Each summer, the Music Ministry invites a variety of guest musicians to sing and play in our worship services. We look forward to an amazing summer at Trinity with a rich and diverse musical experience.
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The list of artists is as follows:
Benjamin Roberts, the son of Don and Carol Ann Roberts, has been involved in music since childhood and holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Hardin Simmons University, as well as a Masters in Music Education and a Masters in Vocal Performance from Southern Methodist University. He lives in Oak Cliff with his husband Bill, owner of Oak Cliff Realty. Benjamin has taught choral music for 15 years and is currently the choral music director at James Coble Middle School in Mansfield, Texas. He is a member of the Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church Sanctuary Choir in Dallas.
Brian Shiplov has been a Trinity member since 2008. Brian works as a veterinarian (in fact he treats many of the beloved pets of Trinity). He loves to sing and play the guitar and is a favorite contributor to our worship services throughout the year. Joining him is his daughter, Katie, who has grown up at Trinity and is an active member of our youth and BHLU. In addition to singing, Katie plays piano. She is also on her school’s volleyball team as well as a local rec team. She is very active in the youth ministry here at Trinity. She has loved being a part of BHLU and looks forward to growing as a musician.
Laurie Gabriel has been performing in church since the age of two, when her mother, an organist, let her push the foot pedals as she played. Laurie holds a degree in voice and cello from the University of Denver. She has played dozens of musical theater and opera roles, as well as performing regularly for senior populations. Laurie is also an accomplished choir director and published composer.
The McKinney Philharmonic Orchestra was founded by Artistic Director Jason Lim as the Odysseus Chamber Orchestra in May 2012 in Denton, Texas. The orchestra consists of professional classical musicians from the Dallas/Fort Worth area dedicated to building a strong community through music and the arts. In its short history, the orchestra has garnered a growing national reputation as an emerging ensemble, winning second and third prizes in the American Prize Competition for professional orchestras in 2014 and 2015, respectively. In 2016, the orchestra was awarded the Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for excellence in performing American Music. In recent years, the orchestra has expanded its outreach by providing free chamber music series concerts, many of which are hosted here at Trinity Presbyterian Church. In 2019, the organization changed its name to the McKinney Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) to better reflect its growing ties with and support received from the City of McKinney.
John Mark Solomon is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and provides psychotherapy services for Veterans at the VA in Plano, TX. John Mark is a native of Texas, a graduate of Austin College in Sherman, and has an MSW from the University of Oklahoma. John Mark has been involved with youth ministry and music in local churches and conferences for over 30 years. He is a 5th generation Presbyterian PK (“Preacher’s Kid”).
John Mark lives in Wylie with his wife Lynette who is a Presbyterian minister and Hospital Chaplain at Baylor Scott and White. They have two adult children Luke and Kay.
Walteria Caldwell is a professionally trained mezzo-soprano, pianist, director, and music educator who tours around the country and abroad. In college, Walteria played professional piano gigs, sang roles in opera scenes, and performed as a lead soloist in the US premiere of “Changed My Name” as well as being one of the soloists for her alma mater’s Chancellor’s Installation Service. After receiving a Bachelor of Music Performance degree at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, she took Graduate Music Studies in Performance from Mercer University.
Walteria has been teaching voice and piano students for over 20 years; those students have branched off into careers performing professionally in Las Vegas, Atlanta, and New York while winning auditions, roles, scholarships, and talent competitions under her instruction. Currently, Walteria teaches and directs Opera Workshop, piano, voice, and Diversity in Music. Performing in the United States and Europe, Walteria has traveled as a frequent concert soloist with various choirs/orchestras for oratorio works such. In concert, Walteria has performed from Handel’s Rinaldo, Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, as Marian Anderson, and Voices Before Mine(a tribute to African American women in classical music). She has served as a judge for various music groups, including NAMM and NATS.
As the Executive Director of the non-profit Diversita Opera Arts Company, Walteria assists in providing music scholarships to students and promotes diversity through concerts and opera. Outside of classical music, Walteria performs genres such as jazz and musical theatre. She is a member of the Texas Music Educators Association and the music fraternity, Mu Phi Epsilon.
Maylee Thomas Fuller is a well-known local musical talent with a newly produced 6th CD called ‘Raining Grace.’ The Maylee Thomas Band is a DFW favorite and her gutsy, bluesy and soulful sound is a reflection of the artist. Maylee Thomas, the lead singer, has been a prominent figure in the vibrant Dallas music scene since 1987. Her versatility shines through as she effortlessly transitions from gospel to blues, R&B, and southern rock, taking audiences on an unforgettable musical journey.
But Maylee is not alone in this musical endeavor. Joining her on stage is George Fuller, an accomplished guitarist who has been a key part of the band since 1991. George Fuller is also known as Mckinney’s Mayor.
David LaMotte is a songwriter, speaker and author. He has performed over 3500 concerts and released thirteen full-length CDs of primarily original music, touring in all of the fifty states and on five of the seven continents. The Boston Globe writes that his music “pushes the envelope with challenging lyrics and unusual tunings, but he also pays homage to folk tradition,” while BBC Radio Belfast lauds his “charm, stories, humour, insightful songs, sweet voice and dazzling guitar ability.” His most recent album, Still, features the number one song on Folk Radio in September, 2022 (September Me), and the album remained in the top twenty for six months. He has been a featured performer at top tier music festivals including the Kerrville Folk Festival, Merlefest, the Auckland Folk Festival (NZ), and the Australian National Folk Festival.
His dense speaking and workshop calendar has included presenting at the PC(USA) Mission to the United Nations, keynoting peace conferences in India, Australia, Germany and at the Scottish Parliament, as well as offering the baccalaureate for 2016 graduates of Columbia Seminary. His TEDx talk on what music can teach us about peacemaking is featured on TED.org (his 2024 TEDx talk will be released soon).
As a touring artist with an over thirty-year career, LaMotte has developed a large and loyal following around the world. His music has been honored with numerous awards and artist grants, and has been featured on dozens of artist compilations. Notably, his song Dark and Deep was included on Songs Inspired By Literature, Chapter One, a benefit CD to raise money for adult literacy. Other artists on that CD include Suzanne Vega, Grace Slick, Aimee Mann, and Bruce Springsteen. Several independent films feature David’s music, and it has been heard on the Today Show and the Showtime television series This American Life. In 2023, his song, Coming Alive Again, was chosen as the title track for the Spring album on Christine Lavin’s Seasons project in 2023.
LaMotte is also part of the musical trio Abraham Jam, an interfaith band made up of a Christian (David), a Muslim (Dawud Wharnsby), and a Jew (Billy Jonas). The trio has produced to albums together, White Moon, and Abraham Jam Live. They were also the subject of a short documentary by John P. Kennedy and David Saich, Braided Prayer.
David was born in Norfolk, Virginia, grew up mostly in Sarasota, Florida, graduated high school in Roanoke, Virginia, then college in Harrisonburg, Virginia. He is the son, grandson, and brother of Presbyterian ministers, and the fourth of four kids. He has also lived for short times in Raleigh, NC, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Paris, France, rural Andhra Pradesh, India, and Brisbane, Australia, but has made his home for more than thirty years in Black Mountain, North Carolina, where he currently resides with his wife, son, old dog, and five chickens.