Ben Turner
If choral music is in your soul, you have got to meet Ben Turner. If there ever was a person God gave the gift of choral music, it has to be Ben. He eats, drinks, sleeps, and conducts great choral music. One of his greatest attributes is teaching choirs the marriage of text and music. His second greatest attribute is in his ability to help his choirs frame the music in their own experience. The result is choral music that edifies the worship experience of our congregation.
Ben comes by his love of music honestly from being reared in a Music Minister’s family. If that were not enough, his mother is a public school music teacher. After trying to choose another field of study, he finally surrendered to God’s calling to what was in his heart all the time.
In his down-mode, Ben enjoys Auburn Tigers’ football, follows the Atlanta Braves in baseball, and has been known to hit a pretty straight and long golf ball. He watches old war movies and reads biographies and autobiographies. He is a product of the times when it comes to texting, tweeting, and Facebook. His “significant other,” Audra, allows him to claim her dog, Ryder, as his also.
Ben graduated from Gulfport High School. He holds the Bachelor of Music Education degree and a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Mississippi College. Ben came to Crossgates UMC as the Director of Music Ministries in July of 2011.