Megan Anthony, piano and cello

Megan grew up in Texas where she was exposed to music from a young age. She began piano study at the age of 10 and cello at 14. Megan’s love for music began as a member of the Youth Orchestra of Greater Fort Worth. This love has grown into a passion for collaborative arts and chamber music. Megan will be graduating in May of 2009 with a B.M. in piano performance from Bob Jones University where she studied with Dr. Susan Kindall. Megan plans to continue music study and pursue a M.M. in collaborative piano.

Megan came to know Christ as her Savior at the young age of 4. Since then, she has dedicated her life to service for the Lord and seen Him move and direct in marvelous ways. Megan’s life verse is Colossians 1:10, that she “might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work.” Her prayer is to pursue excellence in music for the glory of God.

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Katrina Barber, soprano

Having grown up in a Christian home, I was discipled by two very godly parents and came to know Jesus Christ as my personal Savior at a very young age. But it has been only within the last few years that I have been able to truly see God working in my life and guiding me in that amazingly perfect way in which only He can do.

God used a major injury to change my focus from sports towards music during my freshmen year of college. I started late in the game, musically speaking, and really had to learn music from the ground up. I spent three years at Palomar Community College in California before transferring to Bob Jones University as a Voice Performance Major. I will be graduating this May and embarking on a life that I am still unsure about.

Proverbs 3:6 has taken special meaning for me these last few months. “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” I don’t know the next step that God is planning for me, but I am excited about it! All I know is that right now, I must follow after God, clinging to His promises and having full faith in the knowledge that He is in control of all things.

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Julia Byrd, piano

I am currently completing my second year at Lenoir-Rhyne University.I developed an interest in piano at a young age, and began taking lessons at the age of 10.I began studying under Dr. John Cheek at Lenoir-Rhyne while in high school, and I have continued to study with him while pursuing a degree in music performance.Last summer I received a music study scholarship and traveled to Canada where I had the opportunity to study for a week with performer Maneli Pirzadeh.I also gave a freshman recital during the fall of 2007, and this semester I had the privilege of performing a sonata for viola and piano by Paul Hindemith with Jorge Martinez, an accomplished violist.

In addition to an interest in concert music, I enjoy improvising, composing and arranging music.One of my deepest desires is to communicate the beauty and glory of God through the music I play.He is the One who has given me gifts, and it is His glory that motivates me to pursue and cultivate those gifts.I can have no higher musical goal than to play every note as a sound of praise and for an audience consisting only of my Savior.

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Amberley Cox, piano and viola

Amberley grew up in the Greenville area going to Bob Jones school since K-5. As a result of this, along with her father being a music professor at Bob Jones University, she was exposed to a wide variety of musical talent from her earliest days. This lead to an interest and love for music early on. Amberley began studying piano prior to entering third grade, and then added the viola in fourth grade. Competitions and participating in local music groups were always a part of her musical education. An interest in collaborative piano began in college when she was able to accompany for voice and instrumental recitals. Upon the completion of her degree in piano performance in 2010, having studied under David Lehman, Amberley hopes to pursue a graduate degree in collaborative piano.

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Sarah Graf, soprano

Sarah grew up in New Jersey, and came to know Christ as her Savior at the age of eight. She has always enjoyed music and the various opportunities it has given her to serve in her church and in for two summers in Europe while traveling with the Musical Mission Team from Bob Jones.

She is currently attending Bob Jones University, and is in her last year studying for a degree in Music Education with a voice principal. She is not sure what she’ll be doing when she finishes in December, but trusts that the Lord will direct her path.

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Brooks Popwell, cello (Returning student from last year. See full bio)

Since last year Brooks was featured as a soloist in December, 2008 with the Collegium Musicum of Bob Jones University, performing Dvorak's "Rondo for Cello and Orchestra" which he worked on at Valor last summer.In the 2008 senior division competition, Brooks was the state winner of the solo auditions for the South Carolina American String Teachers' Association.

In addition to performing, Brooks enjoys writing music and arranging hymns for cello and piano.

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Rachelyn Primm, mezzo-soprano

Rachelyn began study on various instruments at a young age, but developed a special interest in the clarinet at the age of 9.

As she further pursued the instrument under the direction of her mother, Penny Primm, she won recognition in various solo competitions, band, and ensembles from elementary to high school.

Due to her love for singing, which she received from her family, Rachelyn started to perform in different solo competitions, choirs, and ensembles in voice as well. She didn't receive formal voice instruction until 2004, when she began studying with Lea Evelyn Tatich. Beginning voice lessons sparked her passion for voice even more. Rachelyn chose to pursue a Bachelor of Music in voice performance when she began college in 2006 at Bob Jones University. She is currently a junior voice performance major, and studies voice under Dr. C. Stanley Eby.

Rachelyn is unsure of the Lord's leading in whether to pursue further education, but after graduation she would love to be a part of stage and opera productions, and teach voice, whether in her own studio or in a school setting.

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Emily True, violin

At this time Emily True is a junior string pedagogy major at Maranatha Baptist Bible College in Watertown, Wisconsin, where she studies violin with Miss Elizabeth Pabón.

Emily began piano lessons at the age of eight, followed by violin lessons at the age of twelve with Mrs. Joan Mulfinger.Other instructors have included Mrs. Joanna (Mulfinger) Lebo, Mrs. Haejin Kim, Mrs. Dianne Pinner, and Mr. Calin Lupano, concertmaster of the Charlotte Symphony.During her senior year of high school she played Bach’s Violin Concerto in A minor with the Greenville County Youth Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Gary A. Robinson.

She currently enjoys every opportunity to teach music, whether one-on-one in private lessons or in pre-school classes as part of her early childhood music training.She believes that the Lord has a definite reason for having her learn how to teach and looks forward to seeing where He will use her in the future.

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Sallie Turner, Violinist

Sallie grew up in Richmond, VA where she was exposed to good music from an early age. Her mother began teaching her piano when she was quite young and was extremely influential in developing in her a deep love and appreciation for music. Through God’s sovereign will in Sallie’s life, she began playing the violin by DVD’s at the very late age of 15. Since then, God has given her the motivation and desire to pursue violin to the best of her ability and all to God’s glory. Although her violin career has been short so far, God’s hand of guidance and direction has been extremely evident and Sallie feels called to pursue this God-given dream of music.

In high school, Sallie studied for three short, yet very profitable years under Alana Pritchard Carithers. As a member of the Richmond Youth Symphony Orchestra for two years, she had the unique privilege of performing at the Kennedy Center in 2008. The summer of 2009 she had the opportunity to be a member of the orchestra program at The Masterworks Festival and study under Ellen Marie Willis. Now she is pursuing a Bachelor of Music in violin performance at Bob Jones University under the instruction of Mrs. Dianne Pinner. Sallie is looking forward to becoming a better-equipped musician this summer and is very excited about what God has in store for her future.

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Juliana Witt, piano

From Pottstown, PA, Juliana was gifted with parents that share a love both for the Lord and music. They enabled her to begin piano studies at the age of 4. At age 11, she started studying with Denise Baum, who fostered her blossoming love of music. In high school, she became very involved in church music and studied piano and organ with Dr. Bill Nash. She also began doing more chamber music and accompanying, fostering a love for collaborating that she'd now like to pursue in grad school when she finishes undergrad this December.

She is currently a Piano Performance major at Bob Jones University where she studies with David Lehman. She aspires to portray Christ in her life and in the gift of music.

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