Mark Whitmire

Director of Music

804-355-1779 ext. 323
Dr. Whitmire has been Director of Music at St. James’s Church since 1995. In addition to training the choristers of the Cherub Choir and Children’s Choir, he directs the Parish Choir which is made up of 25 parishioners and 10 professional singers. The Choir has sung in England, France and Italy, including Gloucester Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Canterbury Cathedral, Worcester Cathedral, St. Peter’s Basilica (Rome), St. Mark’s Basilica (Venice), and Notre Dame Cathedral (Paris).

Dr. Whitmire attended Abilene Christian University (BMed), the University of Texas (MM), and the University of Maryland (DMA), where he was a student of James McDonald and George Shirley. He has received numerous grants and awards, including a scholarship for post-graduate studies at the Britten-Pears School in England (where he studied with Sir Peter Pears), and a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities for research and writing on the music of Benjamin Britten.

Dr. Whitmire served as Adjunct Professor of Music and Liturgy at Virginia Theological Seminary for 28 years, until his retirement in 2017.