in the church. The Youth Instrumental Ensemble is directed by Stanley M. Baker, Assistant Choirmaster & Organist.

Soparano Section Leader

Praised for her ‘magnificent, expressive soprano sound’ and ‘requisite emotion, physically as well as vocally’ (ShowBizRadio), Keely Bosworth Borland most recently made her Richmond Symphony Orchestra debut as Soprano Soloist in Handel’s Messiah and performed in the Chorus (Edith Cover) in Virginia Opera’s The Pirates of Penzance. In the 2021/2022 season, Ms. Borland performed as Due Donne/Le nozze di Figaro with Virginia Opera and Soprano Soloist in Handel’s Messiah with Central VA Masterworks Chorale.

During the pandemic, Ms. Borland supplemented her time with virtual musicals including Kathy Seldon/Singin’ in the Rain, Fiona MacLaren/Brigadoon, Carrie/Carousel, Anne Egerman/A Little Night Music, and Hodel/Fiddler on the Roof. Career highlights include Fiona MacLaren/Brigadoon (RMT), Gianetta/The Gondoliers (VLOC), Rapunzel/Into the Woods (St. Petersburg Opera), First Lady/The Magic Flute (Fargo-Moorhead Opera), Gretel/Hansel and Gretel (Opera Louisiane) as well as Soprano Soloist in Baltimore Choral Arts Society’s presentation of David Lang’s the little match girl passion, Haydn’s Die Schöpfung with Choralis, and Vivaldi’s Gloria & Handel’s Messiah, with the Westmoreland Choral Society.

A resident of Richmond, Ms. Borland is an Adjunct Voice Professor at Randolph-Macon College and works in the Film/TV industry, most notable projects include The Walking Dead: World Beyond, Dopesick, White House Plumbers, and Swagger.

Soparano Section Leader

Caroline Whisnant is an American opera singer and soprano whose repertoire encompasses Richard Strauss, Puccini, Wagner, bel canto, lieder, American Standards and musical theater. Her signature roles include the title role in Richard Strauss’s Elektra, the Dyer’s Wife in Die Frau ohne Schatten, the title role in Puccini’s Turandot & Brünnhilde in Wagner’s Ring Cycle. Caroline established herself as one of the finest singing actresses in the dramatic soprano repertoire. For her triumphant performance as Elektra with Frankfurt Opera the press raved “the way she nurses her father’s gleaming axe, you would not want to meet her in a dark alley.” In Die Walküre her performance was praised as “a perfect portrait of Brünnhilde.” While in America, Caroline worked across the United States with numerous houses including the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, Washington Opera and Dallas Opera. In Europe she has sung Turandot with Teatro La Fenice (Venice, Italy), Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden, Nationaltheater Mannheim and the Staatsoper Hannover; Elektra with Oper Frankfurt, Teatr Wielki in Warsaw, Stockholm’s Kungliga Operan and Norway’s Den Norske Opera and Anna Bolena with Nationaltheater Mannheim.

Assistant Soparano Section Leader

Mary Stuart Watkins has been a choir member of GHTC since 2003 and is currently an assistant soprano section leader. During the week, she is a project manager for a Richmond based real estate management company.

Mary Stuart has directed the Children’s Choir, served as music intern, and participated in numerous musical concerts/events at GHTC and the surrounding Richmond Metro area.

Her musical involvement started at an early age with both of her parents being accomplished organists working in various churches in Southern Virginia. This introduction led to her completing degrees in music and international studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. In her spare time, she enjoys painting, interior styling projects, working on guitar and hanging with family and friends.

Alto Section Leader & Children’s Choir Director

Abigail Stinnett is no stranger to Richmond. She grew up just around the corner in Mechanicsville and attended Virginia Commonwealth University, where she studied classical singing and discovered that opera was a passion. Abigail graduated from VCU with a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance. While at VCU, she participated in two award winning productions from the National Opera Association singing Miss Todd in The Old Maid and the Thief and the Witch in Hansel and Gretel. Other favorite roles include the Third Lady in The Magic Flute, Sally in Die Fledermaus and Sister Osmina in Suor Angelica. Aside from performing, Abigail is the alto section lead in the Parish Choir and the Children’s Choir Director at Grace and Holy Trinity Episcopal Church.

Tenor Section Leader

Nathaniel Roper graduated from VCU Music in May 2023 with a Bachelor of music in Vocal Performance and a minor in sound design. During his time there, he had the honor of participating in numerous productions with VCU Opera, singing roles such as Papageno and Herr Eiler from Mozart’s The Magic Flute and The Impresario respectively, as well as performing in individual scenes as Gabriel von Eisenstein from Johann Strauss II’s Die Fledermaus, and The Magician from Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Consul. He was also a member of the VCU Choir community, participating in such ensembles as Commonwealth Singers, Vocal Chamber Ensemble, and Choral Arts Society. As a sound designer he gained valuable experience in film and media scoring. He has a particular interest in obscure/lesser-known vocal works. His junior recital included a piece by the late-romantic/early 20th century Austrian composer Franz Schreker, and his senior recital contained a set of arias from an oratorio by German composer Luise Adolpha Le Beau, which he himself restored from the original manuscript.

Nate is honored and thrilled to be singing as a tenor section leader at Grace and Holy Trinity, and looks forward to making beautiful music with the incredibly talented members of the Parish Choir every week!

Assistant Tenor Section Leader

Cole Whittington, a vocalist and performer at heart, has served with the Grace and Holy Trinity Parish Choir since June of 2024. As of 2024, Cole is a second-year student of vocal performance at Virginia Commonwealth University under the tutelage of Michelle Harman-Gulick.

Cole has long been enthralled by music, performance, and the choral arts. Starting his journey of singing during grade school, Cole participated in many musical theater shows, performing in such starring roles as Gaston in Beauty and the Beast, Judas in Godspell, and Horton in The Seussical. Through musical theater and choir, Cole found a love for music and a passion for the beauty it brings to the world. As a chorister, Cole has performed in the 2019 and 2021 All-Virginia Mixed Choir as well as in the 2019 NAFME All-National Mixed Choir in Orlando, Florida. Other performance credits include a stint with the Richmond Symphony Chorus with whom he performed Roxanna Panufnik’s “Across the Line of Dreams” as part of RSO’s Negro Folk Symphony Showcase.

Cole is an active member of the VCU Commonwealth Singers as well as a member of the VCU Opera, with whom he made his operatic debut as part of Massenet’s Cendrillon in April of 2024. Cole hopes to continue working with the VCU Opera as well as surrounding companies in following his dream of becoming a professional opera singer and performer.

Chase Peak

Bass Section Leader

Acclaimed by Richmond Times Dispatch’s Tony Farrell “… especially baritone Chase Peak … who delivers every line with magnificent dynamics and indulges in terrific, expressive bits of acting business whenever he is onstage” for his role as Kapitan Tiago in COR’s production of Noli Me Tangere in 2016. He was also heralded by M. D. Ridge of WHRO Norfolk as “..robustly extroverted with a big, exuberant voice and confident manner” in the 2014 production of La Bohème, where he was featured in the role of Schaunard with Lyric Opera of Virginia. In 2008, he performed the National Anthem for President Barack Obama. Chase Peak is a graduate of VCU’s Department of Music with a vocal performance degree. Mr. Peak is in high demand for church and cathedral performances. He performed the role of Guglielmo in Mozart’s Cosi fan Tutte with Virginia Opera’s Young Artist Program. Most recently, Mr. Peak performed Marcello in COR’s production of La Boheme. In Chase’s personal career he works as an Investment Consultant with Fidelity Investments. Chase is a father to Wells Peak and husband to Erica Peak who is an Infectious Disease Doctor at VCU Health.

Assistant Bass Section Leader

​Brendan Landes is an avid choral music lover from Chesterfield, VA. He recently graduated from VCU where he studied Forensic Science, assisted in the learning for prospecting chemistry students, and participated in the VCU choir community as a tenor/baritone/bass. He was involved in VCU choirs as a bass section leader in Commonwealth Singers and a member of the Vocal Chamber Ensemble for about 2 years. He found a love for music in high school through his choir director and his performances in both vocal chamber and show choir, performing a wide variety of music genres and learning about their own unique complexities. He enjoys finding and reading the works of Ola Gjeilo, Eric Whitacre, Elaine Hagenberg, and many other notable musicians outside of his Forensic Science studies and additional hobbies. Brendan is honored and excited to sing as a member with the Grace and Holy Trinity Episcopal Church Parish Choir!