ESCS's Artistic Director, Mary Katherine Kilgore, is a native of Forsyth, Georgia.   She received her Bachelor of Music degree in Organ Performance from Valdosta State University.  She studied voice, opera and choral conducting at Clayton College and State University and Master of Music studies in choral conducting at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.  Mary Katherine's conducting professors include Dr. Sandra Willets and the late Dr. Gerald Welker.

Mary Katherine is a talented and accomplished conductor and musician.  She was a member of the Georgian Renaissance Singers (Macon, GA), Chanson (Tuscaloosa, AL), Choral Artists (Birmingham, AL) and is currently a member of the Mobile Opera Chorus.  She has also performed as a vocal soloist with the Macon Civic Chorale in Vivaldi's Gloria and John Rutter's Gloria.  While in graduate school at the University of Alabama, Mary Katherine served as chorus master for the school's production of Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutti, prepared a women's chorus for the Huxford Symphony performance of Holst's Planets and a women's chorus for the Alabama Symphony Orchestra's performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 3.  She has taught piano and voice lessons privately for over 16 years and has been selected to judge numerous piano, vocal and choral competitions.  Mary Katherine served as ESCS's Accompanist from 2009 through the 2010 Winter semester.                                 

Mary Katherine currently serves as Director of Music at Fairhope United Methodist Church where she conducts the Worship Choir, Chancel Choir, Chancel Bells, Youth Choir and Youth Bells.  She has two step children, Jonathan and Holly, and has lived in Fairhope with her husband Rodney and daughter Emily since 2005.