Friends of Music & the Arts Presents: Charles Frost, Organist, and Lucy Owen Hoyt, Soprano, Featuring African American Spirituals and Composers

The first 2026 concert of the Friends of Music & the Arts Series is coming up soon!

Charles Frost, organist and conductor, and Lucy Owen Hoyt, lyric soprano, will bring together their love of music in a program celebrating African American composers and spirituals. The two knew each other a few years back while attending Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, but this is their first concert performance together.

Charles, a native of New Jersey, earned his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees at Westminster Choir College. He has served as Minister of Music at many churches and performed in concerts across the country. Currently, he leads the Sea Island Singers in Beaufort, South Carolina. He is also President of The Hymn Society based in Washington, D.C.

A gifted teacher who recently retired from James Madison University Voice faculty, Lucy founded the Valley Voice Initiative to support emerging artists. She has sung across the Carolinas and the Shenandoah Valley and has performed in Scotland at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. You may recognize her from her occasional solos at our services and/or previous concerts held at St. John in the Wilderness.

Their shared artistry promises an inspiring afternoon of powerful music rooted in faith and tradition. The music concert is free and open to the public, but donations are encouraged to fund the ongoing series. Reservations are not necessary. We hope to see you there!