Centre Church Music
We have always had a love for music in our services and our church life. For many of us, music is what moves us spiritually! During COVID, we were of course sad to not be able to sing together in our sanctuary, but our organist and soloists met weekly (safely socially distanced in the sanctuary) to pre-record music for our Sunday Zoom Worship, and other soloists have recorded music remotely. As COVID receded, we were thrilled to once again enjoy adult choir, first masked and now masks-optional. Sometimes we also have children's choir, bell choir, talent shows and cabarets, Christmas caroling at nursing homes and members' homes, old fashioned hymn sings. We use both The Pilgrim Hymnal and The New Century Hymnal for a wide variety of traditional and new hymns. Occasional special concerts happen, with organ, piano, talented members, guest musicians, interdenominational choirs. Once a month in the Summer we join with the other local UCC churches for Union Services with combined choirs (this took some creativity on Zoom in 2020 and 2021, and it was nice to gather in person again in 2022!). Our Sanctuary has been used by many outside organizations for concerts, thanks to its downtown location, great acoustics, ample seating, and high quality organ (feel free to contact us about rental!).
Our Music Director and Organist, Mary Milkey-May, has been a pleasure to work with since June 2015. Mary is a Brattleboro native who was blessed to have many positive organ influences early on in her life. She began studying the organ in high school, and was fortunate to have a key to the Baptist Church, so she was able to practice on their beautiful organ practically any time she wanted. Her high school chorus teacher was an organist in Greenfield, MA, and got her started playing services. In fact, one of those first jobs was at the West Brattleboro Congregational Church in 1972, where she earned $15 a week. Big money at the time, especially for a high school student!
She began studying music at Boston University in 1973, but transferred to UVM as a sophomore because they were getting a wonderful new Fisk Organ along with a new music building. After graduating she taught music for a few years in Colchester, VT before moving to Amherst, MA to get her Master's degree in organ performance. After squeezing a two year degree program into one year of study, while also serving as a teaching assistant, she returned to teaching in Colchester. At the same time she served as both the organist at College St. Congregational Church and the choir director at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Burlington, VT.
In 1984 she returned to Amherst and has resided there ever since. During that time she taught primarily for the Amherst Public Schools, and also held Director of Music positions at the E. Longmeadow Methodist Church, followed by the First Church of Monson, where she remained for 20 years.
Mary loves working with church choirs (both adult and youth), and she still finds so much joy in playing the organ for services.
She began studying music at Boston University in 1973, but transferred to UVM as a sophomore because they were getting a wonderful new Fisk Organ along with a new music building. After graduating she taught music for a few years in Colchester, VT before moving to Amherst, MA to get her Master's degree in organ performance. After squeezing a two year degree program into one year of study, while also serving as a teaching assistant, she returned to teaching in Colchester. At the same time she served as both the organist at College St. Congregational Church and the choir director at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Burlington, VT.
In 1984 she returned to Amherst and has resided there ever since. During that time she taught primarily for the Amherst Public Schools, and also held Director of Music positions at the E. Longmeadow Methodist Church, followed by the First Church of Monson, where she remained for 20 years.
Mary loves working with church choirs (both adult and youth), and she still finds so much joy in playing the organ for services.