Sue Ellen Echard, Minister of Music

Sue Ellen Echard, MM, BS, BMus, is Minister of Music and Organist at Church of the Holy Spirit, Episcopal, Harleysville, PA serving since 2000. Over her career she has worked as choral director, organist, collaborative pianist, workshop leader, Kindermusik® teacher, recitalist and teacher of organ and piano. She has been a member of the Philadelphia AGO for over 35 years and served on the executive committee of the Philadelphia Chapter. She specializes in choir and community building and was recruited early in the founding of Church of Holy Spirit to build music, arts and youth programs. The growing of this new parish was focused on a high quality of music and liturgy. Under her leadership, the choirs have grown to include opportunities for musicians of all ages in a variety of choirs. The church continues to grow and thrive. In recent years, Sue Ellen led choral residencies at Bristol, Winchester, Lincoln and Exeter Cathedrals 2012 -2023.

Sue Ellen has served on the music staff of the Valley Choral Society as collaborative keyboard musician as well as the music staff of Bel Canto Children’s Chorus, and the Royal School of Church Music at the King’s College Course in Wilkes-Barre.

Sue Ellen’s career has been broad and comprehensive serving churches in the Episcopal, Catholic, Presbyterian, Reformed and Evangelical traditions. She holds a Bachelor of Science in theology and Bachelor of Music in Church Music from Cairn University and a Master of Sacred Music Degree from Westminster Choir College where she studied organ with Eugene Roan and choral conducting with Allen Crowell and Andrew Megill. She completed further studies in choral conducting at the Choral Institute at Oxford in 2017 and 2019.

Sue Ellen completed studies in Spiritual Direction through the Adelynrood School of Spiritual Direction in Byfield Massachusetts, a ministry of the Society of the Companions of the Holy Cross in 2022 and continues to expand her studies in this area of ministry.