St. Peter, Minnesota
Annette Meeks received her Vocal Music Education degree from South Dakota State University and was a music educator, voice instructor, and adjudicator in South Dakota and Minnesota. She is currently in her 30th year as Choir Director at Trinity Lutheran Church of St. Peter. She also founded and directed the Riverlights, a St. Peter-based vocal jazz ensemble, for twenty-six years. Ms. Meeks has either performed with or directed the Saint Peter Choral Society since 1985.
Sara Hayden McKay, originally
from Nova Scotia, co-founded the Saint Peter Choral Society in 1979. A Former member of two of the world's leading choirs, The Festival Singers of Canada under the direction of Elmer Iseler and Fitz Hoyois' l'Ensemble Vocal de Bruxelles in Belgium, she sang over 300 concerts in Canada and Europe. Her degrees in vocal performance are from McGill University and Ecole Vincent d'Indy in Montreal where she studied with Dutch baritone Bernard Diamant. Mrs. McKay was contralto soloist and section leader at the Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul, Montreal, Timothy Eaton Memorial Church and Holy Blossom Temple, Toronto, St. Matthew's United Church, Halifax, and Asbury Methodist Church, Rochester, NY. She performed the contralto solos in the major oratorios with orchestras in Canada and Belgium. Mrs. McKay has directed the Saint Peter Choral Society since 1980.