4 PRAISE piano quartet returns to Music at St. Mary's

By John Glaze

Music At St. Mary’s is happy to announce our next concert. On March 15 at 3 p.m., the nave of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church will ring with the sounds of two pianos being played by the eight hands of 4 PRAISE. 

The Covid pandemic left many folks bereft and without a compass. On the other hand, we hear many stories of people who thrived during the lockdowns, cancellation of programs and more. The story of 4 PRAISE is of the latter. 

Around 2021, quartet member Marilyn Myers found some music for 8 hand/2 pianos. Her church had been using 4-hand piano for some of their streamed services and she thought it would be fun to explore the music she now had. Before long, 4 PRAISE, performing two piano/eight hand music, had its founding.

Marilyn recruited three other ladies and the quartet was off and practicing. The members of the group include Jennie Harner, no stranger to the music scene of Highland County, who is a retired home economics teacher and active flutist. Mindy Lee, organist at Hillsboro Global Methodist Church is a loan associate with NCB. Marilyn Myers is a retired music educator and choir director at Global Methodist and Debbie Vesely, a retired registered nurse, is a member of Rainsboro Methodist Church. All of the ladies are active in their churches.

The group will present a program of music featuring many familiar tunes and some not so familiar. The twist is that they are arranged for the massive sound created by 8 hands playing the entire spectrum of two pianos. 

Music At St. Mary’s is an outreach program of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, 234 N. High Street, Hillsboro, and is designed to bring great music to the community provided with no admission charge. Donations, which support bringing out of town musicians in, are accepted at all concerts. Following 4 PRAISE, there will be a reception where you may visit with the members of the group and enjoy refreshments.