Music At St. Mary’s Concert Series begins Sept. 20

By John Glaze

The 2026-27 Music At St. Mary’s Concert Series will begin Sept. 20 at 3 p.m. with the piano duo of James Carson and Jeff Holmes who have been performing together as a duo piano team since 2021. 

Jim grew up in Hillsboro, the elder son of St. Mary’s late Rector the Rev. John Carson and studied piano for nine years under the late Sara Doris Swisshelm before going on to earn a BA in music theory and composition from Kenyon College. He was for several years a regular participant in the annual Chicago Duo-Piano Festival and served as organist/choirmaster for several Episcopal congregations in the Chicago area. 

Jeff Holmes grew up in Cincinnati and began his piano journey at age seven. His first teacher was his next-door neighbor, an immigrant from Honduras. When transitioning to high school, he switched to a Suzuki teacher who helped him further explore music theory, ear training, and sight reading. Following his love for music (and his aversion for math!), Jeff enrolled at Cincinnati Christian University and completed a BM in Piano Performance. He later completed a Master of Worship Studies at the Robert Webber Institute for Worship Studies and shortly thereafter began work at Twin Towers Senior Living Community in Cincinnati, where he met Jim.

The duo appears regularly in recital at Twin Towers, where Jim resides and Jeff holds the position of Music and Worship Coordinator. Their repertoire ranges from standard classics by such composers as Schubert, Brahms, and Dvorák, through popular classics by Scott Joplin and John Philip Sousa.

The remainder of the concert season is:

Oct. 4 – 3 p.m. Organ Recital with Jim McLaughlin (formerly of Hillsboro), assisted by John Glaze and Jennie Harner.

Nov. 8 – 3 p.m. Organ Recital with Dr. Sarah Simko who is on the staff at the Diocese of Southern Ohio.

Nov. 29 – 3 p.m. Hillsboro Organ Crawl which will begin at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church with John Glaze, followed by Hillsboro Global Methodist Church with Mindy Lee and First Presbyterian Church with David Pettit. This is a charity event with attendees’ donations being given to the Homeless Shelter.

Dec. 20 – 2 p.m. A St. Mary’s Christmas, an annual Christmas Concert for the community. John Glaze, organ; Jennie Harner, flute, and Lynn Lowell, piano.

March 14 – 3 p.m. The Folk Boom of the 1950s and '60s, presented by Steve and Lisa Ball of Columbus.

April 25 – 3 p.m. The Wayside Winds, a quintet of flute, bassoon, clarinet, French horn and oboe, will be returning this year. 

May 2 – 3 p.m. 4 Praise – a local piano quartet of Mindy Lee, Jennie Harner, Marilyn Myers and Laura Jacky playing two pianos and filling the church with sound.

Music At St. Mary’s is provided to the community at no charge but is supported by donations offered at the concerts, as well as by several generous friends in the community. We believe good music should be accessible to all. Concerts are held at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, 234 N. High Street in Hillsboro and each begins at 3 p.m. (except as noted). More information may be accessed at our website: www.masmhillsboro.weebly.com.