Our Music Minister,
Vincent Johns-Lee
Vincent@steamboatstpauls.org
Vincent Johns-Lee was born in Singapore and grew up in Central California, in a small town named Atwater. While still in Singapore, he began studying at the Yamaha School of Music. He was only 6 years old. Upon moving to the United States, he continued his piano studies with various teachers.
In high school, he studied under Ms. Florine Johnston of Mariposa and began competing in Concerto Competitions. As a senior in high school, he competed in and won the Young Artists Competition and performed the 1st movement of Prokofiev’s Concerto No. 3 with the Merced Symphony.
He continued his studies at California State University, Stanislaus under Dr. Sylvia Ghiglieri and competed and won the Concerto/Aria Competition and performed Beethoven’s 3rd Concerto in C minor with the Stanislaus Symphony. His last two years in college were spent at Humboldt State University in Northern California studying under Dr. Deborah Clasquin. He also won the Concerto/Aria Competition at Humboldt State performing Rachmaninoff’s Concerto No. 2.
While at Humboldt State, he took an interest in choral conducting and began his studies in choral music and conducting under Kenneth Hannaford. He sang in the choirs and chamber singers at both CSU Stanislaus and at Humboldt State and was the assistant conductor at the latter. In 1993, he auditioned for a spot with Robert Shaw’s Festival Chorus in NYC and sang the Berlioz Requiem at Carnegie Hall. The following year, he moved to NYC and sang as a paid chorister/section leader at Grace Episcopal Church in Brooklyn, NY and The Church of the Holy Trinity on the Upper East Side. He also sang with the NYC Gay Men’s Chorus during the 1994-1995 season.
In 1983, Vincent answered the call to be a church musician and began as a musician at Christian Life Center in Merced, California. Following that position, he continued as the pianist/organist at Harvest Presbyterian Church in Ceres, CA and then St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Modesto, CA. While at Humboldt State, he was the choir director/organist at St. Francis Episcopal Church in Fortuna, CA. In 2003, he took a position as the Director of Music at Resurrection R.C. Church in Brooklyn, NY and served there until 2019. From 2019 to the present, he was the organist/choir director at St. Peter and John Episcopal Church in Auburn, NY.
During the height of the pandemic, he produced several virtual choir videos involving 55+ choristers from all over the world and began a YouTube Channel of Preludes and Postludes performed on the piano to be used for virtual services. You can find the channel here.
Vincent is married to his husband, Charles, and has 3 fur babies: Kendall, Molly and Chumley. He is excited to begin the next chapter of his life with the good people of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.
