Marjorie Johnston is a lifelong church musician currently serving as Director of Music at First Presbyterian Church in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Marjorie has held full-time positions at large Episcopal churches in Chicago, Illinois, and in Huntsville, Alabama, leading comprehensive music programs involving both adults and children. She later served as Interim Director of Music for St. James Cathedral in Chicago, Illinois, and St. George’s Episcopal Church in Nashville, Tennessee, helping to restore musical excellence and morale to ministries that had experienced difficulties. She has prepared and conducted two choir tours through Great Britain and is on the editorial staff for The Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians, writing monthly CD reviews. In 2014, she completed Parish Lay Volunteer Chaplain Training, sponsored by Rush Hospital and Chicago Episcopal Charities.
During her years in Chicago, Marjorie expanded on her focus in classical and sacred music, pairing her musical talents with administrative skills during a long tenure with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. There she served as Associate Chorus Manager and Music Librarian while working as a professional singer with the Chicago Symphony Chorus, the Grant Park Music Festival, the Chicago Bach Project, and the Bach Week Festival, where she was also Assistant Director of the Chorus.
As a choral singer, Marjorie has performed under the leading conductors of this generation, including many years at the Carnegie Hall Choral Workshops in New York City with Maestro Robert Shaw. She is an accomplished flutist and maintains a side career as a professional cocktail pianist. Aside from her musical interests she enjoys running and supporting animal welfare organizations.