Charles Snider

Charles Snider has served as Organist & Choirmaster of St. Mark’s since November of 1986.

A native of Macon, Georgia, Charles took his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in organ performance from the University of Montevallo in Alabama as a student of Betty Louise Lumby.  In addition, he has taken courses at the Royal School of Church Music in Croydon, England and done post-graduate work at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

Besides his parish work, he also serves as accompanist and assistant for over 200 students in the choral music program at Glenbard East High School in Lombard, Illinois.  He has accompanied them and other choirs on several domestic and European tours, including singing opportunities at Washington National Cathedral, Cologne Cathedral in Germany, Reims Cathedral in France, as well as Canterbury Cathedral, St. Paul’s, London, Ely Cathedral, St. Alban’s Cathedral, Lincoln Cathedral, and Westminster Abbey in England.

Charles has also had the opportunity to sing and record with both the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus under Robert Shaw, and seven years with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Chorus with Margaret Hillis.  During this time he participated  with the orchestra and chorus under the direction of Sir Georg Solti in performances in Washington, DC’s Kennedy Center, the Ravinia Festival, Carnegie Hall, the Salzburg Festival in Austria, and the Proms Concerts in London’s Royal Albert Hall.  He also appears as a featured organist on two CD recordings from St. Luke’s Church in Evanston, “Blow Ye the Trumpet in Zion” and “A Fair and Delectable Place”.   He served for several years as chairman for the Bishop’s Advisory Commission on Church Music for the Diocese of Chicago, and is a member of the Association of Anglican Musicians.