Dr. Robert Taylor is the Director of Choral Activities at the College of

Charleston, the Founding Artistic Director and President of the Taylor Festival Choir

(TFC) and Taylor MusicGroup (TMG), and the Director of theCharleston Symphony

Orchestra Chorus and Chamber Singers. Called a “rising star in the international choral

scene” and a "true master of his craft" (Charleston City Paper), Taylor’s choirs have been

described as sounding "more musical than would seem possible" (Charleston Post and

Courier), and have received numerous plaudits from critics and choral specialists for

their technical proficiency, musicality and beautiful sound production. Taylor's

ensembles have performed throughout the United States and Europe. They have been

featured in numerous festivals, conventions and special concerts, including the 2005

and 2009 American Choral Directors (ACDA) National Conventions, the 2008 and 2011

National Collegiate Choral Organization National Conventions, and multiple appearances

in regional and state ACDA and AGO conventions. Taylor and his combined choirs

performed with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra in a feature concert in the 2013

National Collegiate Choral Organization National Convention. Taylor's groups also

appear annually in the prestigious Spoleto Festival U.S.A. and Piccolo Spoleto Festival.

Dr. Taylor's professional ensemble, the Taylor Festival Choir (TFC), has been hailed by

critics and choral specialists alike as being one of the nation’s finest. Performing a full

season of concerts in the Charleston area, TFC also has toured throughout the USA and

Ireland and has recorded with Delos Recordings, Centaur Records, and MSR Classics.

TFC’s recent release was on the Grammy ballot, and featured the world premiere

recording of Celtic Mass by Michael McGlynn, alongside Mass by James MacMillan, a

performance described as “very impressive indeed….many will be drawn to this

(recording) simply because of the intensity Taylor brings to his readings, and the way

his choir responds with such potent empathy for the music.” (Musicweb International –

London).

Taylor has conducted more than 50 major choral/orchestral works to critical acclaim, his

interpretations of modern works and the works of Ralph Vaughan Williams being

especially praised. His recording of Vaughan Williams' Epithalamion and An Oxford

Elegy was hailed as "a highly accomplished performance," one in which "his forces

capture [Vaughan Williams' score's] ebb and flow perfectly" (American Record Guide).

With the CSO Chorus, he has prepared numerous choral/orchestral masterworks for

performances with prestigious conductors such as the late David Stahl, Dr. Joseph

Flummerfelt, Ken Lam, Louis Solemno, Dr. Kenneth Fulton, Dr. Joe Miller, JoAnn Faletta

and Stuart Molina,. As Director of Choral Activities at the College of Charleston, Dr.

Taylor oversees all choral studies and endeavors, including leading the acclaimed

Concert Choir, the Madrigal Singers, and directing the choral strand of the College of

Charleston's Master of Arts in Teaching in the Performing Arts degree. He serves as

editor of the Robert Taylor Choral Series with Colla Voce Publications, and is an avid

lover and arranger of Irish traditional music. Along with his wife, violinist/Irish fiddler

Mary Taylor, Taylor coordinates the Celtic Arts Series (formerly the Taylor Music Festival)

in Piccolo Spoleto: a series of concerts and workshops emphasizing musical education

and performance in both classical and Celtic/folk disciplines. Deeply involved in Piccolo

Spoleto and with the Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs, Taylor was recently awarded

the Piccolo Spoleto Lifetime Achievement Award.

Mary Scott Taylor is the Director and Founder of Na Fidleiri. She has been teaching and

performing since 1975, with students from pre-school age to collegiate level. Taylor has

taught privately and in public and private school in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and

South Carolina. Taylor was the founder of the Suzuki Preparatory Program at Oklahoma

City University. Once in Charleston, Ms. Taylor served on the faculty at Ashley Hall

from 2006 to 2017, where she was instrumental in the building of its string program. She

was as a member of the faculty at Charleston County School for the Arts in 2001, and

has served as adjunct faculty in the strings areas at the College of Charleston and

Charleston Southern University.

Ms. Taylor taught Intermediate and High School Orchestra in Texas from 1985 to 1987

and again from 1990 to 1993. Groups under her direction won numerous awards and

high ratings in Texas UIL competition. Mary has also been a featured presenter at the

famed Texas Music Educators Association Convention. Ms. Taylor has taught hundreds of

students over the years in her private studios and students under her direction have

been finalists and winners of concerto competitions and have gone on to attend

institutions such as Interlochen, Eastman, Rice University, Julliard and San

Francisco Conservatory.

Ms. Taylor is an accomplished chamber, orchestral and Irish traditional performer. She is

a member of the Ensemble St. Clare, the chamber ensemble-in-residence at Mepkin

Abbey, SC, and has been a long-time member of Steve Rosenberg’s early music consort

Charleston Pro Musica. She has performed with orchestras in Texas, Louisiana, Georgia,

Oklahoma, South Carolina, Austria and Italy, and currently performs with the Charleston

Symphony Orchestra and North Charleston Pops. Mary has also performed with

renowned Celtic artists such as Liz Carroll, John Doyle, Kim Robertson, Abby Newton,

and David Greenberg. Ms. Taylor has been featured in numerous recordings, including

collaborations with the Taylor Festival Choir on projects recorded by the Delos, Centaur

and MSR Classics recording labels.

Taylor has a Bachelor of Music Degree in Violin Performance from Lamar University

along with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Music Education. Taylor holds a Master of

Music Degree from Sam Houston State University in Violin Performance and a Minor in

Conducting.