Dr. Craig Scott Symons  (csymons@home.com)
----------------------
 
Craig Scott Symons is Director of Music and Organist at Royal Oak
First United Methodist Church in suburban Detroit. He previously
served as Minister of Music at the Church of St. Jude in Detroit
since 1990, a church that was featured in the 1986 Detroit American
Guild of Organists National Convention. Craig holds a Bachelor of
Music from Wayne State University and a Master of Music and a
Doctor of Musical Arts, both from University of Michigan.

He began his musical education at the age of 7. Following several
years of private study, Craig enrolled at the Interlochen Arts
Academy, where he graduated in 1980. While at Interlochen, he was a
winner in the Kalamazoo Bach Festival Young Artists Competition.
During his undergraduate years at Wayne State, Craig spent a great
deal of time singing and accompanying the choral ensembles. Toward
the end of his undergraduate degree, he was honored to become the
director of the Wayne State Men's Glee Club following the
retirement of Dr. Harry Langsford, Director/Founder of the Glee
Club for 45 years.

In 1990, Craig was awarded the university's highest honor; the
Thomas Rumble Graduate Fellowship for graduate work in Choral
Conducting. The following year, he left Wayne State to pursue an
Master of Music in Church Music at the University of Michigan.

After graduating in the spring of 1995, Craig was asked by Royal
Oak First United Methodist to be its Director of Music. First
Church has a tremendous musical heritage. A Michigan Historic
landmark, First Church boasts a membership of 1100 members with
over 200 in the music program encompassing 7 vocal and 2 handbell
choirs. The present church building has been in existence since the
late 1880's, with the congregation dating back to 1834. Since
arriving at First Church, Craig has instituted a Performing Arts
Series and is preparing the High School choir for its annual Easter
Week Tour of the Midwest. The Adult choir performs a major work
each spring and presents a Dinner Concert to help fund the Summer
Choir Camp, held each year for the past 45 years.

In addition to his church duties, Craig is founder/director of Ars
Nova, an 18 member professional vocal ensemble which perform around
the Detroit area, and is on the Executive Boards of the Detroit
Chapters of the American Guild of Organists and Choristers Guild.