TC Jazz Society adds a new board member:
Dr. Ray Adams, founding Director of the Vero Beach Choral Society, is a rare blend of musical talent and knowledge, organizational and promotional skills, “people skills,” community concern and involvement, and personal commitment to promoting the arts.
Dr. Adams earned a Bachelor of Sacred Music from Wittenberg University (OH) where he studied under Dr. Fred Jackish, Trudy Faber, Donald Busarow, and Jan Bender. Dr. Adams had the opportunity during his Junior year to study in Berlin, Germany where he studied with Carl Hochreiter and Heinz Werner Zimmerman. He received a Master of Arts, Master of Fine Arts and Doctor of Music degrees from the University of Iowa. While attending his professors included: Dr. Delbert D. Disselhorst and Dr. Delores Bruch. He served as Director of Music/Organist at the Community Church of Vero Beach nineteen years from 1983-2002. In addition to his musical overseeing of the worship services, he designed and managed the ever-popular Bach’s Lunch Concert Series, the Sunday Concert Series and worked with the formation of the Indian River Symphonic Association. He also became the founding Director for the Academy of the Performing Arts, an addition to the educational wing of Community Church.
In April of 2002, after serving on the Board of Directors for the Indian River Charter High School, Dr. Adams was asked to be the founding Artistic Director for the Indian River Charter High School, Schumann School for the Visual and Performing Arts. Best known in the community as VAPA – Visual and Performing Arts. The school currently has three hundred students specializing in Dance, Drama, Music, and the Visual Arts.
Dr. Adams has amalgamated musicians from the Brevard Symphony Orchestra and the Vero Beach Choral Society’s choristers for many performances over the past years. He has served on the boards of the Brevard Symphony Orchestra, the Vero Beach Concert Association, the American Guild of Organists, the Vero Beach Downtown Redevelopment Agency, and the Indian River County Arts Council. Currently he is serving on the board of directors for the Cultural Council of Indian River County. He is a Member of the American Choral Directors Association, the Voice Care Network, Florida Music Teachers Association and the American Guild of Organist.
Dr. Adams, in 1992 was selected as the second Southern Bell/Classic 89 FM Patron of the Arts to receive the Virtuoso Award. In 1997 he was awarded the Professional Leadership Award by the Cultural Council of Indian River County in recognition of his outstanding leadership in cultural
Known, respectfully and affectionately, as Indian River County’s “Mr. Music,” Ray resides in Vero Beach with his wife, Phyllis.
For more information about TC Jazz Society visit tcjazz.org or attend one of their 2022 Season Concerts March 3rd, March 26th or April 16th at the Vero Beach Yacht Club at 12:30pm. Members are $40 each and Non Members are $45.
