FPC Music Ministries

Music Ministries

Director of Music Ministries

Edna Turner Broadhurst has been organist and Director of Music Ministries at First Presbyterian Church since 1980. She received her Bachelor of Science in Organ Performance from Old Dominion University. Teachers of note are Dorothy Lindauer, Dorothy Trotman, Elizabeth Pappas, Charles Vogan and James Kosnick. She has performed master classes with John Weaver, John Ferguson, and others. She has been a professional organist since her first employment at Wright Memorial Methodist Church in 1964.
Edna continues to "sharpen the saw" by regularly attending Continuing Education courses taught by recognized Universities and Christian Education centers. She has studied composition with Alice Parker, vocal techniques with Anton Armstrong, Fraüke Hausmann, Donald McCullough, and Robert Shoup. Edna is also a charter member of the Virginia Symphony Chorus and has toured Europe with that group on three different occasions. Edna a member of the Presbyterian Association of Musicians, American Guild of Organists, and the Choristers Guild.
Edna also teaches Music and Drama at the Williams School, a K-8 private preparatory school in West Ghent and maintains a very active private studio of organ and piano students.

Adult Choir

The Adult Choir participates in the congregational worship each week by providing leadership in singing hymns, offering illuminating anthems, solos and instrumental accompaniments. On special occasions, the choir is augmented by members of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra and the local military bands.

The all-volunteer choir is a group of fun-loving individuals from varied backgrounds with differing musical accomplishments but all are here to worship our Lord in a personally fulfilling manner. Can you sing? Then join the choir! Contact Edna for details.

Click here for excerpts from the April 2008 presentation of John Rutter's Requiem.

Outreach

2008 marks the third year of our summer Courtyard Concerts. Each summer, the Music Ministries presents a series of eclectic performances in the Friendship Courtyard located on Court Street that are open to the public. While the performers are screened to eliminate inappropriate material, the performances are not necessarily religious in nature. Each concert is preceded by a dinner in the church Social Hall for which reservations are required. If you would like to join us for dinner, please contact us at Secretary@FPCPorts.org or 757 397 3622 at least three days prior to the concert so we can prepare enough food for everyone. All dinners start at 6:00 PM. The concerts start at 7:00 PM and last about an hour.

This year's schedule includes:

Tidewater Pipes and Drums on June 10

Don and Lisa, Eclectic Duo on June 24

Me and Jo, Acoustic Folk and Blues on July 8

2 for Fun, Beach Music on July 22

Top Hats, 40s Style Big Band on August 12

Eddie Smith Bluegrass Band on August 26

The Organ

The current Organ at First Presbyterian Church was built and installed by the F. P. Möller Company of Baltimore, MD in 1937. In 1968, the organ was removed to Baltimore and completely rebuilt to the original specifications again by the Möller Company. In 1999, the organ underwent its first upgrade with the installation of a completely computerized 1928 Austin 3-manual console, several ranks of new pipes to replace some sounds that had fallen into disuse and the addition of an Antiphonal Organ located in the rear of the Sanctuary over the balcony stairs. At the same time, several new ranks were added using technology from the Walker Organ Company. All work was performed or overseen by Brantley A. Duddy, Inc. of Cedars, PA.

The specifications are:

Swell Organ		Great Organ
Lieblich Gedeckt	16	Violone	16
Geigen Principal	8	Diapason	8
Rohr Fluet	8	Bourdon	8
Viola Pomposa	8	Harmonic Flute	8
Salicional	8	Gemshorn	8
Vox Celeste	8	Dulciana	8
Flauto Dolce	8	Dulciana Celeste	8
Dolce Celeste	8	Octave	4
Gemshorn Principal	4	Bourdon	4
Koppel Flute	4	Nachthorn	4
Italian Principal	2	Dulcet	4
Block Flute	2	Twelfth	2 2/3
Larigot	1 1/3	Fifteenth	2
Plein Jeu	IV	Sesquialtera	II
Fagotto	16	Fourniture	IV
Trumpet	8	Cromorne	16
Oboe	8	English Horn	8
Vox Humana	8	French Horn	8
Clarinet	4	Schalmey	4
Tremolo		Chimes
Swell	16	Tremolo
Swell Unison Off		Great	16
Swell	4	Great Unison Off
Antiphonal to Swell		Great	4
		Swell	16
		Swell	8
		Swell	4
		Antiphonal to Great

Antiphonal Organ		Pedal Organ
Festival Trumpet	8	Bourdon	32
Montre	8	Resultant	32
Cello Celeste	II	Principal	16
Erzahler Celeste	II	Lieblich Gedeckt	16
Flute Celeste	II	Flute Conique	16
Principal	4	Dulciana	16
Vox Humana	8	Octave	8
Harp		Bourdon	8
		Gedeckt	8
		Choral Bass	4
		Flute Octaviante	4
		Bassoon	16
		French Oboe	8
		Regal	4
		Great	8
		Great	4
		Swell	8
		Swell	4

First Presbyterian Church

Portsmouth, VA

Music Ministries