Music ministry director keeps beat at St. Mary's
BY PATRICIA YOCZIS
Correspondent

COLTS NECK - Tom Carter, the new director of music ministry at St. Mary's Parish, brings to the congregation his expertise of sacred music and something more - his love of jazz.

"I studied jazz with Jimmy Amadie, a former sideman (piano accompanist) with Mel Torme and Woody Herman," said Carter. "It was a great experience. Now I play for my own enjoyment and sometimes after a worship service as people are departing."

His introduction to jazz, he said, comes from his acquaintance with Trip Williams, a Methodist minister and jazz pianist.

"While I was in Gloucester City High School, I heard him play and was turned on to jazz," said Carter, 32. "Now I favor straight-ahead jazz (traditional jazz) like Dave Brubeck and Art Tatum."

Before coming to St. Mary's Church, Carter had been a church musician for several denominations, including the Baptist, United Methodist, Greek Orthodox and Presbyterian churches. Perhaps, he said, the opportunity will come to add a synagogue to his résumé.

For the last three years, Carter has been the full-time director of sacred music at St. Isaac Jogues Church, Marlton. He was responsible for the installation and voicing of a new Allen Renaissance Quantum 80-stop organ at the 10-year-old parish that has a membership of 2,400 families.

"St. Isaac's has a vast space that accommodates 1,400 people," said Carter, a past vice president of the Southwest Jersey Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. "Once, we held a spectacular four-organ concert in the church. Three organists brought and set up their own organs for the performance."

Carter said that after he attended a high school performance of the musical "George M," he begged his parents, Tom and Trudie Carter, to give him piano lessons. He was 6 years old when he started to learn the piano.

As he grew older, his piano, organ and voice education continued as a performance major at Eastern University, St. Davids, Pa., and Rutgers University, Camden. He added other percussion instruments, the trumpet and clarinet to his repertoire, as well as directing theater productions.

"I've done musical direction for stage productions at Rutgers and for the children's theater at the South Jersey Performing Arts Center, such as the 'Velveteen Rabbit' and 'Tom Sawyer,' " said Carter. "The productions have included high school, college and semi-professional level musicals, and included writing some original material."

Carter said that since arriving at St. Mary's in June, he has been consulting with the wealth of talented members of the various music ministries, including the children's choir and the adult choirs, the volunteer organists, pianists and cantors, as well as the bell choir members.

"I hope to maintain and recruit members for these music ministries, especially the bell choir," said Carter, a member of the American Guild of English Hand Bell Ringers. "The hand bells require no prior musical experience and 30 people can play what really is just one instrument."

As for the future, he said he hopes to reach out to all members of St. Mary's Parish and to the other area churches to join in musical liturgies, productions and concerts.

"There's a pastoral element to music ministry and I want to foster a sense of community within the various music groups and congregational singing," said Carter, a member of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians. "I am thrilled to be at St. Mary's and overwhelmed with the warm hospitality from the pastor, Father Thomas Triggs, and members of St. Mary's who continue to welcome me and my family."

His wife, Karen, has sung as a soprano cantor at Mass at St. Mary's, he said, and his 2-year old son, Josiah, sings at Mass, too.

"Josiah believes it's his duty to sing when everyone else stops," said Carter. "Also, he loves to sing 'alleluia' when he greets anyone, too."

Carter, a native of Gloucester, resides with his family in Brick Township, Ocean County. He enjoys hiking, the beach and, of course, jazz concerts, especially at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank.