VIEW FULL SITE MENU Close

Rebecca Barrineau Taylor

Rebecca Barrineau Taylor is the Director of Music Ministries/Organist/Choirmaster at Church of the Ascension. She began her tenure at Ascension in 1984, directing the children’s choir, became organist in 1986, and choir director in 1995. After study in Tuscaloosa, she joined the staff at Ascension full time in 2000. She was baptized at Christ Church, Pensacola, Florida,played the organ at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church from 1962-1967, and has served Episcopal, Methodist and Presbyterian churches in Pensacola; Quincy, Florida; Dothan, Alabama; Andalusia, Alabama; and Montgomery.

Becky was named Artistic Director/Conductor of the Montgomery Chorale (www.montgomerychorale.org) in 2002, after serving as accompanist and Interim Director intermittently since 1978. In 2000, she earned a Master of Music Degree in Organ Performance and Choral Conducting at the University of Alabama, studying with Warren Hutton and Sandra Willetts. Her undergraduate degree is in Music Education from Florida State University, where she studied with Joseph Flummerfelt. While at Florida State she sang with the University Singers. Performance highlights included the Singers serving as the resident choir for Gian Carlo Menotti’s Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy, and performed with Robert Shaw at the Atlanta Symphony.

Becky’s musical background is varied, including her two-year tenure as the initial director (and present board member) of the Alabama Institute for Education in the Arts, based in Montgomery, which trains teachers in discipline-based arts education. She has taught music at both The Montgomery Academy and Saint James School. In addition to teaching summer programs and working with Parks and Recreation (Art in the Park), Jubilee and Children’s Theatre for the City of Montgomery, she was founding director of the Montgomery Area Girls’ Chorus and the Montgomery Youth Chorale. She has performed with the Alabama Shakespeare Festival and the Montgomery Symphony, among numerous performances as solo performer, accompanist and conductor and serving as a substitute organist at Temple Beth-Or. From 1984-1989 she served as musical director for the Jasmine Hills Arts Council, helping to direct and produce five shows. While in Tuscaloosa, she was the organist at Christ Episcopal Church and was invited to prepare the choruses for the World Premiere of a work by internationally recognized composer Gunther Schüller, the work written to celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King. Her newest ministry is a Women’s Chorus at Tutwiler Prison.

Becky loves to perform nearly every style of music, which performances include a ‘former life’ playing the piano with a Country/Bluegrass Band, but the passion of Becky’s life is worship. In addition to her work at Ascension, her love of worship is expressed not only in the different choirs and musical groups with whom she works, but also with an inter-denominational women’s worship group and music ministry.

Becky is married to baritone Bill Taylor. They share not only their love of music and the Lord, but they enjoy playing golf . Her son, Patrick Padgett, is also a musician and golfer, living in the Beaver Creek, Colorado, area.

Rebecca Barrineau Taylor
e-mail Becky
334-263-5529 -Extension:107 (church)